Viking Names
Howsham
Howsham, in the Yarborough Wapentake of Lincolnshire, is a simplex place-name from the dative plural of Old English hūs or Old Norse hús, both elements have the meaning ‘a house; also sometimes used of a building for special purposes’, so húsum ‘at the houses’. The weakly stressed -um was subsequently interpreted as -ham. This is a common formation in Denmark, so the place-name is likely Danish in origin.
Read More
Viking Objects
Copper-Alloy, Gilded Disc Brooch (LEIC-E7A016)
A copper alloy, gilded brooch with a zoomorphic design in the Borre style. This brooch was probably made in Denmark and brought to England. For more information on Scandinavian jewellery in England check out our blog: Brooches, Pendants and Pins: Scandinavian Dress Accessories in England.
Read More
Viking Names
Boothorpe
Boothorpe, in the West Goscote Hundred of Leicestershire, probably comes from the Old Danish male personal name Bo (Old Norse Búi) and the Old Norse element þorp ‘outlying farm, settlement’. Alternatively, the first element of the place-name could be Old English boga or Old Norse bogi ‘bow’ which would be topographically appropriate because the settlement lies on a curving hilltop.
Read More
Viking Names
South Croxton
The first element of South Croxton, in the East Goscote Hundred of Leicestershire, likely comes from the Old Danish male personal name Krok (Old Norse Krókr, Middle English genitive singular Crokes), originally a byname meaning ‘crooked-back’, or possibly ‘crooked-dealer’ related to Old Norse krókr ‘hook’. Alternatively the first element could be Old English croc ‘a crook’, that is relating to a location situated in a nook or bend of land. The second element of the place-name is Old English tun ‘an enclosure; a farmstead; a village; an estate’. The Middle English affix suð ‘south’ distinguishes South Croxton from Croxton Kerrial in the Framland Hundred.