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.

Foxley Henning

Early-attested site in the Parish of Castle Sowerby

Historical Forms

  • Forneschalehaylme (sic print) 1252 Ch
  • Fornescaleshailith 1254 Pipe
  • Fornscaleheylyng 1348 Lowther
  • Forescalhaylyng 1276 Ass
  • Foriskalhayln 1278 ib
  • Forscalhe(y)ling' 1285 For
  • Foxleyhanyng c.1479 Rose
  • Foxlehining 1677 Rental
  • Fox nailin 1694 PR(Dalston)
  • Foxleyhenning 1777 NB
  • Forntoftes 1285 For

Etymology

This is probably a compound of Fornscale , from ON  forn -skáli , 'old shieling' (v. skáli ) and haining , hence 'enclosure by the old shieling.'There was also a Forntoftes (1285For ) in this neighbourhood. The sequence l-n , as often, caused difficulty and tended to become l-l , but ultimately l-n prevailed. The earliest forms are corrupt. They have been checked from the original. It would, however, be possible to read -hayline as the final element in the 1252 Charter Roll form.Later, folk-etymology has been at work.