a plain or field; lit. a place where trees had been felled; e.g. Feldham (field dwelling); Feldberg (field fortress); Bassevelde, in Belgium (low plain); Gurkfeld (cucumber field); Leckfeld, Rhinfeld (the plain of the Rivers Leck and Rhine); Great Driffield, in Yorkshire (dry field); Huddersfield, in Doomsday Oderesfeld, from a personal name; Macclesfield (the field of St. Michael’s church); Sheffield, on the R. Sheaf; Mansfield, on the R. Mann; Lichfield, Co. Stafford (the field of corpses), A.S. Licenfelt, where, according to tradition, a great slaughter of the Christians took place in the reign of Diocletian; Wakefield (the field by the wayside, waeg); Spitalfields, (i.e. the fields near the hospital or place of entertainment), Lat. hospitalium. There is a watering-place near Berwick called Spital, also a suburb of Aberdeen called the Spital; Smithfield, in London, is a corruption of Smethfield (smooth field); Beaconsfield, Berks, so called from having been built on a height on which beacon fires were formerly lighted); Coilsfield, in Ayrshire (the field of Coilus or King Coil). There is a large mound near it said to mark the site of his grave.
FELL, FIALL, or FJELD (Scand.),
FEL, FELSEN (Ger.),
a high mountain or mountain range; e.g. Dovrefeld (the gloomy mountains); Donnersfeld (the mountain range of thunder or of Thor); Snafel, Iceland, and Sneefell, in the Isle of Man (snow mountain); Blaefell (blue mountain); Drachenfells (the dragon’s rock); Weissenfels (the white rock); Rothenfels (red rock); Scawfell (the mountain of the scaw or promontory); Hartfell (of harts); Hestfell (of the steed); Lindenfels (of the linden-tree); Lichtenfels (the mountain of light), a Moravian settlement in Greenland; Fitful Head, corrupt. from fitfioll (the hill with the promontory running into the sea), Old Norse fit—in Shetland; Falaise, in France, a promontory, derived from the Ger. fell; Fellentin (the fort, dun, on the rock), in France; Souter-fell, Cumberland; Saudfjeld, Norway; Saudafell, in Iceland (sheep hill), from Old Norse sauder, a sheep; perhaps Soutra Hill, in Mid-Lothian, may come from the same word; Criffel (the craggy rock), Dumfries; Felza, Felsbach (rocky stream), in France; Felsberg (rock fortress), in Germany; Goat-fell, in Arran, Gael. Gaoth-ceann (the windy point), to which the Norsemen added their fell.
FENN (Ger.),
VEN, or VEEN (Dutch),
FEN (A.S.),
a marsh; e.g. the Fenns or marshy lands; Fen-ditton (the enclosed town on the marsh); Fenny-Stratford (the ford on the Roman road, strat, in the marshy land); Fenwick, Fenton, Finsbury (the town or enclosed place on the marsh); Venloo, in Belgium (the place in the marsh); Veenhof, Veenhusen (dwellings in the marsh); Houtveen (woody marsh); Diepenveen (deep marsh); Zutphen, in Holland (the south marsh); Ravenna, in Italy, called Pludosa (the marshy). It was originally built in a lagoon, on stakes, like Venice; Venice, named from the Veneti, probably marsh dwellers; Vannes, in France, and La Vendée, may be from the same word, although others derive the names from venna (a fisherman), others from gwent, Cel. (the fair plain); Finland (the land of marshes). The natives call themselves Suomilius, from suoma (a marsh). Fang in German and Dutch names, and faing in French names, are sometimes used instead of fenn—as in Zeefang (lake marsh); Aalfang (eel marsh); Habechtsfang (hawk’s marsh); Faing-du-buisson, Dom-faing, etc., in the valleys of the Vosges.
FERN, or FARN (Teut.),
the fern; e.g. Ferndorf, Farndon, Farnham, Farnborough (dwellings among ferns); Farnhurst (fern thicket); Ferndale (fern valley); Farringdon (fern hill); Fernruit (a place cleared of ferns).
FERT,
FERTA (Gadhelic),
a grave or trench; e.g. Farta, Ferta, and Fartha (i.e. the graves); Fertagh and Fartagh (the place of graves); Moyarta, in Clare, Irish Magh-fherta (the field of the graves); Fortingall, in Perthshire, is supposed to have derived its name from this word, Feart-na-gall (the grave of the strangers), having been the scene of many bloody battles.
LA FERTE,