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.

Whelp Castle

Early-attested site in the Parish of Kirkby Thore

Historical Forms

  • Castellum Welp 1199–1225 CWxvii,228
  • Wheallepcastle 1590 Camd
  • Wellop Castle 1750 Pococke
  • Whelp Cast(le) 1777 M, NB 375

Etymology

Whelp Castle, Castellum Welp 1199–1225 CW xvii, 228, Wheallepcastle 1590 Camd, Wellop Castle 1750 Pococke, Whelp Cast (le )1777 M, NB 375. v. castel , here denoting a castle (of which the site remains) built in the early 12th century on the ruins of the Roman fort of Bravoniacum (supra ) by Whelp , the reputed father of Gamel, whose son Waldeve granted various lands here to Holm Cultram abbey in 1179 (NB 375, HolmC 63); Waldeve is described as filius Gamelli filii Whelp (HolmC). Whelp is from the ON  byname Hvelpr , which occurs in the Norw  p.n. Kvalby (NG iv, 190) and is derived from ON  hvelpr 'cub'.