| Place |
Original
Name |
Language |
Meaning |
Notes |
| Arrowe |
Arwe (1240) |
Old Norse |
Shieling or
hill pasture |
An elevated
area. |
| Barnston |
Bernestone (DB
1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Beornwulf's
farm or settlement |
|
| Bebington |
Bedintone
(1096) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Bebbe's farm or
settlement |
|
| Bidston |
Bediston (1260) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Byddi's farm |
|
| Birkenhead |
Bircheveth
(1190) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Birch-tree
headland |
From its
elevated location above Wallasey Pool (formerly a
natural waterway) |
| Brimstage |
Brunestath
(1260) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Bruna's
river-bank |
|
| Bromborough |
Brunburg
(ca.1120) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Bruna's
fortification |
Perhaps
Brunanburh near which Athelstan defeated an
invasion of Norsemen and Scots in 937. |
| Burton |
|
Anglo-Saxon |
Fortification
farm or settlement |
Reference to
the earthworks at Burton Point? |
| Caldy |
Calders (DB
1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Cold arse |
A general term
for a bare hill like the one around which it
clusters. |
| Capenhurst |
Capeles (DB
1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Capa's (or
look-out place) wooded hill |
|
| Childer
Thornton |
|
Anglo-Saxon |
Children's
thorn-tree farm or settlement |
|
| Claughton |
Clahtun (1260) |
Old Norse |
Hamlet on a
hillock |
Reference to
high ground south of Bidston Hill. |
| Denhall |
Danewell (1184) |
Old Norse |
Danes' well |
Nucleus of the
Danish community? |
| Eastham |
Estha (DB 1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
East homestead
or village |
Pretty much as
far East as you can go in the Wirral. |
| Frankby |
Frankeby (1230) |
Old Danish |
Franki's
village or settlement |
|
| Gayton |
Gaitone (DB
1086) |
Old Norse |
Goat farmstead |
|
| Grange |
|
Middle English |
Grange |
|
| Greasby |
Gravesberies
(DB 1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Wooded
stronghold |
|
| Hadlow |
Edelawe (DB
1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
|
Survives only
as Hadlow Road, Willaston. |
| Heswall |
Eswelle (DB
1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Hazel spring |
|
| Hilbre |
Hildeburgheye
(1388) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Hildeberg's
island |
|
| Hinderton |
Hindertown
(1621) |
Old Norse |
Village lying
at the back |
|
| Hooton |
Hotone (DB
1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Hill-spur farm
or settlement |
|
| Hoylake |
Hyle Lake
(1687) |
Anglo-Saxon |
After the
anchorage once off the coast (later Hoyle Lake) |
|
| Irby |
Irreby (1096) |
Old Norse |
Settlement of
the Irish |
Probably refers
to Norse people from Ireland as opposed to Danes
in the surrounding area (probably from the Isle
of Man). |
| Landican |
Landechene (DB
1086) |
Welsh |
Tegan's church
(cf. Welsh Llan) |
An otherwise
unknown Welsh saint. |
| Lingham |
|
Old Norse |
Heather island
on a marsh |
Survives only
as Lingham Farm on the Moreton shore. |
| Ledsham |
Leuetesha (DB
1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Leofede's
homestead or village |
|
| Liscard |
Lisnekarke
(1260) |
Old Irish |
Hall at the
rock |
After the
sandstone ridge on which it is situated. |
| Meols |
Melas (DB 1086) |
Old Norse |
Sandbanks or
sandhills |
An obvious
feature of the area, which was an old seaport of
the Viking community. |
| Moreton |
Moreton (1278) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Moor farm or
settlement |
It was very
marshy here when there was a channel cutting off
Wallasey. |
| Ness |
Nesse (DB 1086) |
Old Norse |
Promontory |
A lost feature
of the then coast? |
| Neston |
Nestone (DB
1086) |
Old Norse |
Farmstead at
the promontory |
|
| Newton |
|
Anglo-Saxon |
New farm or
settlement |
|
| Noctorum |
Chenoterie (DB
1086) |
Old Irish |
Dry hill
(Latinised version of cnocc tirim) |
|
| Oxton |
Oxeton (1278) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Ox farm or
settlement |
|
| Pensby |
Penisby (1229) |
Old Norse |
Farm or
settlement at Penn Hill (or Celtic word for hill) |
On the side of
Poll Hill, the highest point on the Wirral |
| Poulton |
Pontone (DB
1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Pool farm or
settlement |
Reference to
Wallasey Pool |
| Poulton
Lancelyn |
Pontone (DB
1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Pool farm or
settlement |
Reference to
Bromborough Pool |
| Prenton |
Prestune (DB
1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Praen's farm or
settlement |
|
| Puddington |
Potitone (DB
1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Farm or
settlement connected with Putta |
|
| Raby |
Rabie (DB 1086) |
Old Norse |
Boundary
village |
On the boundary
of the Scandinavian enclave in Wirral. |
| Saughall Massie |
Saligh (1249) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Willow-tree
nook of land (held by Hamo de Mascy in 1309) |
|
| Seacombe |
|
Anglo-Saxon |
Sea valley |
It lies at the
foot of the ridge from Liscard to New Brighton
with Birkenhead rising on the opposite side of
Wallasey Pool. |
| Shotwick |
Sotowiche (DB
1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Steep hill-spur
specialised farm |
Referring to
its location above Shotwick Dale? |
| Spital |
Spitell (1385) |
Middle English |
Hospital |
In 1283,
licence was given to use land here as a hospital
for lepers. |
| Storeton |
Stortone (DB
1086) |
Old Norse |
Great farmstead
or one by a young wood |
|
| Sutton
(Great/Little) |
Sudtone (DB
1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
South farm or
settlement |
Pretty much as
far South as you can go in the Wirral. |
| Thingwall |
Tuigvelle (DB
1086) |
Old Norse |
Assembly field |
Important
meeting place or parliament for the Norse
community at the centre of the Scandinavian
enclave in Wirral. |
| Thornton Hough |
Torintone (DB
1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Thorn-tree farm
or settlement (held by the Richard del Hogh
family ca.1329) |
|
| Thurstaston |
Turstanetone
(DB 1086) |
Old Norse |
Thorstein's
farmstead |
|
| Tranmere |
Tranemul (1202)
|
Old Norse |
Crane sandbank |
Different kind
of cranes here today! |
| Upton |
Optone (DB
1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Higher farm or
settlement |
Which it
evidently could have been. |
| Wallasey |
Walea (DB 1086) |
Old Norse |
Island of the
Britons |
As opposed to
the Vikings presumably. Also known as Kirkeby
in Walea (1180), counterpointing West Kirby.
Scandinavian settlers landing here would have
noticed the Saxon St. Hilary's church on the
hill. |
| West Kirby |
Cherchebia
(1081) |
Old Norse |
West village of
the church |
Refers to St.
Bridget's, founded by Christian Scandinavians. |
| Whitby |
Witebia (1096) |
Old Norse |
White manor |
|
| Willaston |
Wilauestune (DB
1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Wiglaf's farm
or settlement |
|
| Woodchurch |
Odecerce (1096) |
Old Norse |
Church in a
wood or a wooden church |
|
