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.

Wasing

Major Settlement in the Parish of Wasing

Historical Forms

  • Walsince 1086 DB
  • Wawesing' 1186 P
  • Wauesing 1224–5 Ass
  • Wawesenge 1235–6 Fees
  • Wausynge 1316 FA
  • Waghesing, Waghesing' 1220 Fees
  • Wahesinge 1242–3 ib
  • Wasinges 1235–6 Fees 1297 Pat
  • Wakesing', Wausing' 1241 Ass
  • Waysingg', Wausingg', Waysing 1284 ib
  • Wasinge 1242–3 Fees
  • Wasing Ed6 LRMB

Etymology

This name is unexplained. The evidence is clearly in favour of its being a singular name in -ing, and it may originally have been the name of the stream which flows from Wasing Wood to the Enborne.If so, it could be a stream-name of the same type as Wantage 17–18, Lockinge 13 and Ginge 10, in which the first el. is probably a derivative of a verb which describes the stream; there is, however, no verb on record which would explain the spellings. Ekwall (DEPN) suggests an -ingas formation from a word meaning 'ploughshare', but this is based on the incorrect statement that Wasing lies in a tongue of land between the R. Kennet and R. Enborne. The parish is to the south and east of both rivers, not between them, and the most distinctive feature of the topography appears to be the stream mentioned above.