Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• at Corf 955 ShaftR(S573) 14

• ad Corf, to Corf 956 14 ib

• Corf 1162,1202,1203,1210 P 1213 Ch 1320 Cur 1219,1223 Fine 1456

• Corfe 1241 Pat

• Corfe alias Corfe Castle 1636 Ilch

• (æt) Corfesgeate 979 ASC 11

• (at) Corf geate 979 ASC e12

• in loco qui dæicitur Porta Corf 979 ASC e12

• (æt) Corfes geate 979 ASC 12

• Corvesgeate e12 FW 12 SD

• Corvesgate 12 HH e15 LHyda

• Chorf 12 King'sWorks

• Corff(e) 1217 Pat 1227 Lib 1636 Ilch

• Corffe in Purbyk 1383 Cl

• Corf(f)(e) Castel(l), Corf(f)(e) castel(l)(e) 1302 Pat 1305,1309 FF 1327 SR 1575 Saxton

• Corf(f)(e) castle 1545 Ct

• Corf(f)(e) Chastle 1632 Pitt

• Crof' 1320 Pat

• Croffe 1535 Hutch3

• Croffe Castell 1566 Rent

• Corft 1399 Cl 1427 Pat

• Hundred of Corff 1381 Pitt 16

• hundredos de Corff Castell vocat' le Inne Hundred et le Out Hundred 1547 ib

Etymology

'A cutting, a gap, a pass', v. corf , with geat 'an opening, a gap' (replaced in one instance by Lat  porta ) and castel(l) 'castle', cf. Isle of Purbeck supra . The name aptly describes the gap in the central ridge of the Purbeck Hills at this place. Corf (es ) geat probably means 'the gap called Corf ', v. -es 2 , cf. Tengstrand xxvii; for the same combination, though non-genitival, v. Corscombe par. infra and Coryates in Portisham par. infra . For specific references to the castle, v. Corfe Castle infra , and for Corfe Castle as a hundred, cf. note under par. heading supra , v. in 'inner', ūt 'outer'. Three sets of bounds describing Anglo-Saxon estates mainly in the southern half of the present par. occur in 948 (15) ShaftR (S 534 (1)), 955 (14) ib (S 573), and 956 (14) ib (S 632).