Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Wraineshals, Wreineshals 1157–63 LaCh

• Wrenosse hill 1577 M

• Wrenose 1610 M

• Wreynose 1671 Fleming 1777 NB

• Wrynose 1787 Clarke 1793 West

Etymology

Wrynose Fell & Pass [ˈreinəz], Wraineshals , Wreineshals 1157–63 LaCh, Wrenosse hill 1577 M, Wrenose 1610 M, Wreynose 1671 Fleming, 1777 NB 176, Wrynose 1787 Clarke, 1793 West; other spellings for this name (Wrenhalse 1157–63, Wranishals c. 1180, Wreneshals 1196) are given by Ekwall (La 194), who (like Björkman in ZEN 94) suggests that the name is a compound of ON  vreini 'stallion' (perhaps used as a byname) with hals 'pass'. There is, however, some difficulty over the gen.sg. Wreines -, as ON  vreini was a wk. noun with gen. vreina ; Collingwood (CW xviii, 94), therefore, prefers a compound of an ON  *vreinhestr 'stallion' (cf. Swed vrensk ) and hals , the pass being one which required a strong horse, whilst Dickins (Cu 437) takes the first el. to be ON  vrein-nes 'stallion spur of land'. It would, however, seem equally probable that Wrynose is from OE  wrīgan -nes , ME  wrie -, wreye-nes 'twisted headland', v. wrēo , nēs 1 'nose, promontory' or næss , nes 2 'headland'; the adj. wrie , wreye is first evidenced from 1523 (NED s.v. wry ), but the p.n. Wryoheme (EPN ii, 278–9) indicates its existence in OE. The name would refer to the convolutions of the massive hillside of Wrynose Fell on the north side or Wet Side Edge on the south, between which the road passes.The later form Wrynose would be a normal adaption of ME  Wrie-nes .The actual neck of land is the watershed between the Brathay and the Duddon, v. hals 'neck of land between high mountains, pass'.