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.

Pilley

Other OS name in the Parish of Cheltenham

Historical Forms

  • Pulleyesende 1464 AddR
  • Pullesleyesende 1467 ib
  • Pilly breaches 1605 Comm

Etymology

, Pulleyesende 1464AddR , Pullesleyesende 1467 ib, Pilly breaches 1605Comm , probably ' clearing by a stream ' ( v. pyll ) or ' clearingnear a pool ' , v. pull ( for the - i - spelling cf. Phonol. § 29 ) , v. lēah , ende , brēc ' land broken up for cultivation ' ; the p.n. may have been used as a surname in these earlier forms , cf. the local surname Pulley .