Grasby
Major Settlement in the Parish of Grasby
Historical Forms
- Grosebi 1086 DB
- Grosbi 1086 DB
- Grossebi c.1115 LS 1160 Dugdvi 1160–62 YChiii 1287 P 1166,1167,1168,1169 Cur 1204 Ass 1219
- Grossebiam 1190 Dugdvi 1301
- Grosseby 1208 FF
- Gressebi 1165,1177,1185 P 1187 lHy2 Dane 1201 P 1202 Ass 1202 P 1204 ib
- Gresseby 1209–35 LAHW 1125 FineR 1384 Pat
- Gresseb' c.1220 Welles 1235 IB
- Greseby 1212 Fees 1428 FA
- Gresby 1238–43 Fees 1347 Pat 1382 Cl 1519 DVi 1554 Pat 1606 Terrier 1762 et freq
- Gresbye 1556 CA 1542–3 Dugdvi 1576 Saxton 1610 Speed
- Gresbie 1649 Foster 1671 Terrier 1685 Red
- Griseby 1343 Pat
- Grisseby 1364 Cl 1387,1397,1400 Pat
- Grysseby “next” Sereby 1421 WillsPCC
- Grisby 1387 Peace 1550 Pat 1607 BT 1612 Terrier 1621 Foster 1625 Terrier
- Grysby 1431 FA 1469 Pat 1526 Sub 1535 VEiv 1556 LNQxiv 1562 BT 1587 BT
- Gyrsseby 1472 WillsPCC
- Gyrsbe 1539 LPxiv
- Girsbie 1576 LER 1597 SC
- Girsbye 1590 ib
- Girsby 1601 Terrier
- Grassebi 1202 Ass
- Grasby 1697 Terrier
- Grassby 1781,1822 Terrier 1833 MiscDep
Etymology
Ekwall (DEPN s.n.) explains Grasby as 'the bȳ in a stony district', the first el. being ON grjót 'gravel, stones', and he thinks this name is identical with Grössby in Sweden. This is topographically appropriate, as Mr Ifor Barton has indicated to me, but Fellows-Jensen (SSNEM 50–1) points out that it is difficult to explain the spellings in Gro - “on the basis of grjót ”, unless they are “mistakes” for -e -. As she says, this is difficult name and it is really impossible to determine what the first el. actually is, so that it is safer to leave the name unexplained. It is possible that the forms in Gresse -, etc., and later Gras -, “represent substitution for the original first el., whatever that may have been, of the appellative “grass” (OE gærs , græs , gres n., OIcel gras , gres n.)”, v. further SSNEM 51.