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.

Snorscomb

Early-attested site in the Parish of Everdon

Historical Forms

  • Snocescumb 944 BCS792
  • Snochescumbe 1086 DB
  • Snokescombe 12th Survey 1293 ADiii
  • Snoxcumbe 1240 FF
  • Snoxecumbe 1261 Ass
  • Snoteskumbe 1257 FF
  • Snotescumb(e) 1275 Ipm 1293–1300 Ipm
  • Snotescomb 1428 FA
  • Snotecombe 1325 Cl
  • Snoscoumbe 1293–1300 Ipm
  • Snoscomb(e) 1426 ADv 1577 Recov 1823 B
  • Snoscom 1730 Poll
  • Snorscomb 1764 Recov

Etymology

As the land is much broken here, and there are one or two prominent projections into the valley, we may have a compound of OE  *snoc , 'point, projection,' and cumb, hence 'valley forming part of some such projection,' though such a genitival compound seems very unlikely. For the word v. snook sb. 1 (NED) and PN BedsHu 296. Snoxhall in Cranleigh (Sr), Snokeshull (e )1279, 1288Ass , 1370 AD iii, would seem to contain the same element, but there is no particularly prominent projection there; cf. also Snokeshacche (1448Rental ) in Dorking (Sr). There is also a field called Snoxford in Blakesley (Nth), for which we have no early forms. The persistence of forms with genitival s in all these names favours the likelihood of a pers. name *Snoc , the strong form of the recorded Snocca .

Places in the same Parish

Other OS name

Major Settlement