Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Cestrehunt(e) 1086 DB

• Cestrehunt(e) 1169 P 1304 Ipm

• Cestrehonte 1086 DB 1190–8 BM

• Cestrahuntam 1152 Ch 1343

• Chestehunte c.1150 RegDun 1266 Pat 1275–92 ADii 1319 Pat

• Cesterhunte 1198 FF 1312 Pat

• Cesterhont 1260 Cl

• Chesterhonte 1254 Val

• Chasthunte 1282 FF 1296 Ass 1301–17 Ch

• Chesthunte 1292 FF 1297 Pat 1323 Ipm 1394 Ass 1428 FA

• Chestunt 1395 Cl 1484 Pat

• Chastehunte 1305 Pat

• Cesthuntte 1323 Ipm

• Cheston 1478 Pat 1635 StJ 1675 Ogilby

• Chesthunt al. Chestaunt al. Cheston 1554 Pat

• Chesthunt al. Cheston 1566 FF

• Chesson 1700 Sess

• Chesunt 1755 Recov

• Chessehunt 1561 FF

• Byrhfunt c. 960 (c. 1200) BCS 1161

Etymology

The first element of this name is clearly the OE  ceaster from Latin castra . There appears to be no record of any Roman station or camp here but the place is on Ermine Street, a Roman road, and it may be that in Anglo-Saxon times there were here the ruins or remains of a Romano-British settlement, which was demolished or buried at an early date. The second element would appear to be hunte , but the evidence of names such as Boarhunt (Ha), Tolleshunt (PN Ess 306) and Chadshunt (PN Wa 249–50) shows that most place-names in hunt in reality go back to OE  funta, 'spring.' Boarhunt is Byrhfunt c. 960 (c. 1200) BCS 1161 and afterwards always –hunt (e ) in ME documents. It may be noted that for Cheshunt we have no spellings earlier than DB.