Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Medelai, Medelei(a), Medelay, Medeley 1086 DB 1180–1200 YCh 1578,1226,1251 FF 1246 Pont 1275 WCR 1427 Pat

• Methelei(a), Methele(y), Methelay 1155–62 YCh c.1200 BM 1251 Ch 1283 Ebor 1285 WCR 1486 MinAcct

• Meydlay 1379 PT

• Metelay 1415 Fabr

• Medlay, Medley 1439 Baild 1521 WillY 1608 FF

• Meithley 1522,1530 TestLds

• Meethley 1522 ib

• Myedleye 1578 PRLds

• Meathley 1584,1587 WillY 1588 LS

• Methley 1541 WillY 1608 FF

Etymology

There is some ambiguity in the significance of these early spellings, but some of the later ones, notably Meyd -, Myed -, Meithe -, Meeth -, denote a long vowel, which could be original or which could have arisen in the fourteenth century from the lengthening of a short -ĕ - in an open syllable. Formally the els. could be ON  meðal 'middle' (perhaps replacing an earlier OE  middel) with OE  lēah 'forest- clearing' or ēg 'island, land partly surrounded by water', or they could be OE  mǣð 'mowing, mowing grass' with lēah . The greater part of the township is low-lying ground, which must have been marsh rather than woodland, and its name is therefore more likely to contain ēg than lēah ; it occupies the angle formed by the confluence of the Calder and the Aire. Topographically a compound of meðdal and ēg seems most probable in the sense 'middle water-land'; that is, 'land between the two rivers'.