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.

Wyfields

Early-attested site in the Parish of Ilford

Historical Forms

  • Witefeld' 1191,1192 P
  • Withfeud 1224 Bracton
  • Withefeld al. Withfelds 1543 FF
  • Withfeilds al. Wyfields al. Whitfeilds t.Jas1 ChancP
  • Wyfeldstreete al. ffulkes streete 1609 LRMB

Etymology

Wyfields (lost) is Witefeld '1191, 1192 P, Withfeud 1224 Bracton, Withefeld al. Withfelds 1543FF , Withfeilds al. Wyfields al. Whitfeilds t. Jas 1 ChancP, Wyfeldstreete al. ffulkes streete 1609LRMB . Probably 'open country grown over with withies.'Cf. Wyfields infra 157. Thomas, son of Thomas ffuke , is mentioned in connection with Barking in 1272 (Ass ). This may survive in Withers Fd (TA). It is tempting to link the name with uuidmundesfelt (BCS 81) which was somewhere in the neighbourhood, but the evidence is insufficient. In an inspeximus of this charter (1323For ) the name appears as Wymondesfeld .