Did you know, for example, that place names around South Kesteven and Bourne are Viking in origin?
Places ending in ‘by' are Norse in origin. Lincolnshire was widely settled by the Vikings and villages like Careby, Carlby, Aunby and Thurlby all have Norse origins.
Villages with the word 'Thorpe' in their names – Manthorpe, Wilsthorpe, Othorpe, Grimsthorpe and Scottlethorpe – are also Norse in origin. The word 'by' means farm or village in Old Norse. 'Thorpe' means a secondary settlement. The first part of the place name usually belongs to the person who founded or farmed that settlement.
Bourne, where Allison Homes is based, is also Norse in origin. 'Bourne' is based on the Old Norse word 'brunnr', which means a well or spring. These settlements were established by invading Norse armies from 865-896, during a period known as the Danelaw.
When we name our developments, we look closely at local history and tradition before coming up with a name. Take Oakley Rise for example. It is part of the Oakley Vale development, an ongoing large-scale development on the outskirts of Corby – note the Viking name. The development gets its name from the nearby village of Great Oakley.
Oakley in turn is the name for the narrow strip of open pasture, the oak ley, along the valley within a broad tract of woodland.
We like to reflect the local area in our place names when we can.
