Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Sladweit, Sladwait 1178,1192,1193 P

• Slathwait, Slathweyt 1191 P 1235 ChR 1236 Kirkl 1256 DodsN 1286 WCR

• Slathwat 1499 Ipm

• Slahthuait 1213–27 YAJxxxviii,357

• Sclagtwayt 1277 WCR

• Slayisthayt 1285 WCR

• Slaitwait 1297 LS

• Slaghwaite 1306 DodsN

• Slaghthayt 1307 WCR

• Slaghthwayt(e) 1373 FF 1402 FA

• Slaghthewayte 1402 Pat

• Slaghtwat 1488 WB65

• Slaghwayte 1539 WillY

• Slaghwitt 1652 PREll

• Slaghethwayte 1307 DodsN

• Slagheweate 1588 WillY

• Slaughwayte 1360 DodsN

• Slaughthwayte 1593 WillY

• Slaughtwait 1656 Pick

• Slaughthwaite 1814 EnclA

• Slaxthwayt 1379 PT

• Slakwayth 1410 Pat

• Slakwith 1543 WillY

• Slakthwaytt 1540 MonRent

• Slakthwaite 1543 MinAcct

• Slayghwayte Halfe 1588 LS

• Slaighwaite 1641 Rates

• Slawghethwaite als. Slawghewaite 1591 FF

• Slawghwaite als. Slawhethwaite als. Slawhewaite 1605 FF

• Slaughit 1665 Visit

• Slaythwayte 1627 DodsN

• Slawitt 1750 TaxS

Etymology

Ekwall (DEPN s.n.) has suggested that the first el. of this difficult name is OE  slāh 'a sloe', and most spellings can be accounted for by it; but certain spellings in Sclag -, Slak - as well as those in Slai -, Slaigh - could hardly be explained by slāh . The first el. is therefore probably ON  slag 'a blow', as -g would be affricatised as in Maunby YN 274 (hence Slagh -, etc.), and eventually form a diphthong (as in Slaug -); in Slak - the -g - was occasionally unvoiced to -k - by assimilation to the following -þ -, and the Slay (gh )- spellings for Slaugh - exhibit the same variation as Haigh and Haugh from OE  haga or Shay and Shaw from sceaga (cf. Phonol. § 3). In many of the spellings, -þ - has been lost after the fricative -gh -, as it has in the late spellings Slaughit , Slawitt , the source of the modern dial. pronunciation [ˈslauwit]. The meaning of ON  slag is 'blow, stroke, skirmish', which Goodall accepts for the p.n. Lindkvist 122, however, thought it might mean 'mowing', since related words have that sense, ON  slá 'to strike, to mow', slátta 'mowing, a hay-field'; Rygh (NG iii, 130, iv, 78) suggests similar meanings for slag in such Norw  p.ns. as Slagsvold . In SvON (Älvsborgs län i, 100, xii, 165), Swed  slag is thought to mean 'place where timber is cast down', and this or a closely related meaning might well be the one required here, since ON  þveit 'a clearing, a meadow', has itself the root meaning of 'something cut down'. Hence 'clearing where timber was felled'.