The Book of English Place Names: How Our Towns and Villages Got Their Names

Used
Hardcover
2011
$3.29

Take a journey down winding lanes and Roman roads in this witty and informative guide to the meanings behind the names of England's towns and villages. From Celtic farmers to Norman conquerors, right up to the Industrial Revolution, deciphering our place names reveals how generations of our ancestors lived, worked, travelled and worshipped, and how their influence has shaped our landscape. From the most ancient sacred sites to towns that take their names from stories of giants and knights, learn how Roman garrisons became our great cities, and discover how a meeting of the roads could become a thriving market town. Region by region, Caroline Taggart uncovers hidden meanings to reveal a patchwork of tall tales and ancient legends that collectively tells the story of how we made England.

Synopsis

Take a journey down winding lanes and Roman roads in this witty and informative guide to the meanings behind the names of England's towns and villages. From Celtic farmers to Norman conquerors, right up to the Industrial Revolution, deciphering our place names reveals how generations of our ancestors lived, worked, travelled and worshipped, and how their influence has shaped our landscape. From the most ancient sacred sites to towns that take their names from stories of giants and knights, learn how Roman garrisons became our great cities, and discover how a meeting of the roads could become a thriving market town. Region by region, Caroline Taggart uncovers hidden meanings to reveal a patchwork of tall tales and ancient legends that collectively tells the story of how we made England.

$3.29

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 304
Publisher: Ebury Press
Published: 28 Apr 2011
ISBN 10: 0091940435
ISBN 13: 9780091940430
Book Overview: An entertaining guide to the wonderful stories and interesting facts behind the names of England's towns and villages

Media Reviews

Will enliven a journey through even the dullest parts of the country. * Lonely Planet *
Taggart has researched hidden meanings to reveal a patchwork of tall tales and legends that reveal the history of England's often oddly named towns and villages...If you want to know your wick from your ham and your ton from your bury, this quirky little hardback is worth picking up. * Manchester Evening News *
Caroline Taggart...has carved out a niche for herself in user-friendly, wittily-written factual books. * Yorkshire Post *

Author Bio

Caroline Taggart worked in publishing as an editor of popular non-fiction for 30 years before being asked to write I Used to Know That, which became a Sunday Times bestseller. Her later books include My Grammar and I (or should that be 'Me'?) and Her Ladyship's Guide to the Queen's English. As a result, she has appeared frequently on BBC Breakfast and on national and regional radio, talking about language, grammar and Pythagoras' theorem. With her editorial hat on, she also visits writers' conferences around the country, advising would-be authors on how to get published and learning what their place names mean.