1) An obsolete regional word for willow.
1613 tow pieces of wilfe woodd, South Cave
1642 a Wilfe tree that growth in the hedge, Elmswell. These are East Riding examples and the Elmswell farmer Henry Best also mentioned reade-wilfes, white-wilfes and Saughs. He advised about planting the different varieties of willow: The course that wee take with our white-wilfes and Saughs is to cutte them up by the rootes or as close to the ground as possibly wee can, if wee can but preserve them beinge eaten by Cattle. And by this meanes have wee greate increase of them, for out of the rootes will growe many younge trees, which in 4 or 5 yeares space will come to that perfecktion and bignesse that they will serve for flayle-handstaffes, Cavinge rake-shaftes, heckestowers … as for reade-wilfes, the course … is to take longe branches aboute 4 yards in length and to thrust them into the grownde about halfe a yard … and this should bee aboute the beginning of March. And afore yow sette it, yow are to snath of all the small twigges and boughs, leaving onely the toppe-bough to drawe up the sappe ….