Survey of English Place-Names

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.