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.

Yarnfield

Early-attested site in the Parish of Maiden Bradley

Historical Forms

  • Gernefelle (sic) 1086 DB
  • Gernefeld 1225 Ass 1229,1230 FF t.Hy3 BM t.Ed1 For
  • Gernefeud 1260 BM
  • Jernefeld 1232 Cl 1341 NI
  • Yarnefeld late14th BM 1509 Ct
  • Yernefeld 1402 AD

Etymology

It has been suggested (DEPN) that this is from OE  earnafeld , 'eagles' feld,' but there is the serious difficulty that no parallel is known for the persistent appearance of an initial g or j before ern (earlier earn ) from the earliest times onward. Possibly we may have a stream-name Gerne identical with the Norfolk Yare found in Yarmouth (DB Gernemutha ). A stream runs down from Yamfield to join the Frome.