Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Glassan 1259 Pipe 1278 Misc 1278 Cl 1363 Ipm

• Classam 1279 Ass

• Glaston 1338 Carliol

• Glassing 1399 IpmR

• Glassen 14th Norfolk 1485 Ipm 1507 Orton

• Glassane 1426 MinAcct

• Glasson 1580 Border

• la lake de Glassan 13th Norfolk

• le garte in Glasson 1621 ib

Etymology

In this parish were also la lake de Glassan 13thNorfolk and le garte in Glasson 1621 ib. Denton (78) was probably not far wrong when he conjectured that Glasson was so called by the Irish inhabitants “for that it is a green on a river.” For this substitute 'on a green river' and we may well have the correct interpretation.Irish glass , Welsh  glas denoting 'grey, blue,' may well have given rise to a river-name Glassan , though the exact formation is obscure.Ekwall (PN La 171) suggests that the name Glasson (La) is elliptical for some such name as Tref Glassán , 'village belonging to Glassan ,' Glassán being a well-established Irish name (cf. infra 194), but it is always dangerous to assume such ellipses.