How Place-Names Began: C.M. Matthews

Most of our place-names are very old, some of them dating back before Christ. They come from different origins - Old English, Norman, Latin, Norse - but every name once had a meaning. For example, in southern England, Chiswick meant a cheese or dairy farm, Keswick meant the same thing in the north; Bristol was the meeting place at the bridge, while the Mersey was the frontier river. Tracing the origins of our place-names helps us to recreate the past, providing a fascinating glimpse into the lives of men and women who lived hundreds of years ago. Most of the names covered here are of British origin, but the book does not confine itself to Great Britain; it also includes Canada, North America, Australia, New Zealand, Africa - and even the moon!