Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Tyleweleg' 1221 SAC 1255–6 Ass

• Tilewel 1283 Cl

• Tylewele 1291–2 Ass

• Ty'leweleye 1337 SR

• Tululeye 1271–2 Ass

• Tilvelegh 1290 Ipm

• Tylley 1586–7 RentSur

• Tyllele alias Tylley 1625 SBL278

Etymology

Second element lēah, probably in the sense 'clearing', cf. Lee Brockhurst supra .

The first element is uncertain. The Tylewe -, Tilewe - forms probably rule out tigel 'tile', which is found in Tyley Do, Gl and Tilehurst Berks.None of those names has forms which indicate metathesis of -g - and -l -.OE  tili (g )a 'husbandman' would suit formally, but that appears to be a literary term, not hitherto noted in place-names.

Smith, EPN, listed Tilley under telga, *telg, 'shoot, twig, sucker', surviving in dialect tiller , tillow 'sapling', noted in a few names in K and Sx; but spellings for the Sa name indicate something like *tilga , not telga .