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.

Coulsdon

Major Settlement in the Parish of Coulsdon

Historical Forms

  • Colesdone 1086 DB 1374 Winton
  • Cullesdona 1100–29 Chertsey
  • Cullesdon(e) 1323 FF 1342 Ass 1404 Winton 1434 Pat 1461 Chertsey 1498 FF
  • Cullysdon 1377 Cl
  • Culesdon 1174–89 Chertsey 1235 Ch 1258 FF 1292
  • Culisdon 1242 Fees
  • Kulisdon 1279 Ass
  • Culesdene 1255 Ass
  • Colendone c.1270 Winton
  • Collesdon 1288 Ass 1301 Winton 1403 IpmR 1404 Pat
  • Colleston 1324 Cl
  • Coulesdon 1346 FF
  • Cowlesdon 1557 FF
  • Coulsdon 1597 SrWills
  • Couldisdon 1610 Speed
  • Couldesdon 1675 Ogilby
  • Coulsdon al. Cullesdon 1693 Recov
  • Colynsdon 1428 FA

Etymology

Coulsdon is almost certainly identical with the Chertsey Abbey possession of Curedesdone 675, Cudredesdone 933, Cudredesdune 967, Cuðredesdune 1062 BCS 34, 697, 1195, KCD 812 (13th), i.e. 'Cūðrǣd 's down.' Seeing that Coulsdon was a Chertsey manor in 1086 it is impossible not to believe that the manors (and their names) are identical, despite the difference of forms.A reduced form Cur (r )esdune might appear in all post-Conquest forms as Cul (l )esdone . Cf. the history of Benefield (PN Nth 212) and of Bellingham (K), for which we have pre-Conquest beringa hamm (BCS 1295) and afterwards persistent l -forms.