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.

Kettleby

Early-attested site in the Parish of Bigby

Historical Forms

  • Kitlebig, Kytlebig 1066–8 ASWills 12
  • Chetelbi DB
  • Chetlebi c.1115 LS
  • Ketelbi 1196 P 1238–43 Fees
  • Ketelby 1225,1231 Cur 1242–3 Fees 1259 Cl 1262,1271 FF 1294 Ipm 1509–10 LPi
  • Kettelby 1281 QW
  • Kettelbye 1553 Pat
  • Ketilby 1347 Cor 1359 Ipm 1388 Cl 1513 LPi
  • Ketylby 1405 Pat 1428 FA
  • Kettylby c.1520 Brasses 1550 Pat
  • Kettylbe 1539 LPi
  • Kettlebie 1561 InstBen
  • Kettlebye 1576 Saxton
  • Kettleby 1610 Speed
  • Kettleby hall 1695 Morden
  • Kettleby hall 1696 Pryme
  • Ketlesby 1210–18 RAiv
  • Ketelesbi(a) 1212 Fees
  • Kettlesbia 1212 ib
  • Ketelesby 1230 P
  • Ketelsby 1316 FA 1332 SR
  • Ketylsby 1428 FA
  • Ketilsby, Ketlesby 1509–10 LPi

Etymology

'Ketill's farmstead, village', v. , the first el. being ON  Ketill , ODan  Ketil , very common in England as a pers.n. Both Ekwall (DEPN) and Fellows-Jensen (SSNEM 56) comment on the fact that the vast majority of forms appear in the stem form without a gen.sg, but point out that there are many analogous p.ns. with uninflected pers.ns. It may be noted that this contrasts dramatically with the forms for Ketsby in South Ormsby LSR, a name of identical origin, where the spellings with an inflected pers.n. outnumber those with the stem forms by nine to one.