Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Cnihtetone 1086 DB

• Cnigtetuna 1163 RegAnt

• Cnichtetun c.1204 ib

• Cnihteton 1215,1218 ib

• Cnicteton c.1215 ib

• Chnictheton 1218 ib

• Knict(t)eton 1204,c.1215,1258×79 RegAnt

• Knihteton 1217 BodlCh 1218 RegAnt

• Cnichtingtunam 1146 RegAnt

• Cnichtinthona c.1200 Sloane

• Cnihtinton(e) 1205 Dugd 1205 ChR

• Cnictenton 1231 Cur

• Cnichinton 1318 Pat

• Knictinton 1200 Cur 1258×79 RegAnt

• Knytinton 1267 Cur

• Cnicton 1196 ChancR

• Chnictun c.1215 RegAnt

• Cnithon c.1215 ib

• Knihtona e.13 Wyg

• Knihtton 1208 FF

• Knich(t)ton 1269 Cl 1293 OSut

• Knycton 1288 LCDeeds 1294 RTemple

• Knicton c.1292 LCDeeds

• Kniton 1195 P 1272 Cur c.1278 LCDeeds

• Knytton 1254 GildR 1273 LCDeeds

• Knyton 1267 Cur 1277 RGrav

• Knitton 1273 GildR 1292 LCDeeds

• Knygton 1307 GildR 1312 Rut 1336,1370 Wyg

• Knyghton(e) 1285×93 Hastings 1297 Cl 1344 LCDeeds 1514,1516 Wyg 1547 Chap

• Knighton 1501 Wyg 1547,1551 Pat

Etymology

'The estate of the young warriors or retainers', v. cniht (cnihta gen.pl.), tūn . The DB form has a composition-joint in the gen.pl., but a range of early spellings suggests that there was an alternative -ing- construction, hence 'the estate associated with the young warriors or retainers', v. cniht , -ingtūn (-ing-). The exact sense of cniht in particular place-names is difficult to determine since its semantic range extended from small boy, youth, servant and soldier to the retainers of nobility and royalty. Such difficulty is compounded by the semantic range of tūn from farmstead and village to estate. Much depends on the date of a place-name's formation, in this case unknown.