 Selsley Common is an ancient place, but the name Selsley was only used for the settlement after the parish was created in 1863, with the village divided into Selsley West and Selsley.Previously Selsley West was a series of hamlets known as Stanley End, Picked (or Peaked) Elm and The Knapp, with The Knapp east of present day Middleyard, Stanley End closer to the modern Selsley village, and Picked Elm the houses near Peaked Elm Farm.Stanley Park in Selsley was the destination of pioneering Oxford balloonist, James Sadler, on the first ever flight from Stroud on 19 October 1785.