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.

Tilley

Early-attested site in the Parish of Wem

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 .

Places in the same Parish

Early-attested site

Other OS name