Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Herstune 1086 DB

• Herestone ib

• Herestona Exon

• Hereston(e) 1283 ChrP 1372 Ass 1288 Wim 1333 MinAcct 1348 Wim 1355

• Herston(e) 1288 Ass 1291 Hutch3

• Herseton 1525 AOMB

• Horston 1423 Cl

• Hurston 1458 Hutch3

• Harston 1513 Ct

• Hareston c.1586 Tres 1575 Saxton

• Hariston 1659 Hutch3

• Herston Parva als. Hatherington 1589 Hutch3

• Hearston 1656 DCMDeed

• Easton 1811 OS

Etymology

'Here's farm', from an OE  pers.n. Here and tūn. A man with this name (spelt Her ) held part of this manor TRE (DB). Here would be a short form of names such as Herefrið , Heremōd , etc., cf. Hering 603E (12) ASC (Redin 172), but Feilitzen 289 points out that this base is unsatisfactory for the DB Her , which he considers to be possibly from ON  Hiǫrr . Herston Parva als. Hatherington apparently distinguishes the small part of this hamlet and tithing, comprising three fields called Verney (q. v. infra ), which was in the manor of Langton Wallis in Langton Mat. par. supra , v. parva ; since Hatherington would then have roughly the same location as Verney ('fern enclosure') it is perhaps an old name with a first el. hǣddre 'heather', possibly with -en 2 and tūn , 'farm overgrown with heather'. The 1811 form shows confusion with the common p.n. Easton from ēast and tūn , cf. also the st.n. Herston Yards supra . Herston Fm is now California Fm q. v. infra .