English Place-name Society

Survey of English Place-Names

A county-by-county guide to the linguistic origins of England’s place-names – a project of the English Place-Name Society, founded 1923.

Cumwhitton

Major Settlement in the Parish of Cumwhitton

Historical Forms

  • Cumwyditon 1278 Ass
  • Comwhytyton, Cumwhytiton 1279 ib
  • Cumquytiton 1348 Cl
  • Cumwytinton 1279 Ass
  • Cumwytington 1292 ib
  • Cumquetinton 1288 Ipm
  • Cumwhytington, Cumquitington 1292 Ass
  • Cumquitynton 1316 FF
  • Comquitington 1319 Carliol
  • Comquittyngton 1332 SR
  • Comwhytynton 1359 GDR
  • Cumquityngton 1363 Ipm
  • Comwhytton' 1359 GDR
  • Comqwytton 1398 FF
  • Cumquytton 1441 Pat
  • Cumwhitton 1485 Ipm
  • Cumqwhitton 1535 VE
  • Combe Whitton 1576 S
  • Cumquyntyn et Ormesby (1294 Ass)

Etymology

Occasionally there seems to be confusion of the forms for this name and for the nearby Cumwhinton (infra 161), as in Cumquyntyn et Ormesby (1294Ass ), which must refer to Cumwhitton.

This name, as suggested by Ekwall (ScandCelts 111-12), would seem to be a hybrid compound of Welsh  cwm , 'valley' and an English place-name Hwītingtūn , 'Hwīta 's tūn,' v. ingtūn . For the significance of this name v. Introduction.