| Allen Crags | Allen is a personal name common in England soon after the Norman Conquest. It is of Breton origin and its early form was Mein. The particular 'Alein' after whom this crag took its name is unknown. |
| Arnison Crag |
Arni was a Norse personal name and so 'Arnison' would be 'Arni's son' who gave his name to the crag. A possible alternative derivation might be from the O.E. earn + O.E. stan meaning 'the eagle's rock'. |
| Barf |
This was formerly known as Barrugh Fell (1821), indicating a derivation from O.N. berg, a mountain. Barugh is a northern surname and is correctly pronounced Barf. |
| Basebrown |
This is an example of an Inversion Compound and is probably derived from the O.N. personal name Bruni and O.N. bass - 'Bruni's cowshed'. The surname Basbroun appears in the 16th century Cumberland Subsidy Rolls. Basebrun 1216. |
| Birkett Fell | Named in honour of Lord Birkett who in 1962 played a decisive part in preventing, temporarily at least, the exploitation of Ullswater by the Manchester Water Authority. |
| Black Combe |
The dark crested mountain. O.E. blaec + O.E. camb. One of the features of Black Combe is the dark heather which grows there. |
| Blencathra |
The first element here is the Welsh word 'blaen', a summit. The second element is more difficult, but a likely explanation is that it comes from the Welsh 'cateir', a chair, as in Cader Idris. This would be an apt descripton of the summit's shape as seen from many angles. The name 'Saddleback' by which this fell is often known does not appear until 1769. Blenkarthure 1589. |
| Bowfell |
The usual explanation of this name - the bow-shaped fell - is
not consistent with the early (1242) form which was 'Bowesfel',
clearly indicating the use of a personal name. The surname Bowe appears in a Cumberland deed of 1333. It is also significant that the pass below Bowfell, now known as Three Tarns, was formerly called 'Bowesscard' or 'Bowe's scarth'. O.N. skarth. |
| Brandreth |
The O.N. words 'brand-reith', a fire-place or grate, came to
mean more specifically a grid-iron or trivet. A reference of 1805 which refers to this fell as 'the three-footed Brandreth' seems to be consistent with this derivation and suggests that a beacon once burned on the summit. |
| Branstree |
The steep path. This is a reference to the track from Longsleddale to Haweswater which passes below the slopes of this fell. O.N. brant + stigr. Bransty 1578. |
| Buckbarrow |
The hill of the buck or goat. The name may be derived from either O.E. bucc (O.N. bokkr), a buck, or from O.E. bucca (O.N. bokki), a he-goat. The second element is O.E. beorg (O.N. berg), a hill. Bokkeberge c.1400. |
| Calva |
The hill where calves are pastured. O.E. calf (O.N. kalfr) + O.N. haugr. |
| Carling Knott |
The hill where the old woman lives. O.N. kerling + O.N. knu'tr. |
| Carrock Fell |
The rocky fell. Old Welsh carrec + O.N. fjall. |
| Cat Bells |
The den of the wild cat. The wild cat was common in the area until the early 19th century. O.E. catt + M.E. belde. |
| Catstycam |
The crest or ridge with a steep, wild-cat's path. O.E. camb (O.N. kambr) + O.E. stig (O.N. stigr) + O.E. catt (O.N. kattr). |
| Causey Pike |
The peak above the causeway. The reference is probably to the Roman road which ran across the low-lying land between Crosthwaite and Braithwaite and which appears in 1280 as 'le chaucey', the causeway. O.E. plc (O.N. pik). |
| Caw Fell |
The hill where calves are pastured. O.E. calf (O.N. kalfr) + O.N. fjall. |
| Clough Head |
The hill above the ravine. The deep ravines of Sandbed Gill and Fisher's Wife Rake lie on the St John's Vale side of this fell. O.E. cleugh + O.E. heafod. |
| Cofa Pike |
Cofa is a variant of Calva and Caw Fell; it also lies at the
head of Caw Cove. Its origin is almost certainly the same: the hill
where calves are pastured. The 'a' of Cofa is an abbreviated form of 'how', a hill. O.E. calf (O.N. kalfr) + O.N. haugr + O.E. píc (O.N. pík). |
| Crinkle Crags |
This name is generally supposed to be a reference to the serrated or wrinkled appearance of the crags which form the summit line of the fell. O.E. cringol = wrinkled, twisted. |
| Dodd (Great, Little) |
A rounded hill, usually grassy or bare. M.E. dodde - which survives in Lakeland dialect and has the same mean- ing. |
| Dollywagon Pike | The origin of this unusual name is not known, but it seems improbable that it is derived from an early name bearing any resemblance to it. |
| Dove Crag | The crag frequented by doves or pigeons. This is probably a modern name. |
| Dow Crag | The early forms of this name, 'Dove Crag' and 'Doe Crag', suggest that at one time the fell was frequented by doves or deer or both. |
| Eel Crag |
The steep or precipitous crag. O.N. illr. |
| Esk Pike | Formerly known as 'Tongue Fell' (O.N. tunga) this fell was renamed after the River Esk by the Reverend Clifton Ward in modern times. The 'tongue' referred to in the original name lies between Angle Tarn and Allen Crags Gill. |
| Fairfield | This fell was formerly, and more precisely, known as Rydal Head. Its present name is self-explanatory - 'the fair or pleasant fell'. (Field = fell). |
| Fleetwith Pike |
No early forms of this name are known, but it may be associated with the northern dialect word 'fleet' used to indicate 'a flat area or bog in the hills from which water flows'. The high plateau on Fleetwith is the source of both Gatescarth Beck and Warnscale Beck. The remaining elements in the name are probably the O.N. vithr, a wood, and O.E. plc (O.N. pik). A possible meaning could, therefore, be 'the peak on the wooded fleet'. |
| Froswick |
The normal meaning of 'wick' (O.E. wic) is 'a dairy farm' This would seem rather inappropriate here and the name at present remains obscure. The first element may be the remnant of a personal name such as Frosti. Possibly 'Frosthwaite' - a frosty clearing. |
| Gimmer Crag |
'Gimmer' is the Cumbrian term for a yearling sheep (O.N. gymbr), and there may have been some local history concerning this particular crag and a crag-fast sheep. |
| Glaramara |
The 1210 version of this name was 'Hovedgleuermerhe', a
compound word which can be analysed as follows: 'hoved'- O.N. hofuth, signifying the mass of the fell; 'gleurm' = the dative plural
'gliufrum' of O.N. gliufr, meaning 'by the ravines'; 'erhe' = O.N.
erg, a shieling or mountain hut. The whole name, therefore, means 'the mountain with the shieling by the ravines'. |
| Gowbarrow |
The windy hill. O.N. gol + O.N. berg. Golbery c.1 150. |
| Grasmoor |
The grassy upland. O.E. grass + O.E. mor. |
| Great Borne |
A bourne is a boundary and a 13th century record indicates that the summit of this fell marked the limit of the Loweswater forest, although its name was then given as Hardecnut. The very large cairn is a prominent feature visible for great distances, an appropriate boundary mark. Fr. borne - a boundary. |
| Great Cockup |
The valley where the woodcock are found. 'Cock' in place-names usually refers to the woodcock; 'up' = O.E. hôp. |
| Great Gable |
The 14th century form, Mykelgavel, is derived from O.N. mikill, great, and O.N. gafi, gable. The description almost certainly refers to the shape of the fell which from several viewpoints resembles the gable of a house. |
| Green Gable | The 'green' is in contrast to the bare rock of the crags of Great Gable towering over this smaller neighbour. |
| Grike | 'Grike' is a Cumbrian dialect word for a cleft or narrow ravine such as may be found on the north face of this fell. This must be the origin of the name. |
| Grisedale Pike |
The peak above the valley of the pigs. O.N. griss + O.N. dalr + O.E. plc (O.N. pik). |
| Hardknott |
The rough, craggy fell. O.N. harthr + O.N. knu'tr. Hardecnut c.1210. |
| Harrison Stickle |
This is almost certainly an O.N. personal name which by the Middle Ages had become a local family name. The original name is uncertain. The final element is O.E. sticele (O.N. stikill) = a steep place. |
| Harter Fell |
The hart's fell. O.N. hjartar = of the hart (genitive of O.N. hjortr) + O.N. fjall. Herterfel 1210. |
| Haycock |
This may be a descriptive name suggested by the idea of similarity between the shape of the fell and that of a large haycock. A linguistic explanation may be more likely since the term 'haycock' meaning a heap of hay was not used until the late Middle Ages. O.N. har + O.N. kokkr = 'a high lump or heap'. |
| Haystacks |
As with Haycock this name is also often regarded as purely
descriptive and in his Guide to the Lakes (1778), Thomas West commented that it 'is by the dalesmen from its form called Hayrick'. It is probably more accurate to explain the name in linguistic terms and it would appear to be derived from O.N. har + O.N. stakkr = 'high rocks', an equally descriptive origin. |
| Helm Crag |
The O.N. word 'hjalmr' may mean either 'a helmet' or 'a cattleshed'. The fell does bear resemblance to a helmet from certain viewpoints and this seems more likely to have been the original inspiration. So - 'the crag which looks like a helmet'. |
| Helvellyn |
This - perhaps the best known of all the Lakeland fells - has
not yet yielded up the secret of its name. Many suggestions have been
made, but none is so far acceptable to the linguistic experts. No very
early forms exist. Helvillon 1577. |
| Heron Pike | This may be derived from O.E. earn, an eagle, or from M.E. heroun, a heron. The former seems more likely O.E. earn (O.N. orur) + O.E. píc (O.N. pík): 'the eagle's peak'. |
| High Spy | An obscure name. It may mean simply 'a look-out post', referring to some lost fort. |
| High Street | This is a modern name referring to the Roman road which runs over the fell close to the line of the summit ridge. There was a highroad here long before the Romans came known as Bretesstrete, the Britons' road. |
| Hindscarth |
The pass used by the red deer. O.N. hind + O.N. skarth. |
| Hopegill Head | The headland by the narrow ravine (at the end of the valley). O.E. hop + O.N. gil + O.E. hêafod. |
| Humphrey Head |
Hunfrith's headland. O.E. personal name Hunfrith + O.E. heafod. The transition to the modern name Humphrey is easy to understand. Hunfridesheved 1199. |
| Ill Bell |
The bell-shaped hill. O.E. hyll + O.N. bjalli. |
| IlIgill Head |
The headland on the hill with a narrow ravine. O.E. hyll + O.N. gil + O.E. hêafod. It is also possible that the first element may be derived from O.N. illr meaning steep or precipitous, which as one looks down to Wastwater seems a very apt description. |
| Kidsty Pike |
The peak by the steep path for young goats. M.E. kide (O.N. kith) + O.N. stigr + O.E. píc (O.N. pík). |
| Kirk Fell |
The fell above the church. O.N. kirkja + O.N. fjall. The tiny church at Wasdale Head stands in the fields at the foot of Kirk Fell. |
| Latrigg |
Early forms of this name do not include the element 'rigg'
(O.N. hryggr) which usually indicates a ridge with steep falls on each
side. This scarcely applies to Latrigg and its early name Laterhayheved (c.1210) has no such descriptive term. This form may be analysed into O.N. látr + O.E. haeg + O.E. hêafod. 'The hill where animals had a lair and where there was a hunting enclosure.' |
| Latterbarrow |
The hill where animals had their lair. O.N. látr + O.N. berg. A Norwegian dialect word, letre, meaning a shelter for farm animals, and cognate with O.N. látr, may indicate a more precise explanation of this name. |
| Ling Mell |
The heather-covered hill. O.N. lyng + Welsh moel. |
| Loadpot Hill |
The hill with the deep hole where ore was worked. O.E. lâd = a vein of ore (a load) + M .E . potte. A vein of haematite was found near the summit and was worked for some years. Remains of these workings may still be seen there. |
| Loughrigg |
The ridge above the lake. Gael. loch + O.N. hryggr. Loghrigg 1274. |
| Maiden Moor |
The name 'Maiden' is given to many prehistoric hillforts, but no satisfactory reason for this has yet been forthcoming. It may refer to a fortress which has never been taken (e.g. Peronne in France was known as La Pucelle, the Virgin) but there is no evidence so far to suggest that a fort may have existed on Maiden Moor. It may be a name corrupted beyond analysis or we may speculate that the moor may have been associated with some long-lost tradition concerning maidens. The many 'Maiden' place-names might indicate sites associated with games or rituals in which maidens took part, drawing a parallel with the place-name 'Julian Bower', which is found in Cumbria and in three other English counties, with its echoes of the Julian Games referred to in Virgil's Aeneid. The Swedish place-name Trôjemala has quite specific associations with such games but no evidence is so far forthcoming for the English sites. |
| Mellbreak |
An obscure name. A possible derivation might be from Welsh moel, a bare hill + O.N. brekka, a hillslope (often referring to a hill which falls to a water's edge as Mellbreak does). Mellbreack 1778. |
| Mell Fell | This is the Welsh 'moel', a bare hill, with O.N. fjall added at a later date. |
| Nab Scar |
The projecting ridge with a steep crag. O.N. nabbi + O.N. sker. |
| Old Man of Coniston |
'Man' is a northern dialect word meaning a large cairn such as that which marks the summit of this fell. See Coniston. |
| Orrest Head |
The hill where a battle took place. O.N. orrusta + O.N. hofuth/O.E. heafod. The nature and date of such a battle are unknown. |
| Outerside |
Uhtred's shieling. This was a fairly common personal name in the district. O.N. personal name + saetr. Uchtredstede 1260. |
| Pavey Ark | A deed of the 13th century refers to 'Pavia filia Willelmi', Pavia the daughter of William. This suggests that 'Pavey' may be derived from this feminine name. 'Ark' is probably a corruption of O.N. erg, a shieling. 'Pavia's shieling.' |
| Pike 0' Blisco | This name is unexplained. |
| Pike 0' Stickle |
The peak with the sharp summit. O.E. píc (O.N. pík) + O.N. stikill. |
| Pillar | This is a modern name given to the mountain by virtue of its association with the famous rock. Its earlier name is uncertain. |
| Place Fell | The 1266 version of this name - Plescefel - suggests that it may have originated with the O.E. plaesce, an open, marshy place. The wide plateau of the summit area of Place Fell may once have been such a spot: + O.N. fjall. |
| Rainsborrow Crag | An obscure name. It may be derived from O.N. hrafn + O.N. berg with M.E. cragge added later; this would give the not inappropriate meaning 'the crag on the hill where ravens live'. |
| Raise |
A cairn . Probably a reference to the prominent outcrop of rough
rocks at and near the summit. O.N. hreysi. Rase 1589. |
| Rampsgill Head |
Two meanings are possible here: (a) the hill with the ravine where wild garlic grows. O.N. hramsa + O.N. gil + O.N. hofuth/O.E. hëafod; (b) the hill with the ravine where ravens live. O.N. hrafn + O.N. gil + O.N. hofuth/O.E. hëafod. (Hrafn could also be a personal name.) |
| Rest Dodd | Obscure. A possible derivation might be from O.N. hrjóstr + M.E. dodde. 'The rough round hill.' |
| Robinson | A Richard Robinson purchased land in this area in the reign of Henry VIII and the fell is named after him. |
| Rossett Pike |
This may be a contraction of Rosthwaite Pike meaning 'the peak above the clearing with the heap of stones'. O.N. hreysi + O.N. thveit + O.E. píc (O.N. pík). It might also be derived from O.N. hross + O.N. saetr, 'the peak by the high pastures where horses were kept'. |
| Sail |
The swampy hill. O.N. seyla. |
| St. Sunday Crag | St. Dominic's crag. St. Dominic was often referred to as St. Sunday from the Latin 'dies Dominica', the Lord's Day. Why this crag should have acquired St. Dominic's name is not clear. |
| Scafell, Scafell Pike |
The origin of these names is a little obscure, but the most likely explanations are those given by Ekwall and the English Place-name Society as follows: Ekwall: O.N. skali + O.N. fjall = the fell with the shieling. E.P.N.S.: O.N. skalli + O.N. fjall = the fell with the bare summit. 'Skalli' might also be a nickname, 'Baldy'. Skallfield 1578. |
| Scoat Fell |
The fell with the rocky projecting ridge. O.N. skuti or O.N. skót + O.N. fjall. Le Scote 1338. |
| Skiddaw |
There has been much speculation concerning the origin of this name. The second element is probably O.N. haugr, a hill, but the first element 'Skidd' is elusive. Early forms of the name - Skythou (1260), Skythowe (1343), and Skythow (1450) - all have a 'y' which has suggested a derivation from O.N. skyti, an archer. The same O.N. word is also a by-form of O.N. skuti, a craggy ridge, which may not seem entirely appropriate when applied to Skiddaw. Neither of these explanations accounts fully for the 'th' in all the early forms and an alternative suggestion is that the name is derived from O.N. skith (Icelandic skitha) meaning 'fire wood' or 'chopped billets of wood.' Three meanings, then, are suggested: 'the archer's hill'; 'the hill with a craggy ridge'; and 'the hill where firewood is found.' |
| Slight Side |
The mountain shieling with the level pastures. O.N. sletta + O.N. saetr. |
| Souther Fell |
The shoemaker's fell. O.N. sutari + O.N. fjall. Souterfell 1323. |
| Starling Dodd |
This is an Inversion Compound. The first element is O.N. stigr and the second is a Breton name Mein. 'Dodd' was added later. The meaning is, therefore, 'the bare, round hill by Mein's path', an explanation supported by medieval records which refer to a boundary path running from Blea Tarn 'to the path of Styalein'. Styalein 1230. |
| Steel Fell |
The fell with a steep path. O.E. stigel + O.N. fjall. |
| Swirl How | Obscure. A Norwegian dialect word 'svirle', to swirl or whirl around, suggests that there may have been an O.N. word of similar meaning. This fell could appropriately be described as 'the hill where the wind swirls round'. How = O.N. haugr. |
| Thunacar Knot |
Doubtful. O.N. knótr for the second feature seems
clear, but 'thunacar' may be derived with less certainty from two
O.N. words - 'thunr', thin, and O.N. 'karr', a man. A probable explanation therefore could be 'the craggy hill of the thin man'. |
| Ullock Pike |
The peak where the wolves play. O.N. úlfr + O.N. leikr + O.E. píc (O.N. pík). Ulvelaik 1279. |
| Ullscarf |
The wolf's pass. O.N. úlfr + O.N. skarth. Ulvescarth 1203. |
| Walla Crag |
Probably derived from the dialect word 'walla' meaning dull or insipid, descriptions not easy to apply to Walla Crag with its modern covering of woodland. The geological formation here may once have given the crag a dull, dun-coloured appearance. The name is first given in Thomas Gray's Journal of 1769. |
| Wandhope |
The valley where osiers grow. O.N. vandr + O.N. hóp. The name of the valley was transferred to the fell. |
| Wansfell | Obscure. The first element may be a personal name. The nearest parallel may be in the famous earthwork, the Wansdyke, named after the Norse god, Woden. Could Wansfell be Woden's fell? |
| Wether Hill, Wetherlam | Both names appear to refer to the wether or castrated ram (from O.N. vethr). |
| Whin Fell, Whinlatter, Whin Rigg |
The common element here is the O.N. word 'hvin', (M.E. whinne), furze or gorse, with O.N. fjall, Gaelic lettir, and O.N. hryggr added. 'The furze-covered fell, slope, ridge.' |
| Yewbarrow |
The hill where ewes are pastured. O.E. eowu + O.E. beorg. Yowberg 1322. |
| Yoke |
This name is probably derived from O.E. geoc with a meaning
similar to the German joch, a mountain ridge. Yoke is part of the long ridge leading up to the High Street from the Garburn Road. The Yoak 1778. |