Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Foxwist, Foxwyst c.1238 Adl c.1238 1623

• Foxwyst hegh 1345 Eyre

• O(u)ld(e) Foxwyst 1427 Earw 1428 ChRR 1431 Adl

• Butteley Foxwyst 1462 ib

• Foxwyst Heith 1501 Dav

• the Hall of Foxwyst 1611 LRMB200

• Foxwisp 1285 Eyre

• lands called Foxwispes 1400 ChRR

• Foxquist, Foxquyst 1287 Eyre

• Foxwychʒ 1337 Eyre

• Foxwest 1535 Sheaf

• Old & Netherfoxwixt 1536 ChRR

• Foxwyse 1560 Cross

• Foxtwist 1831 Bry

Etymology

'Fox-earth', v. fox , wist ; the final el. is replaced by wisp 'a wisp' in two instances, probably with a topographical extension of meaning, e.g. 'covert'. The prefixes Old and Nether refer to a removal of the original house in 1359 (Chamb 251–2). Cf. Foxwist Green 331infra , Disley 269infra .