Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Cvlcortone, Cvlcortorne 1086 DB

• Culchertona 1137 Lanth215d

• Culkerton(a), Kulkerton(a), Kulkertune 12 HMCv,334 1185 Templar 1204 Cur 1220 Fees 1221 Ass 1224 Bracton 1587 FF

• Kulkertune als. Cukerton 1559 ib

• Culcrinton, Culkrinton 1195 P 1292 FF

• Culcretun(e), Culcreton 13 Berk 1232 HMCv,336 1236 FF

• Colkerton 1287,1320,1398 Ass

• Colcretone, Colkretone 1287 QW 1301 Ch

• Cullerton 1535 VE

Etymology

The first el. of this difficult name is obscure; but it could be an OE  pers.n. *Culcere ; no such name is known, but a nickname based on a nomen agentis in -ere from *kulk - (as in OE  cylcan 'belch', Napier, Old English Glosses 20) would be possible; it would mean 'the belcher'. OE  cylcan itself is clearly related to ME  colken , which has been associated with G  kolken 'to swallow up', Dan  kulka 'to gulp', etc. (cf. NED s.v. colkin ). It must be admitted that such names are rare until later Middle English, though Hilcot (187infra ) points to a parallel usage. 'Culcere's farmstead', v. ing 4 , tūn ; cf. also Culkerbrugge (infra ). v. Addenda.