Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Cerintone 1086 DB

• Chederintone 1166 RBEi,293

• Cherinton(a), Cherynton(a) 12 Ch 1267 Oseney 13 Cl 1283 Ipm 1308

• Chiriton, Chyriton 1195 P 1225 Pat 1248,1287 Ass 1303 FA 1305 Pat

• Chirinton, Chyrynton, Chyryntun(e) 13 HMCv,336 1220 Fees 1221 Ass 1283 Ipm 1291 Tax 1455 FF

• Chirentone 1346 Ipm

• Chirington, Chyrington, Chyryngton 1234 Cl 1285 FA 1287 Ass 1313 Pat Ric2 Rent

• Schyrington' 1248 Ass 1285 Abbr

• Shirynton 1318 Ch

• Cheryngton, Cherington c.1300 Godstow 1432 Pat 1439 FF 1695 M

• Cherington als. Cheryton 1583 FF

• Cherrington 1727 PR

• Chir(e)ton 1305 1346 FA

• Churneton 1360 Ipm

• Chirneton 1382 ib

• Cheriton, Cheryton 1577,1610,1646 M

Etymology

'Village with a church', v. cirice , tūn . This type of p.n., Cheriton, Cherrington, of which nearly a dozen examples occur, has been discussed by Ekwall, Studies 33 ff and in Wa 279; they mostly have the ME  spellings Chire -, Chiri (n )-, Cheri (n )-, but Wallenberg (K 442) has noted the form Ciricetune for Cheriton, which usually has spellings like Cire -, Ceri -, Cheri (n )- and the like, and some similar confirmatory evidence is given for the name Cherrington (Wa 279).Ekwall (op. cit. 37) also provides evidence for the development of OE  cirice to chiri - in other p.ns. where the -c - has been assimilated by the initial consonant of the following element and for the development of medial unstressed -i - to -in -, as in such names as Torrington (D 123) which must go back to OE  Toric -tūn 'farm on the Torridge' or Cannington (So) from OE  Cantuc -tūn . The single spelling Chederintone , if it is correctly identified with Cherington, might, however, point to the first el. being a reduced form of OE  cēodor 'bag' or the like (used in a topographical sense as in Cheddar So); it would describe the deep valley at Cherrington; v. ing 4 , tūn . But the name is of such a well-evidenced pattern that the first interpretation is the more likely. The first el. may be repeated in the f.n. Chernbury (infra ).