Little Smeaton, Hambleton

Little Smeaton is a hamlet and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the district of Hambleton, it is now administered by the unitary North Yorkshire Council.

Etymology

The name of Little Smeaton is first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Smidetun, Smidetune, and Smitune. The first attestation of the 'little' element is found two years later in the phrase 'in litle Smithetun' in the Durham Liber Vitae; this element distinguishes Little Smeaton from the neighbouring Great Smeaton. The name comes from the Old English words smiþ in its genitive plural form smiþa and tūn. Thus the name once meant 'smiths' estate'.