Swindels-Gate Farm
Swindels-Gate Farm is mentioned in "A Dictionary of English Surnames" (P. H. Reaney, R. M. Wilson: Oxford University Press: Revised third edition 1997)) in connection with Humphrey Swindells in 1647.
The reference should be to page 145 (of The Place Names of Cheshire, Part
One, by J. McN. Dodgson published by the Cambridge University
Press in 1970). The reference is to Swindels-Gate Farm in Rainow.
"SWINDELS-GATE FM
cf. Humphrey Swindells 1647 Dow, v geat a gate".
The Dow is an abbreviation for the reference "The Downes MSS in the
possession of Dr B.K. Blount; Downes MSS., ed J. McN Dodgson (NRA) London 1958".
I have been unable to find further information about this manuscript. However,
according to the IGI, Swindells and its variants occur frequently in the
parish records for Prestbury (Cheshire), which includes Rainow, with the
earliest references going back to 1565.
Swindells Gate Farm
It should be noted that the local term for valleys is 'clough' not 'dale' and that it is more likely that Swindel(l)s Gate farm is named after a Swindell rather than the reverse. Swindells Gate Farm still exists today. It is located 8 km north-east of Macclesfield at the end of Hedge Row on the Harrop Brook at map reference SJ9582278235. "The Place Names of Cheshire" suggests the name is derived from 'geat/gate'; the location at the upper level of normal agricultural land suggests to me the use of 'gate' as the allocation of common land rights to farmers away from the village centre (in this case Bollington).