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.

Kenelmstowe

Early-attested site in the Parish of Halesowen

Historical Forms

  • Kelmestowe 1277,1304 Ct 1473 Pat
  • de Sci Kenelmi 1293,1295 Ct
  • Kelmstowe 1327 SR
  • St Kellums 1577 Saxton

Etymology

Kelmstowe was a settlement which grew up round the church built on the traditional site of the murder of the boy-king St Kenelm. The stow-suffix is an interesting example of the use of that word to denote a place with religious associations. The last spelling represents a fairly common dialectal pronunciation of lm , cf. EDG § 234.