Thwaite (placename element)
Thwaite is a common element of placenames in North West England, and Yorkshire.[1][2] It is also found elsewhere in England, including two places called Thwaite in Norfolk and one in Suffolk.[3] It is most often found as a suffix. It is a common element of field names, as well as settlement names.[4]
The name is usually from Old Norse thveit (also written þveit), but sometimes from Old Danish thwēt, both meaning "clearing" or "meadow".[1] Nevertheless, in England the name does not necessarily indicate a place of Scandinavian or Norman foundation, because it is often found in combination with Middle English or Old German personal names.[2]
The element is also found in Normandy. In the Eure department alone there are at least five placenames with the same thveit root and meaning "clearing in a wooded area", locally represented as Thuit: Le Thuit; Thuit-Hébert; Le Thuit-Simer; Le Thuit-Signol; Le Thuit-Anger. In total there is no fewer than 89 placenames in Normandy with 'Tuit' in them.[5]
In Orkney and Shetland the element appears as Twatt. In Norway, the element appears as Tveit (Nynorsk) or Tvedt (Dano-Norwegian).
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Pierre Bauduin (ed.), Les fondations scandinaves en Occident et les débuts du duché de Normandie (2005)
