| Alcock Tarn |
Allan's tarn. In many old personal names the suffix 'cock' signifies an affectionate diminutive,
in this instance applied to Allan, a common name in the area in medieval times. The tarn was formerly
known as Grey Tarn. Alecoc + O.N. tjorn. |
| Angle Tarn |
The tarn shaped like a fish-hook (or, less directly, the fishing tarn). O.N. ongull + O.N. tjorn. Angilterne 1266. |
| Bassenthwaite Lake |
The lake by Bastun's clearing. 'Bassen' is probably derived from a personal name, either O.E. Beabstan or
a Norman - French nickname, Bastun, meaning 'a stick'. Bastun + O.N. thveit + (in modern times) 'Lake'. Bastunthwaite c.l 170, Bastunwater c. 1220. |
| Blea Tarn |
The dark tarn or the deep-blue tarn. The name 'Blaatjernet', with the same meaning,
is found in Norway. O.N. blá + O.N. tjorn. Bleaterne 1587. |
| Blind Tarn |
The tarn with no outlet or the tarn overgrown with weed. O.E. or O.N. blind + O.N. tjorn. Blind Torn 1822. |
| Boo Tarn |
This unusual name may be an abbreviation of the local name Booth or it may be derived from the O.N. personal name Bui or alternatively from the O.N. buth, a hut. The meaning could be therefore, either Booth's Tarn or Bui's Tarn or the tarn by the hut. |
| Brotherswater |
Popular legend derives this name from a story that two brothers were drowned in the lake but no details are known. The name may be derived from O.E. bróthor, brother, with the possessive 's' intruded; alternatively it may come from an O.N. personal name, Brothir + O.E. waeter = water. Brotherwater 1671, Broad Water 1777. |
| Buttermere |
The lake by the dairy pastures (i.e. well-known for their butter). O.E. butere + O.E. mere. Butermere c.1230. |
| Burnmoor Tarn |
No reliable derivation can be given for this name. One suggestion is that it may bear some relation to the numerous 'borrans' or burial cairns on the moor, but early forms of the name indicate insufficient evidence to suggest a trustworthy development of the modern name from the O.E. burgaesn which this would imply. Burman Tarne 1570. |
| Coniston Water |
The lake was formerly known as Thurston Water, a name derived from the O.N. personal name Thursteinn + O.E. waeter. Turstiniwatra c. 1160,Thurstainewater 1196. See Coniston. |
| Crummock Water |
The lake of the crooked river. This seems to be linked with the derivation of the River Cocker which flows through the lake. See River Cocker. Br. crumbaco = crooked + O.E. waeter. Crombocwater c.1307. |
| Derwentwater |
The lake of the river which abounds in oak trees. 'Derwent' is a fairly common British river-name and seems to be derived from Br. derw, an oak tree and derwentio, abounding in oak trees. The same root is found also in the River Darent in Kent, the Dart in Devon, the Darwen in Lancashire and in the Yorkshire and Derbyshire Derwents. See River Derwent. Derewentwatre c. 1240. |
| Devoke Water |
This is probably derived from an Old Welsh or Old Irish word 'dubaco' meaning 'the dark one'. Such a description might apply either to the dark
appearance of the lake or possibly to a particular individual who lived near it. There are many ancient settlements on the moors around the lake. Duvokeswater c.1205. |
| Dock Tarn |
The tarn of the water-lilies. O.E. docce + O.N. tjorn. Docketerne 1210. |
| Elterwater |
The lake of the swans. O.N. elptar + O.E. waeter. Whooper swans still come to winter on the lake. Helterwatra c.1157. |
| Ennerdale Water |
This name means 'the lake in the valley of the River Ehen' but before the 14th century the valley was known as Anenderdale or Anund's valley from an O.N. personal name. O.N. Anundar + O.N. dalr + O.E. waeter. Anenderdale 1135, Eghnerdale 1321. |
| Esthwaite Water |
The lake by the eastern clearing. O.E. east + O.N. thveit + O.E. waeter. Estwater 1537. |
| Floutern Tarn |
The 1343 form 'Flutern does not offer specific help with this name, but it is possible that it may be derived from an O.N. word 'flói' meaning
'a watery moss' which would not be inappropriate. The Icelandic 'flói' and the Lakeland dialect 'flow' have the same meaning. The second element is O.N. tjorn so the additional 'Tarn' is superfluous. 'The tarn in the watery moss.' |
| Grasmere |
The lake with the grassy shores or the grassy lake. O.E. graes + O.E. mere. Gresemere c.1240. |
| Hawes Water |
Hafr's lake. 'Hafr' is an O.N. word for a he-goat but here it is probably used as a nickname or even as a personal name. Havereswater 1199. |
| Hayes Water |
Eithr's lake. Eithr is an Old Icelandic personal name and this seems to be the most likely origin of this place-name. An alternative suggestion that it may be derived from the O.E. haeg or O.N. hagi, an enclosure for pasture or hunting, seems less probable here. |
| Innominate Tarn | This is a modern name replacing the earlier name 'Loaf Tarn' which is said to refer to the clumps of peat in the tarn resembling pieces of risen dough. |
| Kentmere |
The lake of the River Kent. ' Kent' is probably a British river-name derived from a word such as 'cunetio' meaning 'a sacred stream.' The O.E. 'meere' was added later. The lake was drained for agricultural purposes late in the 19th century. Kenetemere 1240. |
| Lanty's Tarn | 'Lanty' is a diminutive of the name 'Launcelot'. The original Launcelot is lost to history. It is unlikely to have been the legendary Lanty Slee, the 19th century moonshiner from Little Langdale. |
| Loweswater |
The leafy lake. This name seems to be related to a similar name given to a lake in Sweden - Lovsjon - meaning 'the leafy lake'. The O.E. waeter was added at a later date to give meaning to a name which had become incomprehensible. O.N. lauf + O.N. saer. Laweswatre c.1 188. |
| Over Water |
Orri's tarn or the tarn where blackcock are found. Orri was an O.N. personal name probably derived from the same O.N. word which also meant a
blackcock. Orre Water 1687. |
| Rydal Water |
The lake in the valley where rye is grown. This lake was formerly known as Routhmere, a name derived from O.N. rauthi + O.E. mere (see River Rothay). O.E. ryge + O.N. dalr (O.E. dael) + O.E. waeter. Ridale 1180. |
| Scales Tarn |
The tarn by the shepherd's hut. O.N. skáli + O.N. tjorn. Scales Tarn 1794. |
| Sprinkling Tarn |
This is a modern name replacing 'Sparkling Tarn', a name used in 1774. Before this the tarn was known as 'Prentibiountern' (1322), a name which gave birth to the legend that the tarn was once associated with a miscreant Norseman, Bjorn, who was branded (prenti) for his crime - Prentibjorn's Tarn. Modern linguistic studies, however, indicate that it is not possible to reconcile the recorded name - Prentibioun - with these Old Norse words, and so an interesting and widely believed story must be thrown overboard. It is more probable that Prenti bioun is derived from 'Sprentaburn', an O.E. compound word meaning 'the gushing or sparkling stream'. O.N. tjorn is added. |
| Stickle Tarn |
The tarn by the prominent peak (in this case Harrison Stickle). O.E. sticele/O.N. stikill + O.N. tjorn. |
| Styhead Tarn |
The tarn at the top of the path. O.N. stigr/O.E. stig + O.N. hofuth/O.E. heafod + O.N. tjorn (see Styhead Pass). |
| Tewet Tarn |
The peewit's tarn. 'Tewit' is a northern word for the peewit or lapwing. M.E. tuwytte + O.N. tjorn. |
| Thirlmere |
The lake with a gap. The 'gap' may have been the narrow strip of water which was a feature of the 'waist' of Thirlmere before the level of the lake was raised by the construction of the Manchester Waterworks' reservoir towards the end of the 19th century. A wooden bridge used to span the lake at this point. O.E. thyrel + O.E. mere. Thyrelmere 1573. |
| Ullswater |
Ulfr's lake. Ulfr was a common O.N. personal name. Ulveswatre 1323. |
| Wastwater |
The name of the lake and the name of the valley have been merged. Wasdale' means 'the valley with the lake'- the lake itself was therefore superfluously described as a 'water'. O.N. vatn + O.E. waeter. Wassewatre 1294. |
| Windermere |
Vinandr's lake. 'Vinandar' is the genitive form of the O.N. personal name 'Vinandr'. O.N. Vinandr + O.E. mere. Wynandremer c. 11 80. |