Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Accyngthwayt 1292 Ass44

• Acquenthwaite 1669 ib

• Acconthwaite 1718 Will

• Ackenthwaite 1753 PR(Cr) 1815 EnclA

• Awghtonthwayte 1569 FF

• Awtingthwayte 1569 Kendii,197

• Awtingthwhaite 1612 ib

• Aughtinwhaite 1571 ib

• Aughtenwhaite 1652 WilsonL

• Aughtenthwaite als. Aftenthwaite 1630 Kendii,162

• Aughtentwhaytt als. Aftenwhatt 1585 FF

• Aukanthwaite 1752 Kendiii,227

Etymology

Ackenthwaite, Accyngthwayt 1292Ass 44(p), Akenthwaite 1577, Kend i, 163, ii, 154, Acquenthwaite 1669 ib iii, 224, Acconthwaite 1718 Will, Ackenthwaite 1753 PR(Cr), 1815EnclA , all of which seem to belong here, but there is some ambiguity in the spellings with Acc -, which could also be read as Att - and Act -. If the latter is correct, we should also add the spellings Awghtonthwayte 1569FF (which is stated to be in Heversham parish), Awtingthwayte 1569 Kend ii, 197, Awtingthwhaite 1612 ib i, 162, Aughtinwhaite 1571 ib ii, 154, Aughtenwhaite 1652 WilsonL, (Aughtenthwaite als. Aftenthwaite ) 1630 Kend ii, 162, Aughtentwhaytt als. Aftenwhatt 1585FF , Aukanthwaite 1752 Kend iii, 227. It is, however, difficult to allot the spellings correctly between this p.n., Astenthwaite (i, 88 supra ) and Asthwaite (i, 172 infra ). The earliest spellings suggest some word like OE  ācen 'growing with oaks, oaken' with þveit 'clearing', but Aughten - at least might indicate that the first el. is a lost p.n. OE  āc -tūn 'oak-tree farmstead', with a common change of OE  -ct - to -ght - (cf. YW vii, 89 §38 for other examples), whilst the Aften - form (if not an error for Asten -) is due to the change of ME  -gh - to -f -, as in laugh , etc.