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.

Gearstones

Early-attested site in the Parish of Bentham

Historical Forms

  • Gearston 1621 PR
  • Gearstange 1631 ib

Etymology

Gearstones, 1817 M, Gearston 1621 PR, Gearstange 1631 ib, probably a compound of OE  gār(a) 'spear, triangular plot of land' with stān 'stone' and stǫng 'post' (as in Garstang La); the name may well refer to stone posts marking the course of the Roman road; between this and Gayle Beck there is a narrow triangle of land.

Places in the same Parish

Early-attested site

Other OS name

Major Settlement