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.

Gladfen Hall

Early-attested site in the Parish of Halstead Rural

Historical Forms

  • Gladefan 1242 ChancR
  • Gladefen 1247,1261 FF
  • Gladfen Hall 1537,1546 LP 1543 FF
  • Glatfield Hall 1777 C
  • Gladfield Hall 1836 Wright

Etymology

Gladfen Hall is Gladefan 1242 ChancR, Gladefen 1247, 1261 FF, Gladfen Hall 1537, 1546 LP, 1543FF , Glatfield Hall 1777 C, Gladfield Hall 1836 Wright. We may have here the OE adj. glæd , 'bright, cheerful, pleasant,' as in Glatton (PN BedsHu 187), but it does not seem a particularly appropriate adjective to apply to a marsh or fen. If an n has been lost the earlier form may have been glædene -fen , 'marsh where wild iris grows,' v. glædene (BT).