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.

Chesel

Early-attested site in the Parish of Clarendon

Historical Forms

  • Chissell Hill 1650 ParlSurv

Etymology

Chesel (1820 G) is Chisele 1319, Cheselegh 1343MinAcct , Chissell Hill 1650ParlSurv . This would seem to be a compound of OE  cis, 'gravel,' and leah , or the first element may be ceosol with similar meaning. It is an example of one of those names in which final le (gh ) has been reduced to syllabic l . Cf. Keevil supra 142.