1) Out of or away from the village nucleus.
The frequent use of this word by our ancestors emphasises their sense of ‘belonging’ to a tight-knit community, both territorially and in terms of the population more generally. Places and people were ‘in’ or ‘out’, of the extended family and its affinity, of the manor, township or parish, and ‘out’ was used in a score of compounds which articulate that sense of identity. Several of the more important usages are dealt with individually, for example, outgang, outlane, outpasture, outrake and outwood, but additional attributive uses are given here: 1725 found him in an out barne, Ilkley
1564 that every tenant ... make their partes of the out-dykes, Giggleswick
1634 that every man make his outfences, Meltham
1593 fenses called the outhedges, Slaithwaite
1609 dwelling at an outhouse distant a good space from any towne, Exelby
1622 Sent 4 of these kine to Skipsea outleyes to feed, Elmswell
1574 11s 6d p. a. and all owte rentes, that is 18d to George Wodrove esquire and 15d to the castle of Pountfreit
1533 We present mylner ... for sarvyn folke of howt townes and will not serve folke of towne, Wakefield
1671 the poore of the Outtownes, not the Townsmen, Fishlake.