Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Nossitone 1086 DB

• Closintone (sic) 1086 ib

• Knossinton' c.1130 LeicSurv 1243 Fees 1270 Pat

• Knossington 1203 P 1262 Fine c.1291 Tax 1300 Ipm

• Knossyngton 1327 Banco 1330 Hazlerigg 1535 VE 1537 MinAccts

• Cnossintona a.1160,1150×60 Dane 1173 P 1235×53 Dugd

• Cnossinton' 1170,1171 P 1249 RGros 1269 For

• Cnossington(e) 1227,1229 RHug 1324 Coram 1367 Banco

• Cnossenton(a) 1231,1253×58 RegAnt Hy3 Dane

• Knoston 1405 Fine 1441 WoCart 1449 Speed 1610 LML 1727

• Knosson 1572 SR 1610 Speed

• Knawston 1622 Burton 1719 Nichols 1721 LML

Etymology

Ekwall DEPN suggests that the first element may be derived from an OE  *cnoss 'a hill' (related to ON  knauss 'a knoll, a rounded hill', Swed  dial. knös 'a rounded hill', Dan  dial. knøs 'a sand-hill', MLG  knust 'a knot', ModE  knot ), but an OE  masc. pers.n. such as Cnoss or Cnossa may have developed from this stem (cf. OSwed knös 'a goblin, a terrible person', Norw and Dan knøs 'a proud, overbearing person'). Thus perhaps the place-name may be interpreted as 'the estate associated with or called after a man named Cnoss or Cnossa', v. -ingtūn , and be compared in construction with Loddington and Skeffington (Lei 3 163 and 220) also in High Leicestershire, and Tur Langton infra .

Alternatively, OE  tūn 'farmstead, village, estate' may have been added to an earlier OE place-name *æt Cnossing '(the settlement) at the hill place', v. æt , cnoss , -ing 2 , hence 'farmstead, village or estate at Cnossing', v. tūn . The present township crowns a prominent hill. It should be noted, however, that such formations suffixed by tūn are otherwise rare (as Penistone, YW 1336, where a compounded OE  *Penning may be a hill-name from PrW  *penn 'a head').