Sheppard: The Early History of Filey. 273 
especially welcome. As Dr. Cortis was a Scarborough man 
possibly they may be there.* 
In the second part of his paper Dr. Cortis runs off along 
the philological tack, where we must leave him. He doubts not 
that the present Filey is the Portus Felix ; the name alone 
being almost sufficient to identify the two. He admits, how- 
ever, that most of his proof is of a negative character. 
The finds, interesting as they are, hardly seem to warrant 
a conclusion that Filey was a place of great importance in 
Roman times. There was doubtless a coast station if not an 
actual lighthouse ; but beyond that I fear we should be scarcely 
justified in assuming. By some writers the ‘ Spittal ’ or 
‘ The Spittal Rocks ’ are considered to be evidence of a Roman 
quay or pier ; an old name is said to be ‘ Old Quay Rocks.’ 
The Spittal is a distinct ridge, about 200 yards from Filey 
Brig, and runs at right angles to the Brig. It has been reported 
that there are distinctly hewn stones used in its construction. 
On this point we should much like to have some definite 
information. 
In Danish times the area around Filey was occupied, as 
shown by such place names as Hunmanby, Carnaby, Gris- 
thorpe and Weaverthorpe ; while Speeton, Reighton, Buckton 
and Bempton seem to indicate Saxon settlements. But with 
the exception of a few remains in the Churches, etc., relics of 
these early people are rare in the district. 
William the Norman, who was a model Chancellor of 
the Exchequer, gives evidence of a village at Filey in the 
nth century. According to Domesday Book, the place was 
then known as Fiuelac, that is Fivelac. In the thirteenth 
century (Kirkby’s Inquest) it was Fyvele and Fyveley. The 
old derivation of Five lac = five lakes, will not hold water, 
Mr. W. H. Stevenson tells us in his paper on ‘ The Place-name 
Filey ; f Mr. Stevenson thinks it may be derived from fifel-leh, 
that is fifel, a monster or giant, and laeh — woodland ; therefore 
in the early days Filey was a place haunted by demons or 
evil spirits. And that was before it was visited by naturalists 
and antiquaries. 
The Domesday record is very brief and merely refers to the 
fact that Fiuelac was within the manor of Walsgrave (Scar- 
borough). 
* A recent visit shows that they are not in the museum at Scarborough. 
Since the paper was read, Mr. Oxley Grabham informs me that there is a 
large face amphora, with the body decorated with slip, found at Carr Naze 
in 1857, in the York Museum. This seems to be that shown in Dr. Cortis’s 
illustration. Possibly the other objects are also at York. 
+ Trans. East Riding Antiq. Soc., Vol. XIV., 1907. 
1914 Sept. 1. 
