Viking Names
Waithe
Waithe, in the Haverstoe Wapentake of Lincolnshire, is thought to be originally derived from Old English (ge)wæd ‘a ford’. By the later twelfth century, the -d- was replaced by -th- either because of the Scandinavianization of the pronunciation, or by the replacement of (ge)wæd with its Old Norse cognate vað ‘a ford’. In both cases the meaning of the name is ‘at the ford’, which must be over Waithe Beck, where a minor road crosses the stream half a mile east of the church.
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Viking Names
Broadholme
Broadholme, in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, comes from the Old Norse male personal name Broddi and the Old Norse element holmr ‘an island, an inland promontory, raised ground in marsh, a river-meadow’. Hence, ‘Broddi’s island’. Historically, the parish belonged to Newark Wapentake, Nottinghamshire, but was transferred to West Lindsey in 1986 by the Local Government Boundary Commission.
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Viking Objects
Reproduction Crucifix Pendant
Crucifixes like this one would have been worn to display one’s faith and may have been a way for newly converted Scandinavians to be more accepted in society. By the late tenth to early eleventh centuries, assimilation would have seen many Scandinavians, both elites and common people, converted to Christianity and adopting Anglo-Saxon ways.
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Viking Names
Sookholme
Sookholme, in the Bassetlaw Wapentake of Nottinghamshire, lies in a river valley and the etymology of the name reflects its location. The first element is Old English sulh ‘a plough; a ploughland (i.e. the amount of land which can be cultivated with one plough)’ which is combined with the second element, Old Norse holmr ‘an island, an inland promontory, raised ground in marsh, a river-meadow’. Thus it is a hybrid name with the probable meaning of ‘gully island’.
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Viking Names
Roxby
Roxby, in the West Riding of Lindsey in Lincolnshire, comes from the Old Norse male name Hrókr and the Old Norse element by ‘farmstead, a village’. Roxby is a joint parish with Risby.
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Viking Names
Kirkby Green
Kirkby Green, in the Langoe Wapentake of Lincolnshire, comes from the Old Norse appellative compound kirkju-by ‘a village with a church’. The affix Green come from Old English grene ‘grassy spot, a village green’
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Viking Objects
Stirrup-Strap Mount (LEIC-7584A4)
This incomplete example of an Anglo-Scandinavian copper alloy stirrup-strap mount has the form of a Williams Class A mount and its decoration is similar to type 4.
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Viking Names
Normanby by Spital
Normanby by Spital, in the Aslacoe Wapentake of Lincolnshire, takes its name from the Old English ethnonym Norðman ‘Northman, Norwegian’ and the Old Norse element bý ‘a farmstead, a village’. A Domesday form of the name, Normanestouu, has as the second element Old English stow ‘a place, a place of assembly’, but this form is not supported by later recordings. The suffix Spital is for its proximity to Spittal in the Street, ‘hospital on a Roman road (Ermine Street)’. Traditionally, the place-name has been interpreted as referring to a settlement of Norwegians (in an area where most of the Scandinavian settlers were Danes). However, the exact implications of such a name are not yet fully understood and are the subject of ongoing work by Dr Jayne Carroll of the Institute for Name-Studies, University of Nottingham. There are other Normanbys in Lincolnshire, Normanby in Burton upon Stather and Normanby by Stow.
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Viking Names
Beelsby
Beelsby, in the Haverstoe Wapentake of Lincolnshire, perhaps comes from the rare Old Norse male personal name Beli and the Old Norse element bý ‘a farmstead, a village’.
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Viking Names
Baston
Baston, in the Ness Wapentake of Lincolnshire, is an Anglo-Scandinavian hybrid compound from the Old Norse male byname Bak meaning ‘back’ and the Old English element tun ‘an enclosure; a farmstead; a village; an estate’.
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Viking Objects
Cast Lead Weight (SWYOR-A48576)
A cast lead-alloy weight or possible gaming piece in the form of a cone made of three levels. It is perhaps an indicator of the Scandinavian bullion economy. Weights are an important form of evidence for Viking Age commerce and the use of standards across the different economic systems within which Vikings were integrated. Many of the weights discovered, particularly ones in Ireland and those of Arabic type, suggest that a standardized system of weights existed in some areas. These standard weights, alongside standard values of silver, are what allowed the bullion economy of Viking occupied areas to function. A bullion economy was a barter economy that relied on the exchange of set amounts of precious metal in various forms, such as arm-rings or coins, for tradable goods, such as food or textiles. Each merchant would have brought their own set of weights and scales to a transaction to make sure that the trade was conducted fairly.