Tholf

Author: CPL

Editorial Status: unknown

Discussion of the name

The masculine name Tholf (normalized as ON þólfr) was a shortened form of ON þórulfr. The longer form is recorded mainly in Iceland, but þólfr (ODan Tholf) is characteristic of Denmark (von Feilitzen 1937: 389–90; Fellow Jensen 1968: 295, 317), and it must have been introduced to England from there. The point is underlined by the byname of the most prominent Tholf recorded in DB, the rich west country landowner Tholf the Dane (Tholf 2).

The identifications proposed here bring together the very varied DB spellings which have long been recognized as variants of Tholf with others which von Feilitzen assigned (often tentatively) to different head-forms: Teolf, Teos, Tous, and þurs. They also reassign to Tholf a handful of instances which he placed without equivocation under ON Tóli or OE Cuthwulf. Those last two are undoubtedly present in DB as the names of persons who were quite distinct from any of the Tholfs, but some of the instances listed by von Feilitzen (1937: 220, 386) seem rather to refer to Tholf the Dane.

The name Tholf clearly gave Norman officials and scribes a great deal of trouble: on the identifications made here, there are fifteen different spellings for a name which occurs only twenty-seven times. The particular pairing of consonants at the start and end of the name may well have been almost impossible for a native speaker of Norman French to pronounce, making a name which was unfamiliar anyway (because quite rare) highly susceptible to variation and miscopying.

There are no other persons called Tholf currently recorded in PASE.

Bibliography

Forms of the name

Spellings in Domesday Book: Coolf, Teolf, Teos, Thol, Tholi, Tof, Tol, Tolf, Toli, Torsus, Tou, Toul, Toulf, Tous, Tulf

Spellings in Exon: Teulfus, Tolus, Torssus

Forms in modern scholarship:

von Feilitzen head forms: þólfr, with some spellings assigned to OE Cuðwulf (Coolf), Teolf (Teolf), Teos (Teos), Toli (Toli), Tous (Tous), and ON þurs (Torsus)

Phillimore edition: Tholf (Derb., Staffs., Wilts.), Tholfr (Yorks.), Tulf (Suff.), with some spellings assigned to Cuthwulf (Coolf), Teos (Teos), Theodulf (Teolf), Thurs (Torsus), and Toli (Thol, Tholi, Tol, Toli, Tou, Toul)

Alecto edition: Tholf, with some spellings assigned to Cuthwulf (Coolf), Teolf (Teolf), Teos (Teos), Thurs (Torsus), Toli (Tholi, Toli), and Tous (Tous)

Distribution map of property and lordships associated with this name in DB

List of property and lordships associated with this name in DB

Holder 1066

Shire	Phil. ref.	Vill	Holder 1066 DB Spelling	Holder 1066	Lord 1066	Tenant-in-Chief 1086	1086 subtenant	Fiscal value	1066 value	1086 value	Holder 1066 ID conf.	Show on map
Cheshire	R1,37	Barton	Teos	Tholf 'of Barton'	Edward, king	Roger the Poitevin	-	1.00	0.13	0.00	A	Map
Derbyshire	17,4	Totley	Tolf	Tholf 'of Coal Aston'	-	1 king's thegn 'of Totley'	-	0.50	0.50	0.05	A	Map
Derbyshire	17,5	Coal Aston	Tolf	Tholf 'of Coal Aston'	-	Leofwine 'of Coal Aston'	-	0.69	1.00	1.00	A	Map
Devon	22,1	Powderham	Torsus	Tholf the Dane	-	William d'Eu	Ranulph 'the man of William d'Eu'	0.50	6.00	6.00	B	Map
Devon	22,2	Whitestone	Toli	Tholf the Dane	-	William d'Eu	Ranulph 'the man of William d'Eu'	0.25	0.30	0.50	B	Map
Dorset	34,2	Bradford Peverell	Tol	Tholf the Dane	-	William d'Eu	William Belet	17.00	12.00	12.00	A	Map
Dorset	34,5	Lytchett Matravers	Tholi	Tholf the Dane	-	William d'Eu	Hugh Maltravers	12.00	9.00	10.00	B	Map
Dorset	34,6	Blandford St Mary	Tou	Tholf the Dane	-	William d'Eu	William Belet	3.50	2.00	2.00	A	Map
Dorset	34,6	Blandford St Mary	Tou	Tholf the Dane	-	William d'Eu	William Belet	0.50	0.15	0.15	A	Map
Dorset	34,8	Swyre	Tol	Tholf the Dane	-	William d'Eu	William Belet	9.00	9.00	9.00	A	Map
Dorset	34,12	Tarrant	Toul	Tholf the Dane	-	William d'Eu	William Belet	3.50	1.00	4.00	A	Map
Dorset	34,14	Stock Gaylard	Toul	Tholf the Dane	-	William d'Eu	Hugh Maltravers	1.00	2.50	2.50	A	Map
Dorset	34,15	Stourton Caundle	Toul	Tholf the Dane	-	William d'Eu	Hugh Maltravers	3.50	3.00	3.00	A	Map
Hampshire	32,1	Somborne	Tol	Tholf the Dane	Edward, king	William d'Eu	-	14.00	14.00	16.00	A	Map
Hampshire	32,2	Deane	Thol	Tholf the Dane	Edward, king	William d'Eu	-	20.00	10.00	12.00	A	Map
Hampshire	NF4,1	Rowditch	Coolf	Tholf the Dane	Edward, king	William d'Eu	Bernard Pancevolt	1.25	2.00	1.50	B	Map
Hampshire	NF4,1	Rowditch	Coolf	Tholf the Dane	Edward, king	William, king	-	0.25	0.25	0.25	-	Map
Hampshire	IoW1,4	Wellow	Coolf	Tholf the Dane	Edward, king	William, king	-	2.00	10.00	15.00	C	Map
Somerset	19,57	Shepton Montague	Toli	Tholf the Dane	-	Robert, count of Mortain	Drew 'of Montacute'	5.00	7.00	5.00	C	Map
Somerset	26,8	Tickenham	Teolf	Tholf the Dane	-	William d'Eu	-	4.25	2.50	3.00	B	Map
Staffordshire	11,1	Tillington	Tol	Tholf 'of Tillington'	-	Robert of Stafford	-	3.00	1.50	1.50	C	Map
Staffordshire	13,4	Hanford	Toulf	Tholf 'of Tillington'	-	Richard the forester	Nigel 'of Stafford'	0.25	0.10	0.10	C	Map
Suffolk	7,148	Rendham	Tulf	Tholf 'of Rendham'	Eadric of Laxfield	Roger Bigod	Ralph de Tourleville	0.06	0.06	0.06	A	Map
Wiltshire	25,23	Upton Scudamore	Tous	Tholf the Dane	-	Ernulf de Hesdin	Regenbald the chancellor	2.50	2.00	2.00	C	Map
Wiltshire	29,3	Bincknoll	Toli	Tholf the Dane	-	Gilbert de Breteuil	-	1.75	0.90	0.90	C	Map
Wiltshire	32,16	Tollard Royal	Toli	Tholf the Dane	-	William d'Eu	-	1.00	1.00	1.00	B	Map
Wiltshire	32,17	Upton Scudamore	Toli	Tholf the Dane	-	William d'Eu	Ansfrid 'of Frome Vauchurch'	3.00	0.75	3.00	B	Map
Yorkshire	1E16	Reighton	Tof	Tholf 'of Reighton'	-	William, king	-	2.50	0.40	0.40	A	Map
Total								113.75	99.04	111.91