What do English place names mean?
Most English place-names are either Anglo-Saxon or Old Norse in origin but Celtic names are to be found over the whole country, most notably in Cornwall (see below) and counties bordering Wales. Other place-names are hybrids of Celtic and Anglo-Saxon elements.
Where do English town names come from?
Roman contributions to British place names come mainly through their Latinisation of pre-Roman names. A Celtic name that had been rendered by earlier Greek visitors as Pretanniké became the Roman Britannia; an ancient name of obscure meaning became Londinium.
Where do place names originate?
The History of Placenames Most often the names of places are related to the original people that founded the settlement and they can often be attributed to the landscape, animals, vegetation or social activities of the area.
What a place name can tell you about the history of a place?
The history of a place’s name – its geographical etymology – can provide us with clues to the history of the place itself, and often with clues to the people who have lived there in the past.
What does London mean as a name?
From The Great River
The name London is primarily a gender-neutral name of English origin that means From The Great River.
What is the oldest place-name in Britain?
A Wiltshire town has been confirmed as the longest continuous settlement in the United Kingdom. Amesbury, including Stonehenge, has been continually occupied since 8820BC, experts have found.
Why are places called Piccadilly?
Why do they call it Piccadilly Circus? The name ‘Piccadilly’ originates from a seventeenth-century frilled collar named a piccadil. Roger Baker, a tailor who became rich making piccadils lived in the area. The word ‘Circus’ refers to the roundabout around which the traffic circulated.
What does shire mean UK?
county
Definition of shire 1 : an administrative subdivision especially : a county in England. 2 : any of an old breed of large heavy draft horses of British origin having heavily feathered legs.
What was first city in England?
Colchester
Colchester – Why Britain’s First City? In AD49 Colchester was the first place in Britain to be given the status of a Roman Colonia. A Colonia was a planned settlement for retired veteran soldiers who became citizens of Rome upon discharge, with all the privileges that Roman citizenship afforded.
Why are places in London called circus?
Circus comes from the Latin root ‘circ’, for circle. These junctions are intersections of so many roads that they become circular, hence ‘circus’.
Why is it called the circus?
The circus is of comparatively recent origin, yet certain elements can be traced back to ancient Rome. The great Roman amphitheatres—called circuses after the Latin word for “circle”—were most often devoted to gladiatorial combats, chariot races, the slaughter of animals, mock battles, and other blood sports.
Why are places called Ham?
Here’s a hint: Every Massachusetts city and town with a “ham” in its name has a counterpart in England. Herwick said that “ham” essentially means a village. “And to take it a step further, that H-A-M — that ‘ham’ itself — in old English means ‘home,’ which is why it sort of doubles to mean ‘village’ as well.