| Place |
Original
Name |
Language |
Meaning |
Notes |
| Arrowe |
Arwe (1240) |
Celtic |
Ploughland |
|
| Barnston |
Bernestone (DB
1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Beorn's
(meaning bold in war) enclosure or farmstead |
|
| Bebington |
Bedintone
(1096) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Baebing's
enclosure or farmstead |
|
| Bidston |
Bediston (1260) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Byddi's
enclosure or farmstead |
|
| Birkenhead |
Bircheveth
(1190) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Birch-tree
headland |
|
| Brimstage |
Brunestath
(1260) |
Old Norse |
Brun's or
Bryn's (meaning brown or dark) place or stead |
|
| Bromborough |
Brimburgh (912)
|
Anglo-Saxon |
Brun's or
Bryn's fortification |
|
| Burton |
|
Anglo-Saxon |
Farming
tenant's (with special privileges) enclosure or
farmstead |
|
| Caldy |
Calders (DB
1086) |
Old Norse |
Bleak or cold
waterside place |
|
| Capenhurst |
Capeles (DB
1086) |
Old French /
Anglo-Saxon |
Wood by a
chapel |
|
| Childer
Thornton |
|
Anglo-Saxon |
(Noble) child's
thorn-tree farm or settlement |
|
| Claughton |
Claghtun (1260) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Clay farm or
settlement |
|
| Dee (river) |
|
Welsh |
Dark (water) |
|
| Denhall |
Danewell (1184) |
Old Norse |
Danes' well |
Nucleus of the
Danish Viking community? |
| Eastham |
Estham (DB
1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Eastern
homestead or village |
Pretty much as
far East as you can go in the Wirral. |
| Egremont |
Modern |
Old French + Latin |
Bold mount |
After Egremont in
Cumbria |
| Frankby |
Frankeby (1230) |
Old Norse |
Franki's
village or village of a Frank (nationality) |
|
| Gayton |
Gaitone (DB
1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Enclosure or
farmstead by a thoroughfare |
On the main route along
the south-west coast of Wirral |
| Grange |
|
Middle English |
Grange |
|
| Greasby |
Gravesberie (DB
1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Graef's
stronghold |
|
| Hadlow |
Edelawe (DB
1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
|
Survives only
as Hadlow Road, Willaston. |
| Heswall |
Eswelle (DB
1086) |
Old Norse |
Hazel field |
|
| Hilbre |
Hildeburgheye
(1388) |
Old Norse |
Hildburgha's
island |
|
| Hinderton |
Hindertown
(1621) |
Old Norse |
Enclosure or
farmstead lying at the back |
Behind Neston |
| Hoose |
|
Anglo-Saxon |
Heel (of land) |
Now subsumed
within Hoylake |
| Hooton |
Hotone (DB
1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Enclosure or
farmstead on a heel of land |
|
| Hoylake |
Hyle Lake
(1687) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Hollow filled
with water |
After the
anchorage once off the coast (later Hoyle Lake) |
| Irby |
Irreby (1096) |
Old Norse |
Ivar's or
Ingvar's village |
|
| Landican |
Landechene (DB
1086) |
Welsh or Gaelic |
Tegan's church
(cf. Welsh Llan) or enclosures |
Tegan is an
otherwise unknown Welsh saint. |
| Leasowe |
|
Anglo-Saxon |
Pasture |
|
| Ledsham |
Levetesham (DB
1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Leuvede's or
Leviett's homestead or village |
|
| Liscard |
Lisnekarke
(1260) |
Gaelic |
Place with a
smith's forge |
|
| 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 enclosure
or farmstead |
It was very
marshy here when there was probably a channel
cutting off Wallasey. |
| Ness |
Nesse (DB 1086) |
Old Norse |
Headland |
A lost feature
of the coast? |
| Neston |
Nestone (DB
1086) |
Old Norse |
Enclosure or
farmstead on the headland |
|
| Newton |
|
Anglo-Saxon |
New enclosure
or farmstead |
|
| New Brighton |
|
Anglo-Saxon |
Stone of
Brihthelm |
Bestowed in
aspiration to equal the original. |
| Noctorum |
Chenoterie (DB
1086) |
Gaelic |
Hill of the
tomb |
|
| Oxton |
Oxeton (1278) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Proper name +
enclosure or farmstead |
|
| Parkgate |
|
Modern English |
|
Dates from
construction of sea wall. Proximity to Leighton
Park. |
| Pensby |
Penisby (1229) |
Old Norse |
Proper name +
village |
|
| Poulton |
Pulton |
Anglo-Saxon |
Enclosure or
farmstead by a pool |
Reference to
Wallasey Pool. |
| Poulton
Lancelyn |
Pontone (DB
1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Pool enclosure
or farmstead |
Reference to
Bromborough Pool + nae of ancient lords of the
manor. |
| Prenton |
Prestune (DB
1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Priest's
enclosure or farmstead |
|
| Puddington |
Potintone (DB
1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Paeting's
enclosure or farmstead |
|
| Raby |
Rabie (DB 1086) |
Old Norse |
Roe (meaning of
the landowner's name) village |
|
| Saughall Massie |
Salhale (DB
1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Willow slope
(held by Hamo de Mascy in 1309) |
|
| Seacombe |
Modern |
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 |
Saltworks on a
spit of land |
Referring to
its location above Shotwick Dale. |
| Spital |
Spitell (1385) |
Old French |
Guest house or
inn |
|
| Storeton |
Stortone (DB
1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Great enclosure
or farmstead |
|
| Sutton
(Great/Little) |
Sudtone (DB
1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
South enclosure
or farmstead |
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
enclosure or farmstead (held by the Richard del
Hogh family ca.1329) |
|
| Thurstaston |
Turstanetone
(DB 1086) |
Old Norse |
Thorstein's or
Thor's Stone enclosure or farmstead |
Thor's Stone is
a large rock on Thurstaston Common. |
| Tranmere |
Tranemull
(1202) |
Welsh |
Hill settlement |
Geographically
appropriate. Welsh tre-yn-moel. |
| Upton |
Optone (DB
1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Higher
enclosure or farmstead |
Which it
evidently could have been. |
| Wallasey |
Walea (DB 1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Island of the
strangers |
The original
Celtic people as opposed to the encroaching
Anglo-Saxons and Vikings presumably. Also known
as Kirkeby in Walea (1180), counterpointing West
Kirby. |
| West Kirby |
Cerchebi (1081) |
Old Norse |
West village of
the church |
Refers to St.
Bridget's church as opposed to St. Hilary's
Church Wallasey to the east. |
| Whitby |
Witebia (1096) |
Old Norse |
White village |
Perhaps stone
as opposed to wood. |
| Willaston |
Wilauestune (DB
1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Wiglaf's
enclosure or farmstead |
|
| Wirral |
Wirheal (895) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Myrtle-tree
corner of land |
|
| Woodchurch |
Odecerce (1096) |
Old Norse |
Church in a
wood or a wooden church |
|
