Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• to Gleawe ceastre scire, on Gleawe ceastre scire 1016 ASC 11 ASWrit 1062
• Gleawecestrescire 1122 ASC 12
• to Gleawcestrescire, on Gleawcestrescire, Gleawcestrescire 1016 ASC 11 ASC 1038 ASC 11 ASWrit 1052 11 1042–66
• into Glæaweceastre scire 1033–8 ASChartlxxxvii
• Glowercestre scire 1042–66,1062–6 ASWrit
• Gloucestrescire, Gloucestrescira, Gloucestresyra, Gloucestresira, Gloucestreschire 1042–66 ASWrit Wm1 Monast 1100–12 Glouc 1412 GloucHist
• comitatu(s) Gloucestrie 1211–13 Fees 1220 WinchLB 1331 RBBr
• (le) Counte(e) de Gloucestr(e)' 1398 1426 BrCh
• the County of Gloucester 1543 Berk
• Comitatu Gloucestrensi 1337 WinchLB
• Glouuecestre, Glowec'scire 1086 DB
• on Glowe ceastre scire 1119 ASC 12
• comitatu de Glouecestra 1358 Ch
• Þe shire of Glowcetur 1304 Godstow
• Glucestre scyra 1119 Glouc
• Gloecestre scir(a), Gloecestre scyra, Gloecestre scr', Gloecestre sire 1130 P 1312 Ch 1424 Pat
• Comitatum Glovernie 1274 RH

Etymology

On the name v. Gloucester (ii, 123infra ), scīr 1 'shire, county'.Winchcomb (ii, 29infra ) was in OE times a separate shire, but became part of Gloucestershire in the reign of Cnut (Introd.). There have been many other adjustments of the county in relation to Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, and Herefordshire, and these are mentioned in the notes to the various hundreds (cf. GlAtlas 24, and for W v. 47, 85, iii, 22, for O v. 192, 229, for Wa v. 211, 229, ii, 75, for Wo v. 211, 229, ii, 41, 52, iii, 166, and for He v. iii, 209 infra ). The greater part of the county was in the medieval diocese of Worcester and formed the archdeaconry of Gloucester, but Gloucester was founded as a separate bishopric in 1541; Bristol in the south was created a separate diocese in the following year (VCH ii, 48–9); much of the land between the Severn and the Wye was in the diocese and archdeaconry of Hereford (cf. op. cit. , Tax 161 and Introd.).