Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Gislicleh c.972 BCS1278 11

• Gisele(i), Gysele(i), Gyseley(e), Gyselai, Gyselay 1086 DB 12 Ch 1294 YCh201 1175–85 YDx 13 Ass32d 1246 Ass 1251 Ebor 1253 FF 1526

• Chisel' 1214 ClR

• Gislay, Gyslay, Gysley 1285 KI 1369 BM 1428 FA 1593 Comm38

• Gysley als. Gistley 1614 FF

• Gysselay 1379 YDi

• Guyseley, Guiseley 1428 FA 1588,1606 FF 1691 PROt

• Guiesl(e)y, Guyesl(e)y, Guyeslaye 1527 TestLds 1540 MinAcct 1562 TC 1627 SR

• Guisley, Guysley 1537 TestLds 1547 WillY 1585 ib

• Geyseley 1562 TC

• Guiesley 1618 PRAdel

Etymology

The OE spelling points to Guiseley probably being 'Gīslic's forest-glade or clearing', v. lēah . The pers.n. (which in this p.n. is uninflected, cf. -es 2 , EPN i, 158) is an unrecorded OE  Gīslic , a hypocoristic form of some OE  pers.n. in Gīsl - (Gīslbeorht , Gīslheard , etc.) formed with the diminutive suffix -ic (Redin 149); -ic is not likely to be an error for -inc (ing4) in BCS 1278. Initial G - in this case is due to ON influence. The modern form (which goes back to the fifteenth century) arises from a popular understanding of the first el. as the ME  pers.n. Gy , later Guy .