Survey of English Place-Names

Etymology

Slay Down. Cf. la Slee 1212 FF and Slay Barrow supra 323.Ekwall (DEPN s. n. Sleningford) suggests the possibility of a lost OE  *slēa , cognate with Norw  slaa , 'grass-grown slope,' cf. slaa f. 2 (Torp). Such a word would suit this site well, as also The Slay infra 357, but for the latter we have no early forms.It is perhaps also the first element in the unexplained Slebech (NCPNW 41).