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.

Pinxton

Major Settlement in the Parish of Pinxton

Historical Forms

  • Penekestone 1212 RBE
  • Pen(c)keston, Pen(c)kiston, -ton 1208 Cur 1224 Ipm 1230 Woll 1236 Fees 1422 Cl
  • Pynkeston 1283 Pat 1375 WollCh 1391 Pat 1420 Woll
  • Pynkeston als Pynxton 1597 Potter
  • Pink(e)ston 1577 DbAi
  • Pink(e)ston als Pinxton 1593 FF

Etymology

Perhaps 'Penec's farm', v. tūn ; cf. Penhurst (PN Sx 476). This unrecorded OE pers.n. would be a regular diminutive of an OE  *Pena , itself unrecorded but a possible name from OE  Penweald or Penwealh . An argument of this kind would appear to be preferable to Ekwall's suggestion (DEPN) that the first part of the name is identical with Penketh (PN La 106), a Brit compound of words which appear in W  as pen coed 'end of the wood'.