1) The north-country form of ‘above’, often meaning on the upper side of.
There is an undated document for the North Riding village of Thrintoft, mostly in Latin, in which lands were described as lying obouen the kirkgate: the grantor was Roger de Lasceles of Scruton who died in 1297. This was a typical usage: 1420 rowme and space abouen on the walle of stane, York
in 1517 two acres of land in Threshfield were said to lie abown and beneith the way . Other spellings include a boyn in Ovenden in 1489 which records the diphthongisation that is still in use, and a bowne in Bradfield in 1525. In a bridge contract of 1422 are the words the werke abownsaide.