Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Auundeleia, Auundeley 12,e.13 Font 1349 Ch

• Auuindeley 1349 Ch

• Auendeley l.12 Font

• Auendeslac e.13 ib

• Aghenlay 1198 Fount 1461 Vyner

• Awnleia e.13 Font 1349 Ch

• Awnlay 1457 FountB

• Auenlay, Auunnelay 1206–18 YChviii

• Aven(e)ley 1297 WCR 1421 YDvi

• Aunlay 13 Font

• Anneley 1314 WCR

• Hanley, Anley 1379 PT 1651 PREll

• Auneley graunge 1488 Ipm

• Ayneley Graunge 1497 ib

• Awndeley 1543 MinAcct

• Ainley 1817 M

• Ounabi(a), Ounebi 1086 DB

• Outhenebi 1150–5 BM

Etymology

Ainleys, Auundeleia , Auundeley 12, e. 13 Font, 1349 Ch, Auuindeley 1349 Ch, Auendeley l. 12 Font, Auendeslac e. 13 ib, Aghenlay 1198 Fount, 1461Vyner 936, Awnleia e. 13 Font, 1349 Ch, Awnlay 1457 FountB, Auenlay , Auunnelay 1206–18 YCh viii, Aven (e )ley 1297 WCR, 1421 YD vi, Aunlay 13 Font, Anneley 1314 WCR, Hanley , Anley 1379 PT (p), 1651 PREll, Auneley graunge 1488 Ipm, Ayneley Graunge 1497 ib, Awndeley 1543 MinAcct, Ainley 1817 M. Although many of the later spellings of this name could be explained by the ON  pers.n. Qnundr , ODan  Anund , which occurs independently in English (Anwynd , Anwend ASC (A, E) s.a. 875, Anant , Anand , Anunt in Björkman NP 5, Feilitzen 161), it does not account for the oldest forms Auunde -, Auuinde -, Aghen - except by a persistent confusion of n and u in early court handwriting. For these spellings we have to assume the existence of an ON  pers.n. of the same type in which the first theme contained the diphthong Au - at least in early ME. There can be little doubt that the second theme is the rare but well-established ON  -vindr , -undr which is found in the ON  Qnundr already mentioned and a few others like ON  Eyvindr (ODan  Evind ), Iǫrundr (ODan  Iarundy Jærindh ), which Noreen discusses in NoB i, 143–8.The first theme could be either ON  Auð -, which is common enough in recorded pers.ns. like Auðbjǫrn , Auðgeirr , Auðgrímr , etc, or ON  Qg - (earlier Agu -), which is found in ON  Qgmundr , Qgvaldr . If the name is *Auðundr (earlier Auðvindr ), we have an early and consistent loss of medial -ð - which is to some extent paralleled by the early spellings of Owmby L (Ounabi (a ), Ounebi 1086 DB, Outhenebi 1150–5 BM, etc.); the loss may be due to AN influence (cf. High Melton i, 76supra ) or to a change which had already taken place in OWScand (cf. Lindkvist 156). The real difficulty with an ON  Auðvindr is that we could have expected spellings with Ou -, which is the most frequent ME spelling of ON  Au -, and it does not explain the Aghen - forms. The alternative ON  *Qgundr (earlier Aguvindr ) would produce ME  diphthongised forms Auwind -, etc. (with ME vocalisation of intervocalic -g -) as well as the occasional Aghen - forms, and it would explain the later development to Ain -, an alternation which is frequent enough in the development of OE  sceaga to both shaw and shay (cf. Phonol. §3); many of the spellings of Amounderness La 139 (from ON  Qgmundr ) offer good parallels.Ainley is therefore best interpreted as 'Agwind's clearing', v. lēah .It should be noted that neither Auðvindr nor Qgvindr nor their variants are recorded in OScand sources.