Friskney

The place-name 'Friskney' is first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as Frischenei. It is recorded as Freschena circa 1115 and as Freschenei circa 1150. The name is Viking, meaning 'freshwater island' (Old English Frescan ēa). In 1885 Kelly's reported two Wesleyan chapels, one built in 1804. It recorded that Friskney parish was a centre for brick making and the catching of shrimps and cockles. In the early part of the 19th century, much of the land was wetlands or swamp, where wildfowl were caught by use of decoy ponds. The swamp was drained in the early 19th century and the land converted for arable cultivation.