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.

Filands Fm

Early-attested site in the Parish of Malmesbury

Historical Forms

  • Fulinge 1194,1195 P 1263 For c.1270,1284 RegMalm
  • Fulinges 1196 Cur
  • Fulenge t.Hy3 RegMalm
  • Fulyng 1400 FF t.Hy6 ECP 1483 FF
  • Fulyngs 1527 ib
  • Fulings 1535 VE
  • Filence 1711 ParReg(Minety)
  • Filents 1773 AandD

Etymology

Filands Fm is Fulinge 1194, 1195 P, 1263For , c. 1270, 1284 RegMalm, Fulinges 1196 Cur, Fulenge t. Hy 3 RegMalm, Fulyng 1400FF , t. Hy 6 ECP, 1483FF , Fulyngs 1527 ib., Fulings 1535 VE, Filence 1711 ParReg (Minety), Filents 1773 A and D.Professor Ekwall would interpret this as from OE  fielging , fælging , 'newly cultivated land,' OE  ie becoming u after f in the same way as after w in wulle from wielle , occasionally found in Wilts (Contributions 47 ff.). Dr Ritter takes it to be from OE  *fȳling , 'miry, muddy place' (cf. Deeping (L)), and notes a possible parallel in OGer  Winterfulinga (Förstemann ON i, 961, ii, 1382).The difficulty in both interpretations is the consistent u in the long run of early forms. No parallel for such consistent development of either ie or y is found elsewhere in the county.