Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Cameric 1086 DB, Exon

• Cuneliz 1086 DB

• Kimerich 1212 Fees 1244 Ass 1323 Ct 1344 Cerne 14

• Kimerik 1244 Ass

• Kymeriz 1268 ib

• Kymery(c)z 1268 ib

• Kymerich(e), Kymerych(e) 1280 1288 1291 Tax 1303,1316 FA 1327 SR 1332 SR 1344 Cerne 14 FA 1346,1428,1431 Weld1 1464

• Kymerich in Purbyk(e), Kymerich in Purbik 1376 1384 DCMDeed 1411 Weld1

• Kymerich Magna 1405,1414 Mansel

• West Kymerich 1470 Hutch3

• Kymerigh 1303 FA

• Kymershe 1373 IpmR

• Kymerycche 1428 FA

• Kymeryg(g)e 1489 Ct

• Greatt Kymeryg(g)e 1553 Mansel

• Grete Kymeryg(g)e 1554 ib

• Kymerige 1526 Hutch3

• Kymerege 1535 Ct

• Kymeridge 1545 ib

• Kymerydge 1546 ib

• Kymbrige 1512 ib

• Kimbridge 1575 Saxton c.1586 Tres

• Great Kimridge 1630 Hutch3

• Great Kimmeridge 1795 Boswell

• Kemeriz 1224 Cur 14 Mansel

• Kemerich 1230 P 1288 Ass

• Kemerice 1244 ib

• Kemerych 1280 ib

• Kemerydge in Purbeyke 1563 Mansel

• Cumerig(g), Cumerygg(e) 1285 FA

• Cumerich 1303 FA 1372 ChrP

• Cumerych 1340 NI

• Cumerigh 1303 FA

• Kynerich 1288 Ass

Etymology

Probably 'convenient or splendid strip of land, stream, or narrow road', v. cȳme , ric , as suggested in DEPN s.n. and EPN 1 123; of the possible meanings 'convenient road' would perhaps well describe the track which runs from Smedmore Hill down through Kimmeridge to the coast at Kimmeridge Bay (q. v. infra ), for this seems to afford the only easy access to the sea for two miles in either direction. A possible alternative first el. would be the OE  pers.n. Cȳma derived from the adj. cȳme and suggested by DEPN as the first el. of Kimpton Ha and Hrt. The second el. has been influenced or replaced by OE  hrycg 'ridge', as with other names derived from ric , cf. Mouldridge Db 352, Lindridge ib 507. Great (v. grēat , magna ) and west (v. west ) in relation to Little (or East) Kimmeridge infra , cf. also Isle of Purbeck supra . A possibly analogous name to Kimmeridge is Boteridge (Botterage ) the old name for Kimmeridge Bay q. v. infra ; the second el. could of course here be hrycg , but on the other hand it could be ric as in Kimmeridge, with bāt 'boat', bōt 'remedy, privilege', or the OE  pers.n. Bōta ; the fact that in DB Kimmeridge consists of two holdings, Cameric with 5 hides and Cuneliz with 1½ hides (VCHDo 3 77, 95), could reflect an ancient division of the ric into two parts, each with its distinctive name (Hutch3 1 563 however takes the smaller holding to be that represented later by Little Kimmeridge and Chaldecots infra ).