Place Names - Böcker

Ever wondered why our towns and villages get their names from? Were they a deliberate creation by our ancestors or did they evolve naturally over time? Is there a feline cemetery on Cat's Brain Hill? Which streets remember the revival of Morris Dancing? Was there really a crossing place for cattle at Oxford? And when did Gibraltar, California and New Zealand come to Oxfordshire? Oxfordshire Place Names examines the origins of the names with which we are otherwise so familiar. Towns, villages, districts, hills, streams, woods, farms, fields, streets and even pubs are examined and explained. Some of the definitions give a glimpse of life in the earlier days of the settlement, and for the author there is nothing more satisfying than finding a name which gives such a snapshot. The definitions are supported by anecdotal evidence, bringing to life the individuals and events which have influenced the places and the way these names have developed. This is not just a dictionary but a history and will prove invaluable not only for those who live and work in the county but also visitors and tourists, historians and former inhabitants, indeed anyone with an interest in Oxfordshire.

Ever wondered why our towns and villages are so named? Were they a deliberate creation by our ancestors or did they evolve naturally over time? Which river was named from the blackberries which grow there? Why would a rock be called the Pig's Nose? What links beer and cathedrals? Why is Mincing Lake not a lake but a river? And just who were Peter and Mary Tavy? In these pages we examine the origins of the names with which we are otherwise so familiar. Towns, villages, districts, hills, streams, woods, farms, fields, streets and even pubs are examined and explained. The definitions are supported by anecdotal evidence, bringing to life the individuals and events which have influenced the places and the way these names have developed. This is not just a dictionary, but a history too, and will prove invaluable not only for those who live and work in the county but also to visitors and tourists, historians and former inhabitants, indeed anyone with an interest in South Devon.