Rushden Research Group: Rushden Furlong Names 1400-1755

Source: RUSHDEN A Duchy of Lancaster Village by David Hall & Ruth Harding

Rushden Furlong Names 1400 - 1755

In the medieval countryside almost all land was arable and each settlement had a 2 or 3 open field system subdivided into narrow strips by furrows. The normal medieval peasant held 60 -80 strips scattered throughout the furlongs of the parish. The smallest unit of cultivation was a strip called a ‘land’ averaging 8 x 200 yards. Strips varied in width from between 3 to 15 yards and in length from 15 to 400 yards. They were ploughed mainly clockwise leaving a 1ft ridge in the centre. Groups of lands with furrows running parallel were called furlongs and each furlong had a name. A furlong was an area of land varying in size depending on the terrain. The names of the Rushden furlongs are listed below.

No	Names at various dates 1400-1755	Meaning

63	Aldereswell, auderswell, auterswell	elder stream or Aldas stream
96	Asshehull, ashwell	ash hill
37	Barley furlong, barley heye, barley benlond	boar clearing, compounded with hedge and beanland
	Bassels
28	Bisdene, bisdalle	tributary valley from British 'twig'
91	Blak fen, black fen	black marsh
90	Blakemyld, blackemylle	black mire
14	Blosicke, blowsycke close, blowsick	Norse, dark brook
11	Bradwell, bardwell syk, brode dale, brode corner, broadwell	broad stream
	Braholme
6	Braken	bracken
	Brancroft	burnt croft
51	Broudenes, brounesden, brownesdale	brown valley
	Barton headland	personal name
	Cade croft	personal name Cadda?
	Caldewell	cold stream
	Cause, cawsey	cause way
	Chappelheueden	headland of chaplain
7	Cheppyng waye, shipping way	way to market
30	Churche waye, church way	way to church (land)
	Chilwell, chyldewell	Cilda's stream
77	Clay (well)	clay (soil)
20	Clayvys, cleyves, cleaves	cliff, steep
	Clangers	?
	Coldethorne	thorn in cold spot
	Cowpyttes	hollow or pit
45	Croftes, c. land, c. end, crofts haydon, crafts	land near village crofts (gardens)
	Crosse	near a cross
	Dedland	low land?
43	Denes, den, denesydeacre, deans	valleys
35	Delves	quarry
	Dolepittes
	Dowpyte, d. Croft, dowpit, dewpit	Norse, Duve's hollow
41	Dufcoat hill	dovecote hill
	Drewells bush	personal name
64	Fayr furlong, fair	possible fair ground, probable fare (travel)
	Flower way	?
	Flytland	disputed land
	Four ways, foure weys	cross roads
	Fulstede, falsted, fawsted, fosted	dirty or foul place
	Furres	furrows
	Fumore	?
27	Galow hill	site of manorial gallows
54	Garleden, g. Hill, g. Hede, garden, garden hill	clearing with gores (triangular pieces)
38	Grendelow, gryndelow, grynlow, grunlow, grundler	green hill
	Greneway, g. Low, g. Balk, g. Lane	green way, road
	Hamptonwey	Northampton Road
98	Harelond, harlands	land with hares
	Hawes
26	Heigham highcross, handcross	next to Handcross in Higham Ferrers
	Hobys
	Holowe, holowball, over holowe, halliwater cross	hollow
84	Holbrook, holebrook, hold brook
	Harnes
33	Horse balk, horse back
	Hungerhull	hungry (barren) hill
93	Hie haden, Hydheueden, heigh havedon, high haden	high heads
	Hylond
31	Knoston benlond, K. Cross & delves, Knoston meere, corner & delves	Knuston beanland etc.
	Lanes end
	Lang boden
	Larde wath crosse
57	Long dene furlong, long dale, long den	long valley
	Longdehul	long hill
58	Long furlong	long lands
	Longwade	long ford
	Lytelbury	little hill
76	Lyttel dale everende, lyttuldale, l.d. Hollow, l. Dole, littel dale
	Maysteriones pond	personal name
2	Medesegges	meadow grasses
	Mare, maredtch, more	mere, boundary
17	Millehol, mylnhole, mill hole	low place at mill
	Middelholowe, midell furlong	middle low place
	Myddel crowden	middle crow valley
	Myldcroft	mold (soil) croft
	Netherend croft, brigge	lower end croft & bridge
	Nethertownesende	lower end of town
5	New dich, new diche	new ditch
	Newtonpath	path or road to Newton
72	Nepyndale, ependale, nipingdale	drooping (steep?) valley
	Overthwart path	upper cross path
	Parsoncroft endes	croft near rectory
	Pescroft end, peaslade	croft & slade for peas
	Plumtre well, plumterley well	plumtree stream
	Portwey furlong	way to market
55	Potterlow, potter slade, pottelow, petels	hill of the potters
	Poucheres land
	Puttaker hadon
8	Queche, quech	marsh
80	Redsonde, redsand, redland, redrand galls	red sandy ground
	Ricmones heueden	personal name
	Riggeway	ridge way
67	Rivy, ryves	bank
23	Rocke, rockle, rolkyl, rolkey, rockwell	probably rook stream
34	Rowdych furlong, rowdiche busshe, rowley slade, runlow, roulets slade	possibly roe ditch, probably crooked ditch from 'wra'
25	Sand pyttes, sand pit furlong	sand pit
	Shaly, shaly hyll	clearing on a hill
	Shylswell	shallow stream
	Shetelhedland
	Smaldene	little valley
35	Smal grene	little green
	Smal thyrne
	Sossecroft
	Sowepittes	for Dowpittes above?
46	Southend crofts, south end croft	gardens of South End
24	Spetelbrigge, s. Hedge, s. Causeway, spyttell hedge, spittell meare, s. Hadon	leper hospital of St. James
	Stoncross, stone hill	stone hill
	Stotesfoldhull	studfold hill
	Sultropston	Souldrop (boundary) stone
	Swenes
16	Synmede furlong
	Thiris pytts, thrust pytt, thruspit	Norse Thuri's pit
1	Threlowhill, trelow, frelow hill	three hills (barrows)
22	Threthornes, thorns, treethorns	three thorn bushes
	Tofteweys
	Tolysland
59	Typpuldene, typpul well, t. Hole, tipwell deans	Tibba's well valley
	Water dale & gall	wet valley
47	Wemyngton crosse, W. Path, Wemmyngton meere, Wimington meer	Wymington boundary & path
	Westmore
81	Woldes lowe, wolse, wolsoe, wolsowe furze, wulso, wolsoe, wolroe, woolroe	wood hill
18	Wranlands, wronglands, ranglands	twisty lands
	Wulfe
	Wylmylnehull	windmill hill