English Place Names

by Kenneth Cameron

This revised and updated edition of the 1961 classic explains the technique of place-name study; examines the types of place-name formation, both ancient and modern; and includes a new chapter on modern place-names. It covers names of Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, Scandinavian and French origin, those with Christian and pagan significance, those illustrating social and legal customs; and more.

Genres: History

256 pages, Paperback

First published June 30, 2003

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This manages to be mind-numbingly boring and utterly fascinating all at once. Really useful for novelists trying to work out a decent geography for English historical fiction.

[Serena · Rating 3 out of 5]

(I read the 1977 edition) I read this hoping to get an easy cheat sheet on the origin of the names of the places as I traveled. ("The ones that end in -fleet? That's from the Old English -fleot 'estuary, intersecting creek' or 'stream.'") But because of the thousands of years of the mishmash of Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, Scandanavian and Norman languages, personal names, transcription errors, dialect shifts, et cetera, et cetera, there is no way to have a "cheat sheet."

I did have an interesting time reading it, even if my eyes did glaze over occasionally. Plus the trivia I now have about English place names is extensive!!