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.

Fangfoss

Major Settlement in the Parish of Fangfoss

Historical Forms

  • Frangefos(s)' 1086 DB 1199 Abbr
  • Fangefos(s)e, Fangefos(s) 1120–9 YCh449 1204 Ass 1208 FF 1338 FF
  • Fangefous c.1250 Whitby
  • Fangfos(e), Fangfoss(e) 12th YD 1203 FF 1560 NCWills
  • Fangelfosse 1200 Cur
  • Fankefosse 1252 Ebor 1381 ADi
  • Fancfos 1252 FF
  • Fanchefosse 1303 YI
  • Flangfosse 1578 FF

Etymology

Other old names in -foss (Wilberfoss infra 188, Catfoss supra 67) appear to be compounded with pers. names, and it is not unlikely that Fangfoss contains a pers. name Fangulf for which some English evidence is adduced under Fangdale, PN NRY 68.A name like this would certainly explain Fangelfosse and with AN  interchange of el and er would perhaps account for the Frangefos spellings. A short form Fangi might also have existed.If we could disregard these variant spellings Fangfoss might well be derived from OScand  fang 'the act of fishing' and mean 'fishing ditch,' but on the whole the pers. name seems more likely. 'Fangulf 's ditch.' On foss cf. Foss Beck supra 3.

Places in the same Parish

Other OS name