There are not many places in Lancashire starting with the
letter U (and none that I know personally), so instead I’ll look today at some ‘unusual’
place names and their meanings:
Bashall Eaves –
the origin of this name is Old English, and comes from ‘becks-halgh’ meaning a
hill by the brook. Eaves refers to the settlement being on the border of the
forest (in this case the Forest of Bowland).
Chipping – there
are several examples of this name in England, often with another name attached
(e.g.Chipping Campden). The word comes from the Old English ‘ceapen’ meaning
market. It was originally spelt ‘chepyng’. The village of Chipping in Lancashire was a thriving place during the Indistrial Revolution with 7 mills along the river. Now it's a picturesque village which has won several 'Best Kept Village' awards. Its Craft Centre holds the record for having been used as a shop for the longest continuous time in the UK, having been established in 1658 by a local woollen merchant.
Dolphinholme –
nothing to do with the sea creatures, this comes from Scandinavian, possibly a Norseman
called Tolfin. The word ‘holme’ means either an island in a river or lake, or
low flat land near a river i.e. the River Wyre.
Foulridge – no,
not offensive or smelly. It’s pronounce ‘Foal-Ridge’ which is actually its
origin, as the word foal comes from the Anglo-Saxon word ‘fola’. It's situated on the Leeds-Liverpool Canal, and barge trips along the canal take visitors into the mile-long Foulridge Tunnel.
Much Hoole – the
Old England word ‘hulu’ means shed, and the village has been spelt as Hull and
Hole in the past. It was referred to as Magna (great) Hole in 1212, and later
as Grett Whollen.
Oswaldtwistle –
pronounced ‘ozzel-twizzel’ and often shortened to ‘Ozzie’. Twistle refers to a
place where two brooks meet, and there is a legend that St Oswald, king of
Northumbria in the 7th century, passed through the area which was then named in
his honour. Of course, it could equally be named after a local farmer in the
area! Nowadays its main attraction is 'Ozzie Mills', a textle mill now converted to a craft centre which also has an exhibition about the life in the mill in the past.
Winewall – not a
stack of alcohol, sadly. The name comes from Win-wall, and is thought to refer
to an ancient entrenchment on the hill
Oswaldtwistle - my favorite. Great list!
ReplyDeleteIt's a great name, isn't it, Libby? :-)
ReplyDeleteOswaldtwistle is my favorite too. What a fun name! And the history behind these is fascinating. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteYes, it's a fun name. Some peope think it doesn't actually exist, but it does!
ReplyDeleteVery amusing. I love place names. I rather like Pratt's Bottom
ReplyDeleteIs there an Ushaw?
ReplyDeleteLove the explanation of Bashall Eaves, my ancestors came from there.
Delightful place.
As always, Paula, an interesting post.
Sorry Paula, Ushaw Moor is in County Durham and you are just looking at Lancashire.
ReplyDeleteDidn't realise your ancestors came from around there, Margaret. Mine came from Winewall which is why I included it in my list! The only Lancashire 'U' places I could find were Upholland, and Ulnes Walton, and I don't know anything about either of them!
ReplyDeleteOh, fun! I love looking at UK maps for all the evocative place names.
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ReplyDeleteOf course, Paula, if everything was where it should be, Urmston should still be part of Lancashire.
ReplyDeleteYes, I did think of Urmston (of course!) but it's not officially in Lancashire any more :-(
ReplyDeleteCome to think of it, neither is Mancheser which I'm going to cover (partly) next week - for the letter V. Now work that one out LOL!
Deniz - here are some wonderful place names in the UK, many of them going back to Roman or Anglo-Saxon times. Nether Wallop is a favourite of mine!
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