Chapter 8Wirral Field Names

Oct 6, 2026

Chapter 8 focuses on Wirral field names as historical evidence for Scandinavian (especially Norse) settlement in Cheshire. It explains how modern field-name forms recorded in the Tithe Award schedules preserve information about the intensity and character of Norse immigration in the early tenth century. The chapter analyzes multiple word elements—such as holme, carr, flot/flat, kirkja/kirce, rake, thwaites, and erg—linking each to Old Norse (and related influences) and distinguishing Norse from Danish patterns across regions. It concludes that Norse influence is strong in Wirral and decreases eastward toward central Cheshire.

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Chapter 8 Wirral Field Names

Scandinavian influence in Cheshire

Evidence from specific field-name elements

Conclusions on Norse vs Danish settlement

# Chapter 8Wirral Field Names EREDERICKTHRELFALLWAINWRIGHT Reprinted from ‘Field Names',Aniquity 27(1943),57-66. Wainnrigbt examiner tbe evidence poidea by minor namer for the Norse settlement in Cherbire.This excerptfrom the longer article has been adjusted in the light ofJobn Dodgron'work and somefurter commentr andmaps are added in chapter 10. Cheshire is an area where field-names throw light upon the character of theScandinavian invasions.It is known that during the early part of the tenthcentury there occurred a large scale Norse immigration into Wirral.'How heavywas this influx is illustrated by the field-names which,even in their modernforms,preserve ample proof of the intensity of the Scandinavian settlement.Inthis area the work of field-name collection has already yielded valuable results.The following data are taken entirely from the Tithe Award schedules to showthat even modern field-name forms,all in existence 100 years ago,may containevidence of the highest value.Names such as Little Holme,Holme Croft(Oxton),Lowe Holme,Higher Holme,Top Holme,Five Acre Holme(Prenton),Oxholme(Bidston),Holme bay(Moreton)and many others are probably to be traced toON holmr.ON kiarr,developing into ME car,is commonly used to describelow-lying ground:Carr,Old Car,Nen Carr;Car hay,Carr Meadow,Carr Lane(Saughall Massie),West Carr,Bottom o'th’Carrs (Moreton),Car Field Hey,Carrbridge(Oxton and Landican)are again but a few of the many examples.MEfiat(ON flot)is equally common,appearing in many parishes as The Flat,LittleFlat hey,Flatbutts,Low Flat,Top Flat etc.Kire Hay(Prenton)preserves either ONkirkja,'church’,or the Scandinavianized form of OE cirice,'church':in any casethe present form is due to Scandinavian influence.Perhaps the most commonword in Wirral field-names is rake':the frequency of its appearance isnoteworthy,e.g.Rake Hay (Bebington,Eastham,Noctorum,Prenton,Storeton,Tranmere,Willaston etc.),Rake End,Rake Shoots,Rake Inclosure etc.,et passim.Itsorigin is doubtful but in this area it is highly probable that it should be connectedwith ON rak which here may be taken to mean ‘a way or path,generallyfollowing some natural depression’.²Perhaps more interesting are a group of'thwaites'found in Bidston:Tasseys thwaite,Meadow thwaite,East Salt thwaite, WIRRAL FIELD NAMES Spencers thwaite,The Cornbill thwaite,Thwaite Lane,Marled tbwaite,Whinny thwaite,Wilson's Little thwaite and the great thwaite.This word is ON pveit,'a clearing,meadow etc.'but,like so many of the Scandinavian words mentioned above,itpassed into the ordinary dialect speech of the area.Perhaps it should not be usedas a Norse test-word,i.e.to prove Norse as distinct from Danish settlement,butit is an undisputed fact that 'thwaites'are most common in regions of Norsesettlement—Cumberland,Westmorland,Lancashire and West Yorkshire —and are comparatively rare in Danish districts.This is especially interesting sincethe Scandinavian colonists in Wirral were mainly Norsemen and not Danes. A similar piece of evidence comes from the field-names of Arrowe,itself adefinite proof of Norse influence since it consists of ON erg,‘a shieling,a hillpasture’,a word adopted by the Norsemen from the Irish (airghe,Gaelicairidh).This word may safely be used as a Norse test-word because of its Irishorigin.In the fields of Arrowe we find ON erg still used a hundred years ago inwhat appears to be its original sense of pasture':Harrisons Arrome,Whites Arrowe,Brown's Arrowe,Smiths Arrowe,Broad Arrowe,Youds and Bennets Arrowe,WhartonsArrowe etc.A few years ago an amateur collector of field-names included an‘arrowe'name with other names like Triangle and Square Field under the headingof'shape'!It is quite clear that these names derived from erg,and,incidentally,they provide a striking proof that the interpretation of Arrowe,the village-name,is correct.Again,there is no point in producing further examples;it is sufficientto remark,first,that the field-names of Wirral give ample support to

FAQs

How do field names provide evidence of Scandinavian settlement in Wirral?

The chapter argues that many modern field-name forms, preserved in records like the Tithe Award schedules, retain linguistic features that reflect the intensity and character of early Scandinavian (Norse) settlement.

Which examples are used to illustrate connections to Old Norse word elements?

It cites multiple categories such as holme, carr (Old Car/Car), flot/flat (The Flat and related variants), kirkja/kirce (Kire Hay), rake (rake hay, rake end, etc.), thwaites, and erg (from Arrowe names).

What conclusion does the chapter reach about Norsemen versus Danes in Wirral?

It concludes that Wirral’s Scandinavian field names strongly support a very intensive Norse settlement, and that Scandinavian field-name frequency declines as one moves eastward away from the core area of Norse settlement.

Oct 6, 2026

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