Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Kenteleswrth(') 13 GlastR 14 GlastC

• Kenteleswurth(') 1236 FF e14 GlastE

• Kentelesworth(e) 1265 Glast m14 GlastE e14 FF 1313,1333 Glast 1338–40 Cl 1384 IpmR 1407 FA 1431 IpmR 1451

• Kentlesworth(') 14 GlastC

• Kentlesworth(') qui modo dicitur Marnhulle 1342 GlastF

• Kentelisworth(') 1338–40 Glast

• Kentelysworth(') 1394 Russ

• Kentelewor (sic) 1268 Ass

• Kenlesworth (sic) 1489 Ipm

• Kentisford or Kentisworth 1774 Hutch 1870 Hutch3

• Kentisford 1795 Boswell

Etymology

'Centel's enclosure', from worð and an unrecorded OE  pers.n. Centel (which would be a derivative of Cent - in Centwine , -weald , etc). According to Ekwall DEPN the same pers.n. is evidenced in Kentisbeare D 564 (as well as in two minor names in the same par.) and in Kentisbury D 49, and Fägersten notes another lost Kentelesworth in So. It seems unnecessary to consider an appellative as first el., certainly in this name, cf. Kökeritz 123.

The exact location of this place remains unknown, in spite of Taylor, DoNHAS 88 208–9: any connection of the first el. of this name with the Chetel of DB (VCHDo 373) is unlikely, this being a pers.n. of quite different origin, unless Chetel is taken to be a scribal error for Chentel due to the omission of the nasal stroke. The interesting alternation of the name with Marnhull in the form from 1342 GlastF should however be noted ('which is now called'): it suggests that Marnhull had probably by this date replaced Kentelesworth as the name of a larger unit, although at the same date both Knightstreet and Yardgrove infra were said to be in Kentlesworth .