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.

Coscombe

Early-attested site in the Parish of Stanway

Historical Forms

  • Costicumb, Costycumb 1248,1287 Ass
  • Costecumbe, Costeco(u)mbe 1287 1327 SR Hy6 AddCh
  • Cossecumbe 1287 Ass
  • Coscet' 1291 Tax
  • Coscombe 1535 VE 1627 Inq

Etymology

Coscombe, Costicumb , Costycumb 1248, 1287Ass , Costecumbe , Costeco (u )mbe 1287 ib, 1327SR , Hy 6AddCh , Cossecumbe 1287Ass , Coscet ' (sic) 1291 Tax, Coscombe 1535 VE, et freq to 1627 Inq. 'Costa's valley', v. cumb . An OE  pers.n. Costa is assumed for Cawsand (D 448), etc., from OE  cost 'excellent' and the OG  pers.ns. Costica , Costilo . But it is possible that the first el. is a metathesised form of Cotes - (which the spelling Cosce - indicates) and is derived from the OE  Cōd which occurs in the nearby Cutsdean (7supra ) and other local names.Postlip (34infra ) is similarly from an earlier Pottes -.