Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Gailisthorp e.13 Font

• Gailest(h)orp, Gaylest(h)orp 13 1226 FF 1301 YI 1330 Baild

• Gelesthorp 1276 RH 1331 Ass5 1371 FF

• Gelistorp 1282 YI

• Gellesthorp(e) 1325 YDv 1502 Ipm 1615 FF

• Gellestrop 1580 FF

• Gelsthorp 1332 Baild 1340 YDii

• Gelstropp(e) 1559 FF 1576 PRAll 1597 SessnR

Etymology

'Geili's outlying farmstead', v. þorp ; it is a farmstead on the parish boundary. The first el. is probably the rare early Norw  byname Geilir 'the passionate man' (from Norw  geil 'heat, passion', cf. LindBN). The appearance of the ON  diphthong -ei - as -e - may well be due to OEScand  monophthongisation of -ei - to -ē - (as in Garforth iv, 95supra ) and with ME shortening in the compound.Probably ON  ei and ODan ē occurred side by side in the Danelaw and to some extent were interchangeable. Cf. also Gelsholme 12, Gilsthwaite Bridge 17infra .