English Place-name Society

Survey of English Place-Names

A county-by-county guide to the linguistic origins of England’s place-names – a project of the English Place-Name Society, founded 1923.

Halsey (Fm and Wood)

Early-attested site in the Parish of Sharnbrook

Historical Forms

  • Alfiseia, Alphiseie 13th Newn 15th
  • Alsey 1276 RH
  • Alsowe 1469 IpmR
  • Haselho 1202 Ass
  • boscus de Haselhou 13th Newn 15th

Etymology

'Enclosure of Ælfsige' v. (ge)hæg. It should be added however that the identification is not quite certain for in Sharnbrook parish there is also a place called

When we note that these have initial h and that hæsel does occasionally appear as halse in p.n., and, further, that there is a Halsey Wood as well as a farm we are perhaps right in assuming that Halsey Farm and Wood may originally have been named differently, the farm being Alsiesheye and the wood Haselho .This perhaps receives slight confirmation from the form Alsowe given above, which looks like a blending of two such names. In connexion with the earliest forms it may be noted that OE  Ælfsige occasionally appears as Alfesi in the 13th cent.