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.

Curworthy

Early-attested site in the Parish of Inwardleigh

Historical Forms

  • Corneurde 1086 DB
  • Curewrthi 1219 Ass
  • Curewrthy 1238 Ass
  • Cureworth(i) 1242 Fees789 1378 IpmR
  • Curreworthy 1492 Ipm
  • Coreworthy 1316 FA
  • Coreworthy juxta Inworthlegh 1356 Ass

Etymology

Blomé (146) is certainly right in pointing out here that whatever may be the history of Corn - in other names, the persistent u in the forms of this name compels us to treat it apart. He suggests that the first element is OE  cweorn (e ), 'hand-mill.' Hence 'mill- farm.' For loss of n , cf. Corhampton (Ha), Cornhamton 1225 BM.