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.

Guyhirn

Early-attested site in the Parish of Wisbech St Mary

Historical Forms

  • le Gyerne 1275 ElyF
  • (le) Gy(e)herne, Gy(e)hyrne, Gy(e)hirne 1513 ib
  • Cuherne 1278 ElyM
  • (le) Gehirn' 1438 Sewers
  • Geyherne ib.
  • Geyhirne 1438 Imb
  • Guy(e)hyrne, Guy(e)herne, Guy(e)hirne, Guy(e)hurne, Guy(e)horne 1438 Imb 1579 Depositions
  • Guy(e)hearon ib.
  • Gyhorn 1819 Carter

Etymology

This is a difficult name, perhaps a hybrid, a combination of OFr  guie , 'guide' (v. NED s. vv . guy , guide ) and OE  hyrne, 'angle, corner.'Guyhirn must always have been a critical point in the drainage of this part of the fens. The tide flowing up the Wisbech river came as far as this. Ring's End (infra 296) is quite close. It was here that Bishop Moreton erected his Tower House for the effective supervision of his new drain, and long before the construction of Moreton's Leam, the meeting here of the fresh waters and the tides probably led to the construction of works for the safe guidance of their flow at this corner.