Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Chenoterie 1086 DB

• Cnoctyrum 1119(1150),1150 Chest

• Cnoctirum 1119 1280 ib

• Knoctyrum 1240–9 ib

• Knoctyrom 1535 VE

• Cenoctirum 1119 Ch 1285

• Knoutyrom 1286 ChFor

• Knothirom 1294 ib

• Knottyrum 1357 ib

• Kugghtyrum 1357 ChFor

• Knettyrom 1377 Plea

• Knoctrout 1539–47 Dugd

• Knocktor 1546 Dugd

• Knocktoram 1553 Pat

• Knoctorum 1566 Sheaf

• Knocktorum 1845 ChetOSviii

• Knoctorum 1831 Bry 1882 Orm2

• Knocktorum within Worrall, Knocktorum within Woirel 1709,1735 Blun

• Noctorum 1708 Sheaf

• Noctorum till of late years called Knoctorum 1882 Orm2

• Knockram 1583 Sheaf

• Knocketerne 1589 Sheaf

• Knocturme 1604 Sheaf

• Knoctorn 1623 Sheaf

• Knoctorine 1628 Sheaf

Etymology

'Dry hill', v. cnocc 1 , tírim . This etymology, making Noctorum a pure OIr p.n., was proposed in Sagabook xiv 306, cf. Dinnseanchas I i 24, and was tentatively adopted by Ekwall in DEPN (4th edition), who long ago identified the first el., cnocc . Professor Jackson con- tributes an interesting observation on the spellings. Whilst the OIr  form tírim with long í is old and must be regarded as original, nevertheless there is also a form tĭrim with short ĭ , and this must be old since it is the Scottish Gaelic and Manx form. It might then be argued that the ME  -tyr -, -tir - spellings could represent the alternative forms tírim and tĭrim . But the result would be the same in either case, [ˈ(k)nɔkˈti:rəm] or [ˈ(k)nɔkˈtirəm] > [ˈ(k)nɔktirəm] > [ˈ(k)nɔktərəm] spelt noctorum whence under Lat influence [ˈnɔkˈtourəm]. Professor Ekwall in correspondence made the reservation about the proposed etymology of Noctorum, that the compound cnocc - tírim does not appear elsewhere. Dr Liam Price, on the other hand, observed that although the compound is not found in p.ns. in Ireland, it is perfectly feasible and would be analogous with the township-name Tullyhirm, cos. Armagh and Monaghan, OIr  tulach thirm 'dry hill', from tírim and OIr  tulach 'a hill' (Joyce ii413). The topography of Noctorum makes the derivation fairly certain, for in 1819 (Orm2 ii526) the hamlet consisted of two or three farmhouses on an elevation opposite Woodchurch over the marshy land beside the stream The Fender.