Cheylesmore
Early-attested site in the Parish of Coventry
Historical Forms
- Cheylesmore 1250 FF 1656 Dugdale
- Cheylesmor grene 1324 CovCh
- Cheilesmor(e) 1345,1346,1374 Ch 1358 BPR
- Chelesmore t.Ed2 Coventry
- Chelesmere 1334 Pat
- Chelesmour 1395 IpmR
- Cheillesmor(e) 1378,1399 Ch
- Chailesmore 1393 Pat 1421 Cl
- Chaylesmore 1446 Pat
- Chilesmore 1461 IpmR 1656 Dugdale
- Childesmore 1539 LP
- Chyldismore 1596 BM
- Chellesmore 1544 LP
Etymology
Ekwall (Studies 67) takes the first element of this name to be a word cegel , found also in Cheal (L), æt Cegle 852 (c. 1200) BCS 464, Ceila 1086 DB, Cheila 1167 P, Cheyle 1243 Fees, etc., from a base *kagila , a derivative of kaga or kagi found in Cheam (Sr) (cf. PN Sr 43). The meaning was 'peg, pole, stump,' etc. Ekwall for the Lincolnshire name suggests a possible meaning 'pole or trunk used as a plank bridge,' there being a small stream here.There may have been such a bridge over the little stream at Cheal. He speaks of Cheylesmore as an old manor just south of Coventry on the west bank of the Sherbourne and suggests that here again we have reference to a plank bridge, but this can hardly be the case. Cheylesmore is now represented by a street of that name. It is just south of the old town of Coventry but a good half mile from the Sherbourne and even if we admitted the difficult genitival compound involved, we could not interpret the word as having any reference to a bridge. More probably the word cægel is here used as a pers. name of the nickname type. Hence 'Cægel 's marsh,' v. mor .