Colmworth
Major Settlement in the Parish of Colmworth
Historical Forms
- Colmeworde, Culmeworde, Colmeborde 1086 DB
- Colmwurda 1167 P
- Colneworth 1202 Ass
- Culmw(u)rth 1202,1240 FF
- Colmew(u)rthe 1203 FF 1227 Ass 1273,1276 BM
- Comwrth, Comord 1219 FF
- Colmewrdh 1220 LS
- Cumewrth 1227 Ass
- Colmorth 1227 Ass 1247 Ass 1262 FF 1276 Ass 1322,1334,1347,1414 BM 1428 FA 1492 Ipm 1526 LS 1549 Pat
- Columwrth 1227 Ass
- Culmwrth 1240 FF
- Colewurth 1240 Ass
- Colmeswurth 1247 Ass
- Colmworth Hy3 BM 1247,1276 Ass 1333 Ch 1373 Cl
- Colmurþe c.1272 BM
- Colmsworth 1276 Ass
- Colmeworth 1276 Ass 1373 Cl
- Colmorde 1284 FA 1287 Ass 1297 SR 1302,1316 FA 1324 Cl 1330 Ipm 1346 FA 1387 Cl
- Colmoord 1427 BHRSii.41
- Colmorth al. Colmord 16th BHRSviii.140
- Coulemorth c.1600 Linc
Etymology
'Culma's enclosure' v. worþ . The name Culm is found once in OE and is taken by Skeat to be the strong form of the name Culma which lies behind this name. It may also be found in Culmington, cf. Bowcock PN Sa 81. There is also an OE name Cylm (a ) which Skeat takes to be a mutated form of this name. Both alike are difficult of explanation. No Germanic stem from which they could have come is known. For Cylm there is a good deal to be said in favour of interpreting it as from Cynehelm (cf. Middendorff 36), indeed as a hypocoristic form of that name, formed by the same phonetic process whereby at a much later date we get Kilmiston (Ha), containing the pers. name Cænhelm , and Kilmington (D) from the same name. If so we cannot take Cylm as a mutated form of Culm , and we should interpret the latter as a similar hypocoristic form for Cuðhelm , explaining Culma as a weak side-form of this name. The common ME spellings with o for u seem ultimately to have affected the pronunciation of the p.n.