| What is merseyPlaceNames? |
| This site
presents a comprehensive survey of local place
names and their origins. I have given the
original meaning of the place name in the
language of the time, along with information on
the local context, where possible, that might
have given rise to the name. If relevant, I have
given the name as it appeared in the Domesday
Book of 1086 (marked DB), otherwise the
earliest version of the name I have been able to
find. I have avoided giving the (often many)
orthographic variants down the centuries, but
apart from this merseyPlaceNames is
probably the most comprehensive collection of
this kind of information in one place on the Web
at the moment. |
| Regions |
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| Acknowledgements |
| I have
consulted many sources and it is clear that quite
a lot is open to interpretation. As much as
possible, I have given alternatives, but I have
had to be selective sometimes. If you can
contribute fresh information, I would be keen to
hear from you; anything used will be
acknowledged. For contact details, see the allertonOak Home Page. |
| These are the
major internet sources consulted: |
|
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| I have also
consulted the following books: |
| Domesday
Book, Cheshire: including Lancashire,
Cumbria and North Wales, Philip
Morgan (ed.), Phillimore, 1978. |
| Viking
Mersey, Stephen Harding, Countyvise
Ltd., Birkenhead, 2002 |
| The
Place-names of the Liverpool District,
Henry Harrison, Elliot Stock, London,
1898 |
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|
 |
| If, like me, you sometimes try and conjure
up a picture of how a place must have been long ago, a
knowledge of the origin of the name of the place can
sometimes provide a significant clue. For example, the
name Wallasey comes from the Anglo-Saxon for
'Island of the Britons'. It was an island because it was
cut off by Wallasey Float and low-lying marshland towards
Leasowe, but what's so unusual about 'Britons'? Well, the
Wirral was flooded with relatively peaceful Viking
immigrants from Ireland and the Isle of Man in the 10th
century and Wallasey could have been an isolated enclave
of Brits, who preferred the higher ground anyway. It was
also once known as Kirkeby in Walea
(counterpointing West Kirby with its church of St.
Bridget), Kirby denoting a village with a church.
Scandinavian settlers landing here would have noticed the
Saxon St. Hilary's church on the hill. Enjoy browsing ...
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