Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Kingeston' 1220 Fees

• Kyngeston Isle 1373 Cl

• Kyngeston Lille 1397 1415 Fine

• Kyngeston Lisle 1412 FA

• Estkyngstone 1428 ib

• Kingston Lislye 1656 PubLib(Clayton)

Etymology

'King's farm', i.e. 'royal manor'. Estkyngstone probably for distinction from Kingstone Winslow in Ashbury (345–6), about 4 miles W. Gerardus de Insula de Kingeston is mentioned 1275–6 RH, and the surname frequently appears as del Isle .

The present parish of Kingston Lisle was part of a larger estate called Sparsholt before the Conquest and in 1086. BCS 1121 (A.D. 963) grants 10 hides at Speresholte , and the bounds probably describe the western half of Kingston Lisle parish, i.e. Fawler (v. Pt 3). They mention cincges scypene and cincges þornas , 'king's cow-shed' and 'king's thorns'. In 1086 there were three main estates known by the name Sparsholt, and these seem to correspond to Fawler, Kingston Lisle and Sparsholt. One of them was royal demesne, and this is almost certainly Kingston. It is possible that this is the Kingestune of BCS 1262, in which case the name was known, though not always used, before the Conquest.