Rossington
Major Settlement in the Parish of Rossington
Historical Forms
- Rosington', Rosingtun, Rosyngton' 1183–1200 YCh817 1220 Cur 1240 FF 1249 Ebor 1254 Pat 1279 YI 1657 PRAust
- Rosinton(e) 13 YDvii 1220 Cur 1221 FF 1223,1242 Pat e.14 Top
- Rosenton' 1207 FF
- Rossinton 1676 PRCnt
Etymology
The absence of -ss - till the seventeenth century shows that the first el. cannot be associated with hross 'a horse' or a pers.n. of similar form. Ekwall (DEPN) derives the name from Welsh rhos 'moor' and interprets it as 'the tūn of the people on the moor'. Whilst there can be little doubt about the derivation from rhos (v. ros ), the formation of the name on the evidence available would rather be 'farmstead associated with the moor or with a place formerly called ros ', with -ing 4 (v. Rimington pt. vi, EPN i, 296 § 7) and tūn . The el. ros presents some difficulty as it is not certain whether it remained in appellative use in OE or whether it remained for a time as the Brit name of the old marshland area in which Rossington stands. Brit eclēsia (as in Ecclesall 192infra ) presents a similar problem.