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Abstract

A considerable part of the Faroese infield names (infield: cultivated area in the neighbourhood of the houses) were recorded in conjunction with the valuation of all land in the Faroes taking place during the years from 1868 to 1871. Out of the approximately 2000 names of parts of the old infield recorded in conjunction with the appraisement abt. one third are names indicating the situation of the fields and abt. one third reflect ownership. Field names of which personal names form part, constitute half of the names suggesting ownership, which seems to show that each named piece of ground was originally owned by a person. Within the other half of the names indicating ownership, some names are to be found which show that the land belonged formerly to the Church, some which show that the land was owned by a person outside the community, and a few indicate noble ownership.

Half of the remaining third of the field names (i. e. one sixth of all names) consists of qualificatory names, i. e. names giving the qualities of the soil, extent of tilling etc. The last sixth of the names form a heterogeneous group. We find among these names abt. 100 having relation to plants and animals, domestic as well as wild animals. Among the animal names it is worth pointing out some names referring to pig=keeping, although pigskeeping was presumably given up in the Faroes about the Reformation.

Among the plant names we find some which have relation to the growing of angelica, and a single one which seems to show that flax was formerly grown in the Faroes. A closer study of the field names is not likely to change the picture of the development ownership and the agricultural history very much, but will supplement this picture in several respects.