Bloomsbury Dictionary of Place Names in the British Isles

A guide to over 4000 placenames in the British Isles. Place-names are a source of information about both local and national history and can also tell the story behind many people's names, the countryside and local families.

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A guide to over 4000 placenames in the British Isles. Placenames are a source of information about both local and national history and can also tell the story behind many people's names, the countryside and local families. Much of the history of the country is hidden in placenames. Some elements are well-known, "-ham" is a Viking suffix and "-chester" is of Roman origin. But less well-known is that "Evesham" means "land in the bed of a river". The "Eve" element refers to an unknown Saxon called "Eof" whose name occurs in a different form in London's "Euston".