In 1327 a certain William de Ketenore paid tax on land he held at Chibbet, a hamlet just to the southwest of Exford, in the centre of the Forest of Exmoor in west Somerset. The Tax Roll of 1327 spells the name of the place 'Chyobyete', and it is probably of Anglo-Saxon origin, with the opening 'CH' hard and pronounced 'K'.
The family lived at Chibbet until the early 1600s, and their surname evolved over the years from de Ketenore to Ketnor, Kitnor, Kitner and and Kidner. To distinguish themselves from other Kidners, they sometimes adopted an 'Alias' of Chibbet or Chibbett and were known, for example, as 'Kitnor alias Chibbett' or 'Chibbett alias Kitnor'. The alias itself developed, from 'Chibbet' to 'Chibbett', and from 'Chibbett' to 'Gibbett' and 'Gebbett'.
See
Appendix 10 for Kitners (Alias Chebett) of Selworthy
- 16th to 18th centuries
and Appendix 11
for Kitnors and Chibbetts in West Somerset Parish Registers
Last updated on 3rd September 2008
