Place Names

[Willd]

I thought it'd be vaguely interesting to record place names where I've been and how they're derived. It might also be interesting to see regional variations

Our ancestors in this part of the country must have been pretty lazy, and by far the most popular is "ton."
ton / tun / tone - (Old English) - an enclosure; a farmstead; a village; an estate

"Priors" records the fact the village belonged to St Mary's Priory in Coventry. "Marston" combines the Old English words Merse referring to a lake which formed a fishery in the early history of the village and tun meaning a settlement.

Two tons of Tons

Well 214 so far...

I live in Bilton:

and you don't really want to know why witches are often depicted as flying on broomsticks

 

[Alex321]

The "ton" is also of course the original source of "town", although town has later come to mean a rather larger settlement.

Here in Wales, I think the most common place name prefix/suffix is Llan - meaning church.

 

[Dogtrousers]

"Priors" records the fact the village belonged to St Mary's Priory in Coventry.

As, presumably, did Priors Hardwick just down the road.

 

[raleighnut]

So how did Newtown Unthank get its name, were people peeved that it got built

 

[Willd]

Googling suggests something along the lines of:

This is an unusually well-recorded example of a widely distributed local name derived from the OE word unpanc , literally 'ill-will' or 'displeasure.'In OE literature the word generally appears in the genitival phrase his unþances , 'against his will.' When used as a place-name, the word denoted a piece of land held 'against the will' or 'without the consent' of its lawful owner. In most cases it meant originally a squatter's holding.

Unthank from Anglo-Saxon unþanc, meaning a squatter farm

 

[ianrauk]

You need to come to Orpington.
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Or perhaps not

 

[Willd]

Looks like it

 

[Willd]

ford - (Old English) a shallow place in a river where you can cross easily

Currently at number two with 37 entries.

fording place of the River Sib - more like a little brook today

Also went through Shutford, which is on a tributary of the Sor Brook: Its early name in the twelfth century – Schiteford – underwent a wide variety of changes before reaching its present form, and according to the Oxford Dictionary of Place Names, meant ‘the archer’s ford’ (from the Old English scytta = archer), or Scytta’s Ford (from the name of a person)

 

[pawl]

Just had a quick Google re Desford .Dates back to AngloSaxon No evidence it’s name is based on a ford as it is on a hill
The only ford I know is on the bridle path between Desford and Kirkby Mallory and that is aprox am mile out of Desford

 

[Willd]

I guess settlements move over time, bridges replace fords etc. , There are several water-courses nearby. I'm far from an expert and have been using the University of Nottingham's key to English place-names & that has a lot of "uncertains" in it.

 

[Willd]

by the by

by - (Old Norse) ‘settlement’ or ‘village’. First non old-English one

Went through five on Sunday:
Cosby - 'Cossa's farm/settlement' or perhaps, less likely, 'Kofsi's farm/settlement'.
Blaby - 'Blar's farm/settlement'.
Willoughby Waterleys - 'Willow-tree farm/settlement', with the later addition of 'water meadows'.
Ashby Magna / Parva - 'Large / Small Ash-tree farm/settlement'.

Now joint second with ford:

 

[Willd]

I'll get me Cote

cot - (Old English) A cottage, a hut, a shelter, a den.

36 so far

 

[Willd]

borough, burgh, bury -the Saxons built ‘burhs’ to ward off the Viking threat, and ‘borough’, ‘burgh’ and ‘bury’ all relate to the original Old English.

Also went through Banbury at the weekend.

been to 30 so far

 

[Willd]

hām (Old English) A village, a village community, a manor, an estate, a homestead.

Also went through Southam at the weekend.

Been to 18 so far

 

[raleighnut]

borough, burgh, bury -the Saxons built ‘burhs’ to ward off the Viking threat, and ‘borough’, ‘burgh’ and ‘bury’ all relate to the original Old English.

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Also went through Banbury at the weekend.

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been to 30 so far

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Lot of Viking named places hereabouts

Enderby, Cosby, Blaby, Ratby