Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Barkesland(e) 1246 Ass22d 1275–1314 WCR 1379 PT 1502 YDi

• Barkesland(e) als. Barsland 1609 FF

• Barkisland, Barkysland 13,1331,1448 YDi 1473 YDviii

• Barkysland commonly called Barsland 1775 Watson

• Berkesland(e) 1356 FF 1500 Ipm

• Berkeslond 1392 MinAcct

• Barkslaunde 1543 YDi

• Bars(s)eland 1368 MinAcct 1616 PrHosp 1695 M

• Baresland 1383 MinAcct

• Barsland(e) 1419,1436 YDi 1465 Linds 1504 Ipm 1591 WillY

Etymology

'Bark's stretch of land', v. land . The first el. is the ON  pers.n. Barkr , Bǫrkr (usual gen. Barkar ), recorded independently in DB (Feilitzen 192); it occurs also in Barsey (v. foll.) in this township, Barkston pt. iv infra , and other p.ns. The retention of the northern ME  gen.sg. -is - in the modern spelling is to be noted. On Bars - cf. Phonol. § 44.