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.

Tunworth

Early-attested site in the Parish of Kingsbury

Historical Forms

  • (æt) Tuneweorðe, Tunwæorðinga gemære 957 BCS994 13th
  • Heytoneworth t.Hy4 HarrowRec
  • High Tonworth in the lordship of Kingsbury 1536 ib
  • Tunworth 1839 TA

Etymology

Tunworth (lost) is (æt ) Tuneweorðe , Tunwæorðinga gemære 957 (13th) BCS 994, Heytoneworth t. Hy 4 HarrowRec, High Tonworth in the lordship of Kingsbury 1536 ib., Tunworth 1839TA .This seems to have been the earlier name for the manor later known as Kingsbury (v. supra 61). Ekwall (DEPN s. n. Tunworth (Ha)) takes this to be a compound of tun and weorþ , but semantically such a compound is exceedingly unlikely. There is an OE  personal name Tuna . weorþ is commonly compounded with personal names and the text of BCS 994 is such that no reliance can be placed upon it. We may note that tatanburnan found in BCS 1290 (a 10th-century text) appears as tateburnan .Hence probably 'Tuna 's farm.'

Places in the same Parish