The Origin of Place Names
REPORT ON MONTHLY LECTURE
We were pleased to welcome Anthony Poulton-Smith last October who gave us a tremendously enjoyable and interesting talk on “The Origin of Place Names” and he travelled down from Staffordshire especially to talk to our U3A.
I have never seen Glebe Hall so packed, and everyone agreed how interesting he was which was very rewarding for his efforts. Anthony is a freelance journalist and also an author, currently having almost 70 published books, many articles, crossword puzzles and quizzes. His books have mostly been on the subject of the origins of place-names and as part of the publicity Anthony has been interviewed several times on the radio and has been privileged to be guest speaker at many events. The talks not only cover the origins of towns and villages but also hills, streams, districts, fields streets and even public houses. Other subjects covered by his books include ley lines, salt routes and Watling Street. These books can be purchased on line for £2 by just using an email address.
He told us his hobby originated from his father who took up the hobby and passed on his enthusiasm for unusual place names to his son. There was considerable audience participation when members asked him to discuss the origin of various names of local districts around us. Interestingly enough the only major city that nobody has ever found the origin of its name is London.
Many place names derive from Celtic, then Anglo Saxon, and then Viking cultures when we were conquered over a thousand years ago, and many of our place names are clearly from Scandinavian origins. The Norman conquest in 1066 also influenced many names around the country, as some of the place names were given a French slant such as Ashby-de-la-Zouche in Nottinghamshire and Theydon Bois in Essex.
Due to the enthusiasm of the audience the talk over-ran by 30 minutes, and it was well worth it.