Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Fersellei(a) 1086 DB

• Ferselee, Ferselay, Ferselai, Ferselei(a), Ferseley 12 1203 FF c.1220 Calv 1263 YDix 1268 YDi Ed1 BM 1285 KI 1468 YDiii

• Fersleg, Fersley(a), Ferslay 1208 P 1217–41 YDiii Ed1 BM 1303 Aid 1311 YDiv 1316 Vill 1505 FF

• Firslay Ed3 Calv

• Farceley 1543 WillY

• Farselay 1349 Calv 1369 BM 1379 PT 1558 WillY

• Farslay, Farsley 1422 YDiv 1430 Pat 1641 Rates

• Fersafeld a. 1038 ASWills

Etymology

This is usually and correctly interpreted as 'furze clearing' from OE  fyrs (with a different grade vowel) and lēah; difficulties arise, since OE  fyrs (which appears to be the common OE form) would appear regularly in this area as ME  firse and not ferse -; the single Firs - spelling is rather late and in view of the weight of evidence for Fers (e )-, normally developing to Fars (e ), this spelling can be rejected; the phonological problem really involves the exact form of OE  fyrs .This word is found only infrequently in WSax  sources (Boethius xxiii fyras , WW 324, 39 fyrs ) and in certain p.ns. fyrs ige (BCS 802Brk), fyrs leage (ib 730So), fyrsgaran (KCD 730), fyrspenn (Earle 266). In ME  Piers Plowman A. v. 195 has firsen and Wyclif frijse (v.l. firse , cf. NEDs. v. furze ). The forms furse , virse are found in SW p.ns. (cf. infra ). Apart from a latinised OLG  fursitium for WGerm  *fursitja from the root *fursi (cf. Mansion 78), no cognate words have been found to establish fyrs (PrGerm  *fursi -) as the common OE form. But certain p.ns. like Fersfield Nf (Fersafeld a. 1038 ASWills), for which no other appropriate etymon can be suggested, make it at least possible that the usual non-West Saxon form was *fers (PrGerm  farsi -) and the early WSax  form would be *fiers (later firs , fyrs ). A further difficulty, however, is perhaps to be found in the geographical distribution of the word fyrs in p.ns. and local dialects.In the latter, as far as it can be determined, its use is in an area south of the Lincolnshire–Worcestershire line and west of Surrey and Sussex, chiefly in the SW counties. Place-names show a corresponding distribution; it is best represented in Devon p.ns. from the fourteenth century (usually as furse ) and it is found in Wt 242 with the late ME  form Virse -, Vyrse -; occasional very late examples occur in other counties as far north as Lincoln and east as Sussex and Surrey, but in these very late minor names furze is certainly a borrowing from StdE and not a local dial. form. On the other hand, if fers is the OE non-WSax form, it occurs in East Anglia, and Farsley would extend its provenance to the north Midlands. In view of the problems involved in OE  fyrs , Moorman 70 proposed deriving Farsley from OE  fersc 'fresh', but this word is recorded in OE only in the sense 'not salted' (of food) or 'not salty' (of water); only in ME  has fresche other and more appropriate uses such as 'new', 'bright', etc. (cf. NED s.v.). Fresdon W 26–7 has also very early spellings with Ferse - (as well as many with Fershe (s )-), and these arise through AN influence (IPN 113), perhaps reinforced by the form of OFr  frais 'fresh', and are paralleled by the forms of such common p.ns. as Marston. But Fresden, though clearly connected with fersc , may contain a pers.n. or nickname from that word; Farsley (partly because of the complete absence of Fersh -, Fresh - spellings) is probably not to be associated with it.