English Place-name Society

Survey of English Place-Names

A county-by-county guide to the linguistic origins of England’s place-names – a project of the English Place-Name Society, founded 1923.

Scarrington

Major Settlement in the Parish of Scarrington

Historical Forms

  • Scarintone 1086 DB
  • Skarington 1477 IpmR
  • Skaryngton 1538 FF
  • Scherninton', Shernintona 1166,1167 P
  • Scherinton 1203 RegAntiq 1241–6 Ipm 1280 Ass
  • Scherington ib.
  • Skeryngton t.Ed1 Welbeck 1301 Ass 1305,1322 FF 1332 SR 1332,1386 Pat 1343 Cl
  • Skerington 1280,1305,1330 Ass 1305,1343 Ipm 1315 FF

Etymology

This name is difficult of interpretation. If we lay stress on the two early Pipe Roll forms, possibly one should, with Ekwall (DEPN), interpret the name as being a compound of OE  scearnig , 'dirty,' and tun, i.e. 'dirty farm,' but more probably the forms are eccentric, with irregular anticipation of the later n . If we take the Skarington , Skeryngton forms as the correct ones, then it may be suggested that we have in this name the same phonological development of OE  scearn to a dissyllabic form which we find in the development of OE  fearn in various names; cf. Farndon supra 213. It should be noted, however, that all the forms of this name show medial -in - or -ing - and never medial -en -. This is a little against the interpretation here suggested but is by no means fatal to it.

Places in the same Parish

Early-attested site