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.

Minsthorpe

Early-attested site in the Parish of South Kirkby

Historical Forms

  • Manestorp 1086 DB 12 Brett
  • Manethorpp' 1379 PT
  • Mansthorp 1436 DodsN 1495 FF
  • Menethorp 1166 P
  • Menetorp 1219 FF
  • Mensthorp(e) 1320 YDvii 1552 FF
  • Menstrop(e) 1590 WillY 1603 FF
  • Menesthorp 1365 FF
  • Menthorpe 1375 FF
  • Minsthorpe 1817 M

Etymology

The variation between Mane -, Mene - and Manes -, Menes - is best accounted for by taking the first el. to be either OE  (ge)mǣne 'common, owned communally', 'common land', or OE  (ge)mǣnnes 'community', with Manes - as normal development of a shortened vowel æ or an AN spelling; the modern form is paralleled by the development of Minskip pt. v infra . The name would mean 'outlying farm held by community or on the common land', v. þorp .Ekwall (DEPN 306) would take Menthorpe YE 261 to be from (ge )mǣne and to have a similar meaning.