English Place-name Society

Survey of English Place-Names

A county-by-county guide to the linguistic origins of England’s place-names – a project of the English Place-Name Society, founded 1923.

The Holmes

Early-attested site in the Parish of Selby

Historical Forms

  • Holm(e) 1252,1308 Ch
  • the holmes at Selbye 1555 TestLds

Etymology

The Holmes, Holm (e )1252, 1308 Ch, the holmes at Selbye 1555 TestLds. v. holmr 'water-meadow, island'. The name describes the level stretch of land enclosed in a former loop of the R. Ouse, now called Holmes Dike, just north of the town (6″ O.S. 221 SW).