English Place-name Society

Survey of English Place-Names

A county-by-county guide to the linguistic origins of England’s place-names – a project of the English Place-Name Society, founded 1923.

Colesborne

Major Settlement in the Parish of Colesborne

Historical Forms

  • to Colesburnan forda 800 BCS299 11th
  • æt Collesburnan c.802 BCS304 11th
  • æt Colesburnan 11th BCS1320
  • Colesborne 1086 DB c.1430 GlR
  • Colesburn(e), Colesburn(i)a 1086 DB Hy2 1199 FF 13 WinchLB 1372 Ch
  • Colesbourn 1291 Tax 1328 Banco 1331 FF
  • Colisburn' 1260 FF
  • Collesburn(e) 1171–83 AC 1221 Ass 1301 GlR 1529 GlR
  • Collesbourne 1303 FA 1398 Ass 1535 VE
  • Col(l)eburne 1227 FF 1535 VE
  • Colnsbourne 1366 Ch
  • Cowlesbo(u)rne 1540,1587,1621 FF 1577,1648 M

Etymology

'Col's stream', v. burna . The pers.n. is an unrecorded OE  Col which seems to occur in some OE and later p.ns. (cf. Coleshill Bk 227) and would be connected etymologically with col 'coal'. The stream is the headwater of the Churn, and the ford mentioned in the OE charter was probably a crossing of the R. Churn near its junction with Hilcot Brook south of the church.