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.

Combs Ditch Hundred

Hundred in the County of Dorset

Historical Forms

  • (Con)cresdic hundret c.1086 GeldR
  • Kilkesdich 1205,1206 P
  • Culke(s)dich, Colke(s)dich 1268 Ass
  • Cunekesdich 1207 P
  • Cunekesdych 1300 Ipm
  • Cunkesdych 1244,1288 Ass 1303 FA
  • Cunkedych 1244 Ass
  • Kunekesdych 1265 Misc
  • Chunekesdych 1296 Ipm
  • Cunkisdych 1428 FA
  • Kunkesdich(e), Kunkesdych(e) 1459–1466 Lane
  • Cunkesdik 1300 Ipm
  • Conkesdich(e), Conkesdyche 1244 Ass 1307 Ipm 1469 Lane
  • Conewesdyche 1251–2 Fees
  • Con(n)ekesdyche 1268,1280,1288 Ass 1423 Midd
  • Konekedyche 1268 Ass
  • Coneghesdyche 1280 ib
  • Konekesdyche 1317 MiltC
  • Coukesdich(e), Coukesdyche (for Conkesdyche) 1338 Ipm 1414 Cl
  • Conckysdyche 1542 LP
  • Cuningedych 1244 Ass
  • Comingesdych 1269 FF
  • Conyngdych 1273 Banco
  • Coningesdich(e), Coningesdych 1275 ib
  • Cokesdich 1275 Cl 1288 Ass
  • Kokesdich 1288 ib
  • Cumebusdich 1275 RH
  • Cokenesdych 1280 Ass
  • Coombes Ditch 1664 HTax
  • (anlang) cunucces dich 942 (15) ShaftR (S 485(1))
  • (on) cinninces (for cunnuces) dic 943 (15) ib (S 490)
  • Coombe Ditch 1800 EnclA

Etymology

Named from the Iron Age-RB boundary bank and ditch known as Combs Ditch (6″); this runs NW-SE (facing NE) and for most of its length forms the hundred bdy. It is referred to as (anlang ) cunucces dich 942 (15) ShaftR (S 485(1)) in the bounds of Winterborne T. par. infra , (on ) cinninces (for cunnuces )dic 943 (15) ib (S 490) in the bounds of Mapperton in Almer par. supra , Coombe Ditch 1800EnclA (Charlton M.), v. dīc . The first el. is PrWelsh  *cönǭg or PrCorn *conǭg (Brit  *cunāco -) of doubtful meaning (v. Jackson in JEPN 1 46, cf. Ekwall RN 92 and DEPN s.n. Cannock St for the older supposition that the el. meant 'hill', cf. also NTCB s.n. Cannock); the same word is found in Conock W, Consett Du, and probably also in Conkwell So 38 ((on ) cunuca leage 957 (e12) BCS 1001) and in the early forms of Chester le Street Du (Cuncaceastre , Cunceceastre c. 1050 DEPN). The name cunnuces dīc no doubt means 'the ditch called Cunnuc ', v. -es 2 .