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.

Shottery

Early-attested site in the Parish of Stratford on Avon

Historical Forms

  • (æt) Scotta rith 704–9 BCS123 11th
  • Scotriðes gemære 1016 KCD724 18th
  • Scotrith c.1208 ADiii
  • Scottrive, Scotrive, Skottre 1299 RBW
  • Shoteri 1221 Ass
  • Shoterey 1272 ib
  • Shotery 1501 Ipm
  • Shottery 1538 StratGild
  • Schotruthy 1262 Ass
  • Shottrythe 1272 ib
  • Schott(e)reth 1297,1306 ib
  • Schotrythe 1319 FF
  • Sotreth 1331 ib
  • Sottrethe 1337 Cl
  • Shotrith 1440 AD
  • Schotriue 1272 FF
  • Scotriue, Sothrive 1299 RBW
  • Shotryve 1304 Ass
  • Shoteruff c.1400 EcclVar
  • Shotereve 1486 KnowleG
  • Shotryff 1488 Deed
  • Schotred 1342 DeedsEnrolled
  • Shotridy 1372 Ass 1394 Pat
  • Schotredy 1413 StratGild
  • Shatterey 1554 Minutes

Etymology

Shottery Brook is called scot broc in KCD 724 in the metes of Bishopton, and this must have been an alternative name for it.In the same charter there is mention of scothomme (v. hamm ).It is probable that the first element in these names is OE  sceot found once in Wærferth's translation of the Dialogues of St Gregory as a translation of Lat  sacrarium , and more frequently found in the compounds sele-scot , sele-gescot as a rendering of Latin tabernaculum . The word clearly denoted a small building of some kind. The possibility of this word being found as a place-name element was first noted by Skeat (PN Sf 80)s. n. Shotley, which he takes to be from OE  scota-leah , 'leah marked by the presence of buildings.' Mawer (PN NbDu 179–80) notes a further example of Shotley from Durham, a clear case of sceot-tun in Shotton in Easington (Du) and possible further examples of sceot as a first element. In Shottery we seem to have alternative forms scot -rið , 'building-stream' and scota -rið , 'stream of the buildings,' the first type of compound repeating itself in the alternative scotbroc and the neighbouring scothomm .A further compound of scot in the gen. pl. may perhaps be found in scotta pæð (BCS 1282). Shottery may originally have taken its name from the remains of buildings along the old Roman road near which it stands.

Places in the same Parish