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.

Kendleshire

Early-attested site in the Parish of Westerleigh

Historical Forms

  • Kendal(l)shire 1552 Asht 1736 GR892

Etymology

Kendleshire, Kendal (l )shire 1552Asht 3, 1736GR 892, Kendal (l )shere 1555 Assht 3, Kendleshire 1612FF . Probably named from a family of Kendal ; a Sir Robert de Kendal held Harescombe in 1375, but there is no evidence of a possession in Westerleigh. v. scīr 'shire' used of smaller units than a county, possibly here used of some small estate detached from the main estate.