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.

Nosterfield

Early-attested site in the Parish of West Tanfield

Historical Forms

  • Nostrefeld 1204 Ass
  • Nostreffeld 1245 Cl
  • Nosterfeld 1257 YD 1282 YI 1285 KI 1298 YI 1301 LS 1521 FF

Etymology

This name is probably a case of metanalysis of the final sound of the ME  inflected definite article then with the beginning of the place-name itself. Nosterfield goes back to the OE  name formula æt ðǣm eowestrefelda , 'at the sheepfold field,' ME  at then (e )ostrefelde , which before the recorded instances of the name became (atte ) Nostrefelde . A name of similar origin is Nosterfield (C), Nostresfelda c. 1080 Skeat (PN C).Cf. Napleton, PN Wo 146.

The name is ultimately derived from OE  ēowestre , 'sheep fold,' and feld, whilst the compound ēowestrefeld in addition to the two Nosterfields is also found in Austerfield (YWR), which appears as OE  Ouestraefelda in Eddi's Life of St Wilfrid , Oustrefeld in 1086 DB. For Austerfield, v. Bradley in EHR xxxvi. 299.

Places in the same Parish

Early-attested site

Major Settlement