Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• le Gores vocat' le Fenne Gores 1540 MinAcct

• le Gores Fenne 1550 Pat

• Thorney Gores, Gores Fm 1829 Wells

• le Gorehirne 1315 Thorney

• le Oldegore 1329 ib

Etymology

The Gores and Gores Fm (6″) is le Gores vocat ' le Fenne Gores 1540MinAcct , le Gores Fenne 1550 Pat, Thorney Gores , Gores Fm 1829 Wells. In the neighbourhood were le Gorehirne 1315Thorney , le Oldegore 1329 ib. In the last two names we probably have OE  gāra, 'wedge-shaped piece of land,' cf. 'Parcels of Gores of Grass Lands,' 'the Bell Gore' in Whittlesey (1668 Fenland i). It may be that these are to be associated with the Gores, but it should be noted that there is another possibility. gorce from AFr  gortz , pl. of gort from Lat  gurgitem , 'whirlpool,' is used primarily of a whirlpool, but also of a 'stop in a river such as a wear' (v. NED s. v .). It may be that le Gores is for le Gorce and that we have reference to a weir or the like. gores itself was mistaken for a plural form and gave rise to a noun gore (NED gore sb.) with the same meaning as gorce . Cf. quotation there given, 'weres, gores , etc.' (1523) and 'goors , mills, piles' (1657).