Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Mercinga tun, on Mercingtune c.1030 YCh7

• Merchinton(e), Merchintona(m) 1086 DB 1132–40 Fount 1150–3 YCh71 1166 RBE

• Merchingtonam 1156 Fount

• Merkinton, Merkynton 12 Font c.1190 Fount 1210 P 1298 Ebor

• Merkington, Merkyngton 1198 Fount 1228 Ripi c.1488 Star

• Markinton(e) 1210–12 RBE 1590 PRRip 1622 FF

• Markenton 1303 KF 1316 Vill 1582 PRRip

• Markington, Markyngton 1428 FA 1457 FountBurs 1542 FF

Etymology

Markington and Markingfield (177supra ), which are adjacent townships, obviously share a common first el. Ekwall has suggested this to be OE  Merce (gen.pl. Mercna ) 'the Mercians', Markingfield being 'open tract of lands of the Mercians' and Markington 'farmstead of the Mercians' (OE , ME  -ing (a )- being a corrupt or later substitution for the gen.pl. ending -na ), but the latter could also be interpreted 'farmstead of the folk of Markingfield', with Merking - (OE  Mercingas ) as an elliptical folk-name formed from the first el. of Markingfield with -ingas (cf. EPN i, 300, 302 for this type of formation). In Markingfield the DB Merche - and the earlier -en - spellings may represent a trace of the OE  gen.pl. ending -na ; OE  -ing -, although often represented by -in - in ME , does not usually appear as -en -. It may be added that the persistent ME  Merk - spellings do not favour OE  mearc 'boundary' as that word would have produced many early Mark - forms (cf. Barnby Dun i, 17, Armley iii, 210supra ).But an OE  mutated form Mercingas or Merce (gen.pl. Mercna ) 'boundary-dwellers' from OE  (ge )merce 'boundary' (with medial -k - due to ON influence) would in fact satisfactorily explain the OE and ME forms, Markingfield being 'the open tract of land of the boundary-dwellers' (cf. Introd.). v. Addenda.