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.

Cotes

Major Settlement in the Parish of Cotes

Historical Forms

  • Chotes Wm1 Nichols Stephen ib
  • les cotes
  • Cotes l.12 GarCart l.12,c.1200 Dane 13 MiD 1306 GarCart
  • Cotes super Soram 1271 Abbr
  • Cotes Poutrel 1343 Ipm 1344 Cl
  • Cothes l.Hy2 Dane Hy3 Ipm
  • Cotis 1220 MHW c.1237 GildR 1277 GarCart 1325 Ipm
  • Cotys 1326 ib
  • Kotes l.12 Nichols e.13 BM 1341 GildR
  • Cootes 1396 HMCVar 1416 Nichols
  • Cootys 1541 MinAccts
  • Coates 1558 Will 1598 LML
  • Coats 1619,1623 ib
  • ~ super Soram 1271 Abbr

Etymology

'The cottages', v. cot ; here an early instance of the ME nom.pl. cotes .The two earliest forms have AN  orthographic ch for c before the back vowel o . Robertus Putrel de Cotes held the manor in the late 12th century (Dane) and the Poutrell family is recorded in possession until at least Rogerus Poutrell 1396 HMC. The settlement lies beside the river Soar, hence ~ super Soram 1271 Abbr (with MLat  super 'on, upon').