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

Caroline Taggart

Jun 2011 · Random House

About this ebook

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.

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About the author

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.