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.

Kislingbury

Major Settlement in the Parish of Kislingbury

Historical Forms

  • Cifelingeberie 1086 DB
  • Ceselingeberie 1086 DB
  • Cheselinberi 1166 P
  • Cheselingeberi ib. (CR)
  • Kiselingeberia, Kyselingeberia 1175 P 1278 RH
  • Kyselingbyr', Kiselingbyr' 12th Survey 1360 Ipm
  • Kiselengberi 1202 Ass
  • Kislingebir 1235 Fees
  • Kyslyngbury 1308 ADvi
  • Chilesengebur' 1247 Ass
  • Kyselingham 1305 Ipm
  • Kyselyngham 1316 FA
  • Keselingbury 1326 Fine
  • Keselyngbury 1348 Cl
  • Killingeberia 1329 Ch
  • Kislenbury 1657 NRSi

Etymology

The soil here is partly clay, partly gravel, and the village may take its name from the original burh on a patch of gravel. An OE  name ceosolinga-burh , 'burh of the dwellers on the ceosol or gravel,' should have given Chesling - or Chislingbury and in that case the form with initial k must be due to Scandinavian influence, cf. Introd. xxiii. Professor Ekwall would take the name to be from OE  Cȳselingabyrig , 'burh of the people of *Cysel ,' this name being an unrecorded diminutive of the 8th cent. OE  name Cūsa .

Places in the same Parish

Early-attested site