Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Scafeld, Escafeld, Sceuelt' 1086 DB

• Sefeld(ia) 1161 YCh 1171–81 a.1181 SheffMisc 1184 P 1208 FF 1228 Hall

• Sefeldh a.1290 Linds

• Seaf(f)eld 1190–1210 YCh1276,1287

• Scefeld 1171–81 YCh 1316 Ch Hy3 1316

• Scaffeld 1210–12 RBE

• Sedfeld 1184 P

• Sadfeld 1185 P

• Saffeld 1188 P

• Seffled (sic) 1188 YCh1278

• Seffeld 1193 P 13 YDxvi,85

• S(c)hefeld(e) 1202 FF Hy3 BM c.1224 Hall 1234 FF 1267 SheffMan 1268 FF 1279–81 QW 1291 Tax 1297 LS 1557 WillY

• S(c)hefeud 1265 Abbr 1276 RH

• S(c)hefeuld 1268 FF

• Scheffeud 13 YDxii,235 1279–81 QW 1296,1301,1303 YI

• S(c)heffeld(e) a.1279 Hall 1285 KI 1296 Ch 1299 Baild 1305 BM 1310 Ch 1316 Pat 1537 NCWills

• Sheffild 1543 Leland

• Sheffeild 1692 Hall

• Sheyfeld 1533 ADvi

• Sheiffeld 1562 SheffD

• Shewfeld als. Sheffeld 1574 FF

• Sheaffe(i)ld, Sheaffield 1576 WillY 1608 FF 1631 Wheat

Etymology

'Open countryside near the R. Sheaf', v. R. Sheaf (RNs.), feld .It has been suggested that the name originally referred to what became the great Sheffield Park which lies to the south-east of the town (cf. Hallam 194supra ), but the name itself does not prove this; Sheffield was a topographical name before it was a settlement name and so could denote the open unwooded area which subsequently became the site of a settlement and town. Spellings with S - (including the single DB Esca -) and -feu (l )d are AN (cf. IPN 113), those with Sad -, Sed - are vestiges of the original OE  form Scēað -feld (with AN  -d - for -ð -, cf. IPN 110), but the majority have assimilated to the following -f - (as in R. Sheaf itself or Givendale pt. v infra ), a common enough independent change in more recent dial. pronuncia- tions of words like father as [fa:və], etc. The latest spellings with Shey - or Shea - indicate (as the many medieval spellings with a single -f - may also do) that the original long vowel was sometimes kept (cf. Phonol. § 19); it was perhaps thus confused with Shay , a local variant of OE  sceaga 'copse'. It may be noted that the DB form Sceuelt ' has been incorrectly identified with Waldershelf 257infra .