Ripsley Ho
Early-attested site in the Parish of Trotton
Historical Forms
- Ripselye 1265 Durf
- Ripsle 1380 SAC5,236
- Rypesley 1548 Pat
Etymology
There is an old word risp 'bush, branch, twig, plant-stem,' still used in dialect, v. NED, s. v. sb. 2. This seems to be the same as ModGer rispe 'shrubs, briars.' Falk and Torp (s. v. rispe ) take this to be connected with ON rispa 'to scratch' from PrGer *rispôn for ripsôn , with common metathesis of sp , *ripsôn being a derivative of the stem rip denoting 'tear.' There may have been an OE rispe with the sense 'branches, twigs, or briars,' which like wæsp , wæps 'wasp,' was metathesised to ripse .Such a compound with leah in a forest-area would be a likely name. Cf. perhaps Ripshook infra 48.