Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Torp 1086 DB 12 Nost49 1189–1201 YChviii

• Thorp(e) 1196–1201 YChviii 13 YDvii 1230 FF 1296 YI

• Richenildtorp 13 YDvii

• Rikenild(e)thorp(e), Rykenild(e)thorp(e) 1276 RH 1285 KI 14 YDvii 1383 YDviii

• Thorprikenil 13 YDvii

• Thorp(e) Rykenild, Thorp(e) Rykenyld 1299 Abbr 1328 Banco 1329 FF 1339,1341 YDviii 1367 FF

• Thoroph Rekenyll 1480 YDviii

• Thorpe Ryonyld (sic) 1532 FF

• Thorp(e) Saluayn(e), Thorp(e) Salveyn, Thorp(e) Salvayn 1255 YDvii 1309 Ch 1316 Vill 1454 Pat

• Thorp(e)Salven 1468 Pat 1485 YDviii 1547 FF

• Thorp(e) Silvayne 1493 ib

• Thorp(e) Silven 1496 ib

• Thorp(e) Salvin(e), Thorp(e) Salvyn 1588,1618 FF 1822 Langd

• Thorpe Salvyn als. Ragnall 1545 FF

Etymology

'Outlying farmstead', v. þorp . Although Rikenildthorp and Thorpe Salvin were eventually identified as referring to a single estate, they may have been separate manors (with Rikenildthorp occupying the site of West Thorpe infra ) within the same parish (cf. YD viii, 165n); even if they had been separate they both belonged to the family of Salvain in the thirteenth century (YD viii, 165, KI). This was the principal family here from the twelfth to the fourteenth centuries (cf. many of the sources cited above). The affix Rikenild is from the name of Rikenild Street , in this case the ancient road from Worcester to York first mentioned by this name in Higden's Polychronicon ii, 46 (cf. Bd 5, Wo 3). This road, which in some parts of its course in Upper Strafforth wapentake is called Packman Lane or Road (109 supra , cf. Street 108supra ), forms the western boundary of Thorpe Salvin parish and gave its name to Street Field infra .Rikenildthorp provides the sole reference to this ancient road-name in YW. The origin of Rikenild has not yet been discovered, except that it is more correctly Ikenild (with r transferred from the fem. def.art. in ME  at there Ikenilde strete ), as in the name of the great Icknield Way from the Wash to the south-west.