Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Stairs Dyke 1777 Murg

• Top of the Stairs 1771 M

• Stain Dyke (sic) 1817 M

• the Stairs Top 1769 Wad

• Top of Stairs 1774 ib

• they Stayers 1743 ib

• the Stairs 1772 ib

Etymology

Stairs Dike, Top of Stairs, Stairs Dyke 1777Murg 30, Top of the Stairs 1771 M, Stain Dyke (sic)1817 M, the Stairs Top 1769 Wad 107, Top of Stairs 1774 ib 100, named from they Stayers 1743 ib 107, the Stairs 1772 ib, v. stǣger 'a stair'; this is on the high moorland on the Oxenhope boundary (cf. also Stairs Bottom 265infra ), and the stair as elsewhere denotes a steep ascent; an illustration in HAS 52, 1, of the causeway on Stairs gives a good impression of the stair-like paving stones in the centre of the track.