Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Meresfeld(e) 1086 DB 12 Pat 1496 Theok 1228 Cl 1234 Ass 1248 Comp 1492

• Mereffelda (sic) Hy1 Ch 1300

• Mersfeld 1100–35,12 Tewk71d,75 1229 Theok 1535 VE

• Marsefeld 1220 Fees 1347 Ipm 1412 Pat

• Marssefeld 1540 AOMB

• Maresfeld 1221 Ass 1262 Ipm 1317 Monast

• Marsfeld(e) 1221 Ass 1242 Theok 1296 Ipm 1675 Ogilby

• West Marsfeld(e) 1337,1342 FF

• Merefeld' 1221 Ass 1225 FF 1233 Cl

• Mersefeld 1236 FF c.1300 RGl

• Mers(s)h(e)feld(e) 1397 Ipm 1431 Pat 1493 et freq

• Mars(s)h(e)fe(i)ld(e), Mars(s)h(e)fyld 1414 Pat 1533 MinAcct 1553 FF 1619 Dep

• Mashfield 1712 PR

• mersc tunes, Meriston, Merston 1243 Fees

• Mars 1327 SR (p)

• Meers 1777 M

Etymology

Formally Marshfield could be 'marshy tract of open country', v. mersc , feld ; OE  mersc is often represented by AN  spellings like Meres -, Mers -, etc. in such p.ns. as Marston (Bd 79, OE  Mersctun -, DB Meres -, Merstone ) or Merston (KPN 54, OE mersc tunes , Meriston , Merston 1243 Fees), etc. Topographically, however, this is inappropriate, as Marshfield is situated on the top of a hill, where the soil is light (cf. Rudder 537). The forms of the name are in fact closely paralleled by those of Maresfield (Sx 349), which is derived from OE  meres-feld 'open land by the pool' (Ekwall, however, taking it to be from OE merisc 'marsh'). Marshfield is a parish on the Wiltshire- Somerset boundary and it would be preferable to derive it from OE  mǣres -feld 'tract of open land on the boundary' (v. (ge)mǣre, gen.sg. (ge )mǣres ); some of the forms, more particularly the later ones, have been influenced by other names like Marshwood (Do 288), etc. which are from OE  mersc . We should also note the possibility of some of the Mers (e )- spellings pointing to an alternative OE  *mǣrse 'boundary', which Wallenberg (KPN 200) thought of as a possibility for Mersham (OE Mersaham 858 BCS 496) and Mearse (Wo 328); cf. OE  (ge )- mǣrsian 'to mark out a boundary, to limit' by the side of (ge )mǣrian .Rudder 539 mentions 'the manor of Meers ' (Mars 1327SR (p), Meers 1777 M), which is on the boundary and may be from OE  *mǣrse ; the TA map has the f.ns. Meer Leaze and Meer ground 13/129 (field nos. 992, 1113, 1115) which are in the south of the parish in a projection of land between So and W (grid 156–785696, 779712).