Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Helsingetune 1086 DB

• Helsington', Helsyngton' 1187–1200 Kendii,115 1190–1210 1200–20 Cockers 1246 Kendi,132 1247 Lanc 1272,1283 Ipm 1294 Abbr 1823 M

• Helsinton, Helsynton 1246,1274 Ipm 1333,1472,1475 Pat

• Heselington' 1195–1199 P 1256 Ass12

• Haselington' 1200,1201 P

• Elsington 1292 Ass3 1542 RichWill

• Hilsyngton 1345 Cl

• Henston 1519 NCWills

• Hel(l)ston 1577 Harrison66b 1653 FF

Etymology

The identification of the surn. forms Heselington ', Haselington ' with Helsington is not certain; if they are identical the form Helsing - is due to a metathesis similar to that assumed for Weasdale (ii, 33infra ) or, if Hels - is original, they have been adjusted to the form of other p.ns. like Haslington (Ch) or Heslington (YE 273). There is no OE pers.n. from which the first el. could be derived (ME  Helsi occurring c. 1180 Lanc 430 as the name of a witness to a Strickland Ketel deed is probably an error for Elsi from OE  Æþelsige ). Ekwal's suggestion that it stands for OE  helsingas (gen.pl. helsinga ) is possibly right; the name would mean 'farmstead of those dwelling on the hals ' (v. hals , -ingas , tūn ); hals usually denotes 'a neck of land, a col, a pass', and here would presumably refer to the southern part of the long ridge of Underbarrow Scar between Brigsteer and Holeslack. The folk- names Hælsingas in Widsith and Hælsingar in the Dan  and Swed names Hälsingör , Hälsingland and Hälsinge (SahlgrenVO 282 ff) are of similar origin. The form Helsinge - presumes the operation of i - mutation in the p.n. formation; if this is correct the name must be a very ancient one; and would be unique of its kind in We. It may, however, have been influenced by the Hælsingas of OE heroic poetry.A further possibility (and perhaps the preferable one) is that the first el. is a metathesised form of OE  hæsling 'hazel copse', as in Heslington (YE 273), especially in view of the Haseling -, Heseling - spellings and the chronological difficulties in the phonology if the first el. is a folk-name Hælsingas . v. Addenda.