Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Fostun(e), Foston(e) 1086,1280–1304 Ebor 1291 Tax 1301 YI 1319 Cl 1428 FA 1582 FF

• Fossetone 1280 Ebor

• Foteston 13 Font

• Fosceton(e) 1280 Ch 1282 Ebor 1388 MinAcct

• Foiston, Foyston 1409 DiocV 1573 NCWills 1593 YDii

• Fooston 1414 Pat

• Fouston 1584 FF

• Fowston 1649 MinAcct

• Fuston(e) 1441 DiocV 1542 KnaresWill

• Fusseton 1448 Pat

• Fuiston, Fuyston 1454 WillY 1488 TestLds 1531 Testiv l.17 Glebe

• Fueston 1498 MinAcct

• Fewyston 1565 WillY

• Feweston(e) 1628 KnaresWill 1658 PRHmp

Etymology

The spellings are similar to those of Foston YN 39 and represent a ME  Fōts -tūn , 'Foot's farmstead', v. tūn . The pers.n. is the OE  byname Fōt (Tengvik 313) or the ON  byname Fótr ; it certainly has the ON gen.sg. -s 2 , perhaps replacing OE -es . On the dialectal development to [fiu-] v. Phonol. § 30. The spellings with Fois -, Foys - may be orthographic indications of the long vowel -ō - rather than the diphthongisation which we have in Royston i, 284supra and which might be expected south rather than north of the Wharfe.