The village lies scattered along a dry swell of limestone rising north from the river Skerne (known locally as the "beck") to approx. 500 ft above sea level. The beck is one of the parish boundaries, as the township of Sedgefield begins on the other side of the river.
The earliest proprietors of the village (and then manor) on record were the family of " Fissebourne". There are a number of theories on how the village got its name. In one book it is stated that the name derives from the Saxon words  "Fisc" meaning fish and " Bourne" meaning brook.
Another theory is that it was derived from the monks who used to fish at this spot in early days; hence "fish in the burn", Fishburn.
However it is more likely that the family of Fissebourne gave its name to the manor.
It could be a Flemish name associated with the Norman Conquerers.i.e. Ranulf de Fishbourne. Old maps suggest that the village was named "Fissebourne" at one time, and then some considerable years later, it became "Fishbourne", later adopting its present name "Fishburn"


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