Question on title

In Thomas Hardy's 1874 book, Far From the Madding Crowd, what does the word 'Madding' mean? If it means 'maddening' why did he choose to substitute that word?

(I am a work study for a college sociology professor and he wants to know)

Thanks

busseyel

When the original novel was wrote it was called 'far from the frenzied crowd' and Hardy decided to change frenzied to madding as it isn't as descriptive. It implies that the country is an idealic place away from the madness of the town or city

Could be that. Or he could have been quoting Gray's Elegy:

Far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife,
Their sober wishes never learn'd to stray;
Along the cool sequester'd vale of life
They kept the noiseless tenor of their way.