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.

Dryevers

Early-attested site in the Parish of Crosby Ravensworth

Historical Forms

  • Drye everes 1588 Rent85
  • Drievers, Dryevers 1609–1685 PR 1678 PR(Sh) 1823 M
  • Druieves 1617 PR
  • Drive-evers-ffeild 1699 BdyR(Og5)
  • Driveners 1727 Defoe

Etymology

Dryevers [ˈdraiˈevəz], Drye everes 1588Rent 85, Drievers , Dryevers 1609–1685 PR (freq ), 1678 PR(Sh), 1823 M, Druieves 1617 PR, Drive-evers -ffeild 1699BdyR (Og 5), Driveners 1727 Defoe. We may have a compound of drȳge 'dry' and the OFr  word evier 'gutter, sewer, drain', which does not appear to have been found in other p.ns. It is also possible to take the name as an adaptation of ME  drie-viveres 'dry fishponds' (with loss of -v - by haplology), v. vivere .