Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Eccleshale 1144 Ch 1348 1451 et passim

• Eccleshale juxta Cov'tre 1364 BPR

• Ecclessale 1247 SR 1410 Ct

• Acleshal 1198 Cur

• Ecleshale 1198 Cur 1235 Fees

• Ekleshal(e) 1274 Ipm 1297 Ass

• Eggeshal' 1213 FF

• Ekkeshale c.1260 ADi

• Eckeleshale 1275 Ipm

• Eckleshale 1285 Ass

• Egelyshale 1288 ib

• Egleshall 1535 VE

• Exhale 1437 ADiv

• Exhall 1535 VE

• Exall 1542 LP

• Exall al. Ecclesall 1579 FF

• Eccleshall al. Exhall 1592 DKRxxxviii

• Eccleshall juxta Coventre, Eccleshall sive Exhall juxta Coventre 1656 Dugdale

Etymology

The first element in this name would seem to be identical with that found in Exhall infra 208, Ecclesfield and Eccleshill (PN WRY 65), Eccleshall (PN St 54), Eccleston (Ch) DBEclestone , Eccleswall (PN He 66), Eccleshill (PN La 75) and Eccleston (thrice repeated, PN La 108, 131, 154). This element is generally taken to be identical with eccles found by itself in Eccles (PN La 37–8, PN K 145 and KPN 305 and Norfolk, DBHeccles ). The last three names led Moorman (PN WRY vii, viii) to suggest that the Latin ecclesia must have become a loanword in the British language, cf. Cornish eglos , Welsh  eglwys and Gaelic  eaglais . Ekwall (PN La loc. cit. and IPN 23) takes the same view, though he is rightly cautious about assuming that we have this word in all the Eccles -compounds. In some we may well have a diminutive pers. name Eccel from the recorded Ecca . This pers. name should normally give Etchel - and the like in later English, as in Ashford (PN Mx 3), but with early syncope of unstressed e , Ecceles would become Eccles and the c would not then be palatalised. Certainty is impossible and we can only say that Exhall may well be 'church-nook,' but 'Eccel 's nook' is also possible, v. healh .