Saturday, 05 July 2008
Spellings of Cullompton Print E-mail

A much vexed question: 40 ways of spelling of ‘Cullompton’

Many towns and villages have changed their spelling over the course of time. Some have changed several times. But Cullompton must be unusual. There are an extraordinary number of variant spellings. Rival versions flourished in the nineteenth century, and it is only in the last thirty years that the modern spelling has established itself beyond dispute, to the exclusion of others.

In the mid nineteenth century there was no accepted spelling.

Below is a list of various ways in which the name of the town is spelled, with the dates of the spelling, and their authorities as far as they can be ascertained.

List compiled by James Murray Foster, FSA, in 1878

1 Columtune 872 King Alfred the Great. Will preserved in NewminsterAbbey, Winchester
2 Colitone 1080 Domesday Book of King William I
3 Colum 1080 Exon Domesday Book, preserved by Dean and Chapter of Exeter
4 Curemtome 1080 Exon Domesday Book, preserved by Dean and Chapter of Exeter
5 Columpton 1278  Gift Deed of Amicia, Countess of Devon, of Columpton Manor, toBuckland
    1288 Taxatio Ecclesiastica Pape Nicolai IV, Bocland Abbey
    1400 Confirmation Deed of Gift of 1278 by Isabella deFortibus, Countess of Devon
    1406 Confirmation Deed of Gift of 1278 by Isabella deFortibus, Countess of Devon
    Var Leases granted by Abbots of Bockland (DrOliver)
    1419 List of possessions of Hugh Courteney, 4th Earl ofDevon
    1436 License of Bishop Lacy to change the Feast of theDedication of the church
    1438 License of Bishop Lacy to John Walrond, to have a chapelat Newland
    1476 Rent Roll of St Nicholas' Priory, Exeter
    1527 Gift Deed of Thomas Whyte, Abbot of Buckland, to ThomasBowden
    1536 Valor Ecclesiasticus Henric VIII., St Nicholas'Priory
    1536 Valor Ecclesiasticus Henric VIII., BucklandAbbey
    1537 Abstract of Roll, Computus ministrorum. Temp. HenVIII
    1549 Name of William Vivian, Bishop of Hippo, WilliamColumpton
    1549 Gift Deed K Edward VI of the Guild of St Nicholas to WmKaleway
    1630 Tithings of Devon, in Cooke's Survey of Devon, rated at£1 13s.
    1658 Tombstone of three children of Rd. Speed, in thechurch
    1788 Shaw's Tour through the Western Counties ofEngland
    17- Mr Shaw's Roll of Hospitals, &c. Art St. Nicholas'Priory
    1810 Cooke's Survey of Devon, pub. At Exon
    1821 Dugdale's Monasticon. Arts St. Nicholas' Priory andBuckland Abbey
    1837 Knight's Penny Cyclopedia, pub. London
6 Cullington 1657 Bess's Narrative of the Sufferings of the People calledQuakers
7 Colompton 1290 Taxatio 'om i Bonor Temporal 'm Dioec' Exon &c. Buckland
    1290 Taxatio Ecclesiastica Pape Nicholai IV. Boclond (Dugdale)
    1523 John Trott's will, in Registery of Prerogative Court ofCanterbury
    1536 Computu Ministrorum. Tem Hen VIII. Buckland
    1536 Valuation of Ecclesiastical Preferments, according to the King'sBook
    1572 Indenture of transfer of certain lands in the parish
8 Collumpton 1336 Deed belonging to St Nicholas' Priory, Exon. (Dr Oliver)
     1401 Bishop Stafford's Register, preserved by Dean and Chapter,Exon
    1445 Confirmatory deed of gift of land to Buckland Abbey.(Dugdale)
    1445 Will of Roger Stockman, Priest; Vicar of Collumpton
    1614 Tombstone of Alice Englyshe, in church
    1630  Risdon's Survey of Devon
    1645  Sir Gilbert Talbot's narrative of the Civil War in England
    1654  Tombstone of John Cole, in church
    1655  Tombstone of Thomas Atkins, in church
    1657 Bess's Narrative of the Sufferings of the People calledQuakers
    1658 Tombstone of Robert Hill, in church
    1663 Journal of George Fox, Quaker
    1750 Journal of John Wesley, Divine
    1754 Tombstone of Rev S Morgan, in UnitatarianChapel
    1754 MSS. Memo of meeting held to appoint a waterbailiff
    1808 C Vancouver's Gen. View of the Agric. Of the Co. ofDevon
    1854 Report of the Commissioners of the General Board ofHealth
    1859 Beeston's Dictionary of Universal Information
9 Cullumpton 1630 Westcote's History of Devon (quoted?)
    1630 Risdon's Survey of Devon (quoted?)
    1700 Fielding's "Tom Jones," date given as about1685
    1717 Deed of transfer of land in parish
    1785 Chapple's "Review of a part of Risdon'sSurvey".
    1848 Ordnance Survey map of Devon
    1877 Ordnance Survey map of Devon
10 Collompton 1616 Tombstone of James Skinner, in church
    1626 Star Chamber reports for 1626 - 1628 pub. In Rushworth's hist.Col.
    1664 Deed of Transfer of land in the parish
    1667 Local Tradesman's token. John Modford
    1669 MSS. Churchwarden's Accounts, preserved in the church
11 Cullinton 1068 "Carta prima" deed of gift by K William I to Battle Abbey
12 Culuntuna 1066 No 3. Deed of gift by King William I to Battle Abbey
13 Coluntuna 1067  No 4. Deed of gift by King William I to Battle Abbey
14 Culintuna 1068? No 10. Deed of gift by King William I to Battle Abbey
15 Culitona 1070 Gift deed from Battle Abbey to St Nicholas' priory, Ex. Arch. Civ,Exon
16 Colonton 17-- Grose's Antiq. Of England and Wales. Art Battle Abbey
17 Colunp, ? Quoted in D Lyson's Mag. Brit. As name of Manor, ante KingWilliam
18 Cullum 1630 Tombstaone of Mary Ffowler, in church
19 Culumpton 1406 Confirmation Deed of Isabella de Fortibus to Buckland Abbey
    1778 England's Gazeteer, pub, in London
20 Cullompton 1698 Deed of Transfer of land in parish
    1714 Deed of Transfer of land in parish
    1754 MSS, deed relating to Town Watercourse
    1767 Act of Parliament re-amending roads in Tiverton Division
    1778 England's Gazeteer, suggesting it as proper mode of spelling
    1783 Revision List of Taxation of Devon
    1795 Tombstone of Elias Jarman, in church
    1808 G Vancouver's Gen. View of the Agric. Of the Co. of Devon
    1814 Printed handbill relating to a public dinner on 14 June
    1825 Topographical Dictionary, by B P Capper
    1831 As above
    1835 Local Penny Postage Seal
    1840 Knight's Penny Cyclopedia, pub in London
21 Columton 1652 Tombstone of Abraham Turner, in church
22 Colupton 1356 Deed of Gift of Town Watercourse by Buckland Abbey to thetown
23 Culunton 17-- Grose's Antiq. Eng. And Wales. 1st ed.; no date
24 Columbton 1586 Camden's Britannia, original edition
    1722 Revised edition of above by Dr Gibson
    1778 England's Gazeteer, pub. In London
    1782 Taxation of the Hundreds of Devon. Chapple's Review
    1797 Polewhele's History of Devon
    1805 From G Dyer's "Mode of Restoring the ancient names of rivers,&c."
25 Culmton 1538 Rev. Thomas Moore's History of Devon
26 Colonton 1546 Chantries Certif. No. XV., made according to Commission
27 Culumbton 1586 Camden's Britannia. Map of Original Edition
28 Cullumton 1662 Tombstone of Mary Day, in church
29 Cullumston 1666? Local coin, Walter Challis
30 Colomton 1651 Local coin, Tristram Clarke
    1666 Local coin, Henry Hopping
31 Cullomton 1666 Local coin, John Harris
32 Cylmton 1797 Suggested as proper name by Mr Polewhele in 1797
33 Culuntun 1100 Deed of Gift from Battle Abbey to St Nicholas' Priory(Dugdale)
34 Colutuna 1200 Deed belonging to St Nicholas' Priory, Exon
35 Cullemton 1664 Local coin, name illegible
36 Colehampton 1700 (?) Road Book of England and Wales
37 Colump 1273 Gift Deed of Amicia, Countess of Devon, to Buckland Abbey
38 Culumton 1400 Confirmation Deed of Gift by Amicia, Countess, to BucklandAbbey
39 Colampton 1788 Thesaurus Ecclesiasticus, or Liber Valorum, by John Lloyd
40 Collumston 1667 Local coin, William Skinner
 

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