Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Scharuest(on)' 12 Nost109 1173–93 YCh 13 Nost108d 1296 LacyComp

• Scharvestona 1180–5 YCh1542

• Shareueston 1304 YI

• Scharneston(e) c.1160 Nost14d e.13 1276 YI 1286 WCR

• Sharneston 1254 FF 1303 Aid 1316 Vill 1344 DodsN 1360 FF 1380 Ch 1390 Nost67 1400 Pat

• Scarneston 1276 RH

• Sashtunia c.1173 Pont

• Sarneston 1243 Fees

• S(c)harweston 1291–1312 Nost170d 1297 LS

• Scarweston l.12 Nost170d,172

• Sharston' 1379 PT

• S(c)hareston 1428 WillY 1447 Pat

• Sherston 1695 M

• S(c)harleston(e) 1428,1453 WillY 1532,1574 FF 1591 FF

• Sharlston 1633 PRCrf 1641 Rates

• Shyrleston 1555 BM

• Sharleton 1587 FF

Etymology

The few spellings with Scharwes - make it certain that the correct earlier form is Scharues -, for which some at least of the Scharnes - spellings are misreadings, due to the ambiguity of u and n in the court hand. The interpretation is difficult; Goodall and Moorman connect the first el. with OE  scearn 'dung' and scearn-wifel 'dung- beetle', but these suggestions are based upon the assumption that the early Scharnes - spelling is the correct form. Ekwall (DEPN s.n.) associates the name with Shareshill St, which has similar spellings for the first el. (Servesed 1086 DB, Sarneshull 1213, Shareweshulf 1252) and derives both from OE  scræf 'cavern, pit, hovel', Sharlston from OE  Scræfes -tūn 'tun by a scræf or narrow valley'; the sense 'narrow valley' is not appropriate here and if the name is from scræf it must be used in one of its normal senses 'cave, hole, pit, hovel'. But the use of the gen.sg. form in this compound would be unusual, whilst the supposed metathesis to Sharf - occurs only in these two p.ns., which have in fact none of the normal spellings of scræf as in other p.ns. like Shrawley Wo 78 (Scraue -, Shraue -, etc.).Similar objections would also apply to an OE pers.n. connected with OE  scrēawa 'shrew, rascal', since a derivative corresponding to some such word as MHG  schröuwel 'devil' would have produced OE  (Angl ) scrēwel , and even if it were metathesised we should have expected ME  Scher - forms. The best suggestion therefore, for Sharlston at least, is Moorman's. OE  scearn-wifel could have been used as an appellative in a compound of this kind, but it could also have been a nickname in the same way as OE  wifel 'beetle' was in names like Wilsill (Bishopside) pt. v infra . It is obviously in a much reduced form in the ME  spellings, but it easily accounts for the variation between Scharues -, Scharnes - and Scharwes -, possibly also the later Scharles -, though that has probably developed through the influence of the common pers.n. Charles .v. tūn and Addenda.