Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Holmesfelt 1086 DB

• Holmesfeld Hy2 WollCh 1243 Fees 1275 RH

• Holmesfeud 1252 Cl

• Hulmesfeld 1331,1381 IpmR

• Homesfeld 1394 Cl 1402 Relxx

• Hownefeld 1546 MinAcct

• Houn(s)feld 1577 Saxton 1577 DbAi 1610 Speed

Etymology

Perhaps 'Holm's open country', v. feld , the first element being an OE unrecorded pers.n. cognate with ON  Hólmr , cf. Holmestrow Hundred (PN Sx 323), where the present example is also considered.If the first element is a significant word it can hardly be ON  holmr 'island, etc.', but Ekwall's suggestion (Anglia Beiblatt xxv, 28), that holm has the same sense of 'hill' as in Old Saxon, is topographically appropriate here. His suggestion (DEPN) that the present example is 'feld belonging to Holme', i.e. Holme Hall infra 278, a few miles distant, can hardly be considered in view of their distance apart and of the apparent lack of importance of the latter place. On the use of the gen. with appellatives, v. -es .

The name at least appears to have been confused with ON  holmr in IpmR, for the forms in Hulmes - presumably represent hulm , the ODan form of that word.