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.

Kick Hill Coppice

Early-attested site in the Parish of Coombe Keynes

Historical Forms

  • Kykehull(e) 1428,1429 Weld1
  • Kykehill 1446 Rent
  • Kykehill in Combekaynes 1452,1455 Weld1
  • campo voc' Kykehyll 1451 Weld1
  • via harnesial' voc' Kykehyll 1471 Weld1
  • Kikehulle 1431 Weld1
  • le Kegehyll 1433 Weld1
  • Kickhill Coppice, Kickhill Plot, (Lr) Kickhill 1839 TA

Etymology

Kick Hill Coppice (SY 848845), Kykehull (e )1428, 1429Weld 1, Kykehill 1446Rent , Kykehill in Combekaynes 1452, 1455Weld 1, campo voc ' Kykehyll 1451Weld 1, via harnesial ' voc ' Kykehyll 1471Weld 1, Kikehulle 1431Weld 1, le Kegehyll 1433Weld 1, Kickhill Coppice , Kickhill Plot , (Lr ) Kickhill 1839TA , probably 'look-out hill', from the verbal stem, or from a substantival derivative, of ME  kiken 'to watch, peep' (NED s.n. keek from c. 1386, now only in N dial.), and hyll , cf. tōt-hyll the first part of which is related to OE  tōtian 'to peep'; an identical name may be Kite Hill Wt 43, which is Keke hylle Ed 4. The hill has an elevation of only 200′ but would command a view N and E. The Scand. pers.n. Kíkr , *Kíki (Fellows Jensen 171) is probably out of the question here, but cf. Henry Kyk 1332 SR (Lt Bredy).