Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Gagenestad 1086 DB

• Gagenested(e) 1196,1208 FF

• Gaunstede 1150–60 Melsa 1347 Ch 1421 YI

• Gaghensted(e) 1226,1236 FF 1297 LS 1333 SR

• Gagenstede, Gaginstede 1249–69 Melsa 1292 YI

• Gaunested(e) 1260 Rental 1481 YD

• Gauenestede 1304 YI

• Gadhensted 1285 KI

• Gaggested 1285 KI

• Gawnstede c.1400 Melsa

• Galnesteede 1534 YD

• Gannestede in Holdernes 1478 Test

• Ganste(a)d 1572 FF 1594 YD

Etymology

Ganstead is identical in form with several Norwegian place- names Gang (es )tad (NoGN i, 253, etc.) and Danish Gangsted in Jutland. For Gangestad Rygh and LindN postulate a pers. name Gagni , derived like the recorded Gegnir from OScand  gagn 'profit.'At the same time it should be pointed out that in many of the Norwegian place-names in Gagn -, such as Gangnes (NoGN ii, 196), Gagneim (ib. 330), Gagnum (ib. iv, 149), etc., it is probable that the first element is the OScand  word gagn itself, either in the sense of 'profit, advantage' or in that of 'opposition, against.'The latter is certainly found in the OScand  compound gagnstaðr 'meeting-place, place of opposition' (Heggstad s.v.). This is of course the exact form required by Ganstead and the Norwegian Gangestad and both names would appear to refer to 'the site of a fight'; for such a sense in place-names we might compare Wetwang infra 128. v. staðr , replaced after DB by the cognate OE  stede as in Winestead supra 29.