Great Walley Hall and Little Walley Hall, Whalley Tye Fm
Early-attested site in the Parish of Fairstead
Historical Forms
- Waudeleg' 1250 CottCh
- Waldesleye 1291 For
- Waldelegh 1399 Cl
- Waldeleye 1323 For
- Walley 1502,1536,1557 FF
- Walley Hall t.Jas1 ChancP
- Wileigh Hall 1777 C 1836 Wright
- Weleigh Hall 1805 O
Etymology
Great Walley Hall and Little Walley Hall, Whalley Tye Fm is Waudeleg '1250CottCh , Waldesleye 1291For , Waldelegh ib., 1399 Cl, Waldeleye 1323For , Walley 1502, 1536, 1557FF , Walley Hall t. Jas 1 ChancP, Wileigh Hall 1777 C, 1836 Wright, Weleigh Hall 1805 O. 'Weald (a )'s leah' or weald-leah , i.e. forest clearing. The modern form is directly developed from the 13th-century unfractured forms above, but the early map forms point clearly to the local survival of the normal Essex pronunciation, as in North and South Weald, though this is undocumented.