Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Crondeles 1292 CirenD

• Crundeles 1315 Pat 1316 Orig

• Crondles als. Cronnes 1343 CirenD

• Cornedes 1543 AOMB 1550 Pat

• Cornedes als. Cornes 1539 AOMB204

• Cornedes als. Cornes als. Quernes 1544 LP

• Quern(e)s 1540 AOMB, MinAcct

Etymology

The name refers to an area to the south-west of the town, where are found the Bull Ring (infra ), a Roman amphitheatre and cemetery, tumuli, heaps of stones and old pits and earthworks (cf. BG ix, 324, xv, 113–15, Rudder 349). It is undoubtedly OE  crundel 'quarry, chalk-pit' or the like (v. EPN i, 116–17). The development of its form is curious, with metathesis and shortening to Corn - and then confusion with quern (v. cweorn 'mill-stone'), an inversion of the development in Cornford (35 supra ), cf. Phonol. §§ 20, 42 (b ), 46.