Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Chentone 1086 DB

• Quenton 1175 P 1220 Fees314 1224 WellsR 1241 Ass 1247,1262 Ass c.1290 Mert 1300 Ipm 1316 FA 1329 Cl 1370 Pat 1371 Cl

• Quentune c.1190 BodlBerks9

• Queinton 1235 Fees461 1247 Ass 1252 BM 1262 Ass 1329 Cl

• Queynton 1247 Ass 1275 Ipm 1284 FA c.1290 Mert 1331 Cl 1356 Ipm 1392,1397 Pat 1485 Ipm 1524 ADvi

• Quenthon 1255 For

• Quintone 1290 Misc

• Quynton 1375 Cl 1396 Pat

• Quaynton 1569 ADv

Etymology

The clue to this somewhat difficult name is probably to be found in the history of Quinton (Gl). This is Quenintone in DB, Quentone in BCS 453 (14th cent. transcript), Queinton and Quenton in 13th cent. forms given by Baddeley (PNGl). If there has been similar loss of a medial n between two vowels in the Buckinghamshire p.n. we have a ready explanation of the early and persistent ei forms which must result from the crasis of the two vowels after the n is lost (cf. the forms of Wing and Wingrave supra after similar loss of a medial consonant). We must then take the original form of this name to be Cwēningtun , an ingtun formation from a pers. name Cwēna , used as a pet- form for one of the OE  feminine names in Cwēn -. This stem remained in use long after the Conquest, and Quenild (OE  *Cwēnhild ) was one of the commonest feminine names in the 12th century Danelaw. Quainton and Quinton are interesting as additions to the brief list of place-names in which a feminine personal name was originally followed by the element ing . Professor Ekwall suggests that alternatively the development may have been Cwenington > Quengton > Qweinton , with the same development of a diphthong as in ME  mengde > meinde , drencte > dreinte .