Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Spoford(e) 1086 DB 13 YDvi 1234 FF 1300 Baild

• Spotford l.12 YDx e.13 MaryYii,2 1218,1223,1227 FF 1246 Ass23 1268 Ebor 1276 RH

• Sposphord l.12 Sawl126

• Spothford 13 YDvi

• Espodeford 1294 Percy

• Spofford l.12 YDx 1217 YDix,73 1218,1227 Percy 1243 Fees 1257 Ch 1259 Ass 1436 Testi

• Spofforth 1327 Percy 1346 YDvi 1624 FF

• Spowford, Spoufford 1546 YChant

Etymology

The original form of this name was undoubtedly Spotford or possibly Spod -, Spoðford , with assimilation of -tf - to -ff - as in Nafferton YE 94 (from Náttfari ). The first el. could be an OE , ME  spot 'a small plot of ground' (cf. Spotland La 59, RN 376), which may be simply a later form of the recorded OE  splott with the same meaning; this word seems to occur in YW f.ns. like Spot ii, 184, Commonspott ii, 132, Ing Spott i, 301, iii, 174, Londespott v, 18 supra .If this is the case Spofforth would mean 'ford near the plot of land'.But a more distinctive description of a ford would be given by OE  sprota 'sprout, twig, peg' with the not uncommon early loss of -r - in the cluster spr - (as in OE  spēc for sprēc 'speech', spǣg for sprǣg 'brushwood'), the name denoting 'a ford marked by shoots or the like'.The first suggestion seems the more likely, however, in view of the complete absence of early Sprot - forms. The ford was one across Crimple Beck.