Page 16 - September 2022 Magazine - Bumper Edition

Y Yo o u u r r v v i i l l l l a a g g e e o o r r town name...
Why do you live in?....
From where does the name of the town that you live in originate, and why is your village or city called what it is?
The Islands that we now refer to as the British Isles, have been occupied, settled by, and or invaded by the Picts, the Celts, the Romans, the Saxons, the Danes, and the Normans.
They have all left their mark on our lands in one way or another. All of them have contributed to our language and the place names of our villages, settlements, and later, areas that became cities.
People, location, and geography have led to the names of many of the places we now live in.
Some are easy to spot. For example, the
Saxons gave us Essex, Middlesex, Sussex, and of course, Wessex. These were the lands of the East, Middle, South, and West Saxons.
Others are not quite so obvious but are easy to work out. For example, the word ‘strat’ refers to a Roman road (and where we get Street from). Add to it a place where a river can safely be crossed on foot, i.e. a ‘ford’, and yep - you get Stratford.
Ann Hathaway's Cottage in Stratford upon Avon
16 | The Flickering Cauldron® Magazine - Your Village or Town Name