The before-mentioned names Bishopsthorpe and Nunthorpe apply to estates that belonged to the church; the following ones, viz., Coningsby, Coneysthorpe, Coneysby, Kingthorpe, and Kingsby, denote property belonging to the kings, or destined for their maintenance. Some towns are named after the trade or business of the original inhabitants as Smisby (Smithby) Weaverthorpe, and Copmanthorpe (Kjöbmandsthorpe, i.e., merchants-thorpe); others point to the descent of the inhabitants, such as Romanby, Saxby, Flemingsby, Frankby, Frisby and Fristhorpe (but this possibly came from “Freyr”), Scotby, Scotsthorpe, Ireby, Normanby, Danby or Denby, and Danesdale.
It also deserves to be mentioned that many of these names of places have by degrees become family ones, which are constantly heard in England; for instance, Thoresby, Ashby, Crosby (whence again Ashby and Crosby Streets in London), Thorpe, Sibthorpe, Willoughby, Scoresby, Derby, Selby, Wilberforce, &c.
In order, lastly, to convey an idea of the abundance of Scandinavian, or Danish-Norwegian, names of places, which occur in the midland and northern districts of England, a tabular view of those most frequently met with is here subjoined from the English maps. This list, which is principally drawn up for the use of those readers who have not a comprehensive map of England at hand, will, with all its deficiencies, clearly and incontestably prove the correctness of the historical accounts, which state that the new population of Danes and Norwegians that immigrated into England during the Danish expeditions, settled almost exclusively in the districts to the north and east of Watlinga-Stræt, and there chiefly to the west and north of the Wash. Norfolk, Northamptonshire, and Lancashire, have each only about fifty names of places of Scandinavian origin; Leicestershire has about ninety; Lincolnshire alone, nearly three hundred; Yorkshire above four hundred; Westmoreland and Cumberland each about one hundred and fifty. The colonization has clearly been greatest near the coasts, and along the rivers; it had its central point in Lincolnshire (the Northmen’s “Lindisey”), and in the ancient Northumberland, or land north of the river Humber. Yet it was not much extended in Durham and the present Northumberland, each of which contains only a little more than a score of Scandinavian names.
A Tabular View of some of the most important Danish-Norwegian
Names of Places in England.
(Extracted and collected from “Walker’s Maps,” London, 1842.)
Part A
| Names ending in | by | thorpe | thwaite | with | toft | beck | næs |
| In Kent, north-east of Watling Street | 1 | . | . | . | . | . | 4 |
| In Essex | 2 | 3 | . | . | . | . | 3 |
| -Bedfordshire | . | 3 | . | . | 1 | . | . |
| -Buckinghamshire | 1 | 2 | . | . | . | . | . |
| -Suffolk | 3 | 5 | 1 | . | . | . | 1 |
| -Norfolk | 17 | 24 | 2 | . | . | 1 | . |
| -Huntingdonshire | 1 | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| -Northamptonshire | 26 | 23 | . | . | 3 | . | . |
| -Warwickshire | 2 | 1 | . | . | . | . | . |
| -Leicestershire | 66 | 19 | . | . | 1 | . | . |
| -Rutland | . | 7 | . | . | . | . | . |
| -Lincolnshire | 212 | 63 | . | 1 | 4 | 8 | 1 |
| -Nottinghamshire | 15 | 20 | . | . | . | 1 | . |
| -Derbyshire | 6 | 4 | . | . | 1 | . | . |
| -Cheshire | 6 | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| -Yorkshire: | |||||||
| --East Riding | 35 | 48 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| --West Riding | 32 | 29 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 4 | . |
| --North Riding | 100 | 18 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 7 | . |
| -Lancashire | 9 | . | 14 | 2 | . | . | 2 |
| -Westmorland | 20 | 6 | 14 | 1 | . | 17 | 1 |
| -Cumberland | 43 | 1 | 43 | . | . | 12 | 2 |
| -Durham | 7 | 7 | . | . | . | . | . |
| -Northumberland | . | 1 | . | . | . | 1 | . |
| In all | 604 | 284 | 83 | 24 | 16 | 52 | 15 |
Part B
| Names ending in | ey. | dale | force | fell | tarn | haugh | Total |
| In Kent, north-east of Watling Street | 1 | . | . | . | . | . | 6 |
| In Essex | 3 | . | . | . | . | . | 11 |
| -Bedfordshire | . | . | . | . | . | . | 4 |
| -Buckinghamshire | . | . | . | . | . | . | 3 |
| -Suffolk | . | . | . | . | . | . | 10 |
| -Norfolk | . | . | . | . | . | . | 44 |
| -Huntingdonshire | . | . | . | . | . | . | 1 |
| -Northamptonshire | . | . | . | . | . | . | 52 |
| -Warwickshire | . | . | . | . | . | . | 3 |
| -Leicestershire | . | 1 | . | . | . | . | 87 |
| -Rutland | . | 1 | . | . | . | . | 8 |
| -Lincolnshire | . | 3 | . | . | . | . | 292 |
| -Nottinghamshire | . | . | . | . | . | . | 36 |
| -Derbyshire | . | . | . | . | . | . | 11 |
| -Cheshire | . | . | . | . | . | 6 | |
| -Yorkshire: | |||||||
| --East Riding | . | 12 | 2 | . | . | . | 109 |
| --West Riding | . | 12 | . | 15 | 2 | . | 110 |
| --North Riding | . | 40 | 4 | 7 | 1 | . | 186 |
| Lancashire | 2 | 13 | . | 7 | . | . | 49 |
| Westmorland | . | 36 | 6 | 42 | 15 | . | 158 |
| Cumberland | . | 16 | 1 | 15 | 9 | . | 142 |
| Durham | . | 5 | 2 | 2 | . | . | 23 |
| Northumberland | . | 3 | . | 7 | . | 10 | 22 |
| In all | 6 | 142 | 15 | 95 | 27 | 10 | 1373 |