Lancing
Major Settlement in the Parish of Lancing
Historical Forms
- Lancinges 1086 DB 1265 Misc
- Suthlauncynges 1235 FF
- Launcynges 1263,1268 FF
- Northlauncynges 1296 Ass
- Lanzinges 1242 Fees689
- Launching 1262 Ass
- Launchynge 1271 FF
- Launcyng(e) 1288 FF 1633 MarL
- Lanceyng 1361 IpmR
- Lainsyngge 1385 Pat
- Lansynge 1404 Pens
- Lawnsinge 1595 MarL 1599 BM
Etymology
Ekwall (PN in -ing 60) would take this to be for Wlencingas , a derivative of the same pers. name found in Linchmere supra 24 and explain the loss of initial w and substitution of a for e as due to AN influence. We are in the neighbourhood of the great feudal stronghold of Bramber, but it is a little difficult to account for the entire loss of initial w when we note how persistent it was in Linchmere and in the forms of Longslow (Sa), as quoted by Ekwall and supplemented by Bowcock (PN Sa 145). Further, while AN influence would account for occasional spellings with a for e (from æ ), it can hardly account for an absolutely uniform series of such spellings.Perhaps, so far as the vowel is concerned, the explanation offered by Ritter (105) is the correct one, viz. that it may be a from OE æ , a dialect form for West Saxon e which is commonly found in south-eastern OE before a nasal. Cf. Bülbring, Altenglisches Elementarbuch 171 and possible further examples in Dankton infra 202, in certain spellings of Henfield infra 215 and in Danehill infra 335 and v. Introd. xxvii). On the other hand, if we take the a to be the correct vowel, then it is very difficult to account for the development of the c after the n to s , for the c must then have had the value k in OE, and would not undergo the AN change at all. If we believe that a w has been lost we should perhaps take the pers. name to be the unmutated Wlanc and suppose that the final consonant has been influenced by the allied name Wlencea .
Another possibility is that we have an entirely different name- stem connected wth OE hlanc , 'lank, lean,' and that the history of the name has been affected by the common word lance , which, though not recorded in English before 1290, must have been in use long before. Hence, 'people of Wlencea or Wlanc or Hlanc ,' v. ing .