The Penguin Dictionary of British Place Names

Book excerpt: A comprehensive A-Z guide to the meaning and history of 6000 place name from England, Scotland and Wales. Unlocking the meaning of a place namecan provide fasinating insights into the history and development of a community. A place name can tell us when a town was founded, who founded it what the surrounding countryside was like and even which animals lived there. This dictionary provides the key. Covering names of countries, regions, cities, towns, suburbs, villages and rivers. In each case it explains precisely the place names means, what language it is derived from (for example, Anglo-Saxon, Celtic) and when it was first recorded and provides a host of background details. The dictionary also explains the meaning and significance of comman elements in place names (for example, ham) and includes a number of maps.