YARD

Just over a kilometre south of Hele, between Comyn and Warmscombe Woods, are some fields called Yarde on the Ordnance Survey map of 1891. This place name is probably from the Old English gyrt, meaning an 'area of land of varying extent'. These fields may have been the demesne land, worked for the benefit of the nearby Saxon Manor of Hele.

The OS map of 1891 shows a group of 3 fields, of about 8 acres, and a group of two fields, of about 5 acres, south of Comyn farm that are called Yarde

The Anglo-Saxon origin of Yarde is given in this quote which relates to Yard Farm between Lee and Morthoe. "Laierda 1086 DB, Yerd(e) 1473 ImpR, 1499 Ipm, and was the home of William atte Yurd (1330 SR). There are several places of this name in the country. All probably go back to OE gierd, gyrd, ‘area of land of varying extent’, usually 30 acres, i.e. ¼ hide. V. Yard sb. 2 in NED, sense 10, where an example of its use for an area of land is quoted from a Devon Charter (BCS 721). The term la verge found in the early forms of some of these names is the corresponding French word, v. Ducange s.v. Virga. La in DB Laierda is the French def. Art." (Gover et al 1932 p 48)