Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Luffenham 1086 DB 1141 Reg 1167 P 1206 Cur 1555 Conant 1610 Speed

• Luffinham, Luffynham Hy2 Dane 1235 RGros 1275 RGrav 1445 Pat

• Luffeham 1105–7 Reg 1196 Cur 1197 FF 1206 Cur

• Luffham 1219,1224 Cur 1250 Misc

• Lufenham 1086 DB 1197,1199 FF 1213 et passim

• Lufham 1179,1180 P 1199 FF 1230 Cur

• Loffenham 1234 RHug 1255 Misc 1286 Ass 1342 Fine

• Nor- 1179,1180,1181 P 1250 Misc

• Nord- 1185,1186,1188 P

• Nort- 1210,1211 Cur 1302 BM

• North(e)- 1197 FF 1206 Ass

Etymology

'Luffa's village or estate', v. hām , cf. Luffenhall Hrt 156.Luffenham is one of a series of Rutland names in ham related to the earlier pattern of Romano-British settlements and routeways. It lies beside a probable Roman road running south from Empingham to cross R. Welland at Turtle Bridge in Barrowden. Just to its north, an early folk-group of the Hwicce may well have been settled near Witchley in Edith Weston, while in North Luffenham itself, the pagan Anglo-Saxon cemetery at SK 932 045, in use from c400 A.D., has produced late Roman military metalwork which has been associated with Germanic foederati (to be compared with similar equipment found at Clipsham's Roman villa site).