Kemble
Major Settlement in the Parish of Kemble
Historical Forms
- Kemele 682 BCS 14th 854 KCD817 14th P 1065 FA 14th 1180 1316
- Chemele 1086 DB
- Kemela 1156 RegMalm
- Cemele 688 BCS c.1125
- Kemeleshage 956 14th ib
- Kemelegh 1242 Fees 1341 NI
- Kembyll 1523 SR 1535 VE
Etymology
This is a pre-English place-name, but the etymology is uncertain. Ekwall (DEPN s. n .) tentatively suggests a derivative of the name Camulos , a Celtic war-god, denoting possibly a spot dedicated to his worship. Alternatively one might compare the place-name Penkevil (Co), Penkevel 1208–13 Fees (p), 1259 Exon, 1278Ass , etc., Penkefel 1265 Maclean, with the regular later British change of medial m to v. Kemeleshage refers to some boundary haga of Kemble.
The second element of Penkevil may, as suggested by Professor Max Förster, be cognate with the Welsh cyfyl , 'border, brink, edge,' etc. According to Morris-Jones (159), this is from PrimCeltic *com-pel , OBrit *komel . One or two of the above early spellings of Kemble show that the last syllable was occasionally associated with the ME leghe from leah .