More Strangly Named UK Places

The response to my last blog about strange places has made me decide to make another.

Thanks again to Beckette for the original inspiration.

Placenames originate from a variety of sources. Some describe a place where someone lives, or a major industry in the area. Others are named after local geographic features such as hills or rivers. They come from many diferent cultures that have at some time or other inhabited these islands. The Vikings, the Romans, Anglo-Saxons all have influence, as do many others. The United Kingdom, despite what some would believe, is a huge melting pot of cultures from all around the globe.

The thumbnail picture is of Castle Combe village in Wiltshire, in the south west of England.

And so onto the list......

Giggleswick is a village near to Settle in North Yorkshire.

It's name derives from the name Ghigeleswic meaning "Dwelling or farm of a man called Gikel"

Dating back many centuries the village still has what is known as a "Plague Stone". This was a stone with a hollowed out recess that contained vinegar. Traders were required to disinfect their coins on entry to the village to prevent the spread of "The Black Death".

Actor Anthony Daniels went to school in Giggleswick. He is best known for playing C3-P0 in the Star Wars franchise.

Situated on the "Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site", Beer is a village and beach in Dorset on the south coast of England.

The name Beer has nothing to do with the popular drink but has a name that comes from the Old English word bearu meaning grove.

Historically, the village survived by fishing and lace-making, although due to it's secluded cove and nearby caves, was also a location for smuggling and contraband.

The Beer Quarry Caves complex supplied stone to many famous buildings including Westminster Abbey, St.Pauls Cathedral and Christchurch Cathedral in St.Louis, USA.

Tourists come to Beer for its pebble beach, cliffs containing fossils, and the miniatuare railway.

Inhabited by a single family, the Isle of Ewe is situated on the west coast of Scotland.

Originally with more families, they were evacuated during the Second World war when the surrounding loch was used as a naval base.

The most believed derivation of the name is from the Old Irish eo meaning Yew.

Local boat owners make a living sailing around the island with newly wed couples due to the name of the island being similar to "I Love You".

In the 1880's a group of young boys reported seeing fairies on the island.

The village sign shows a propeller signifying the Royal Air Force base that used to be close to this village in Norfolk in the east of England.

Dating back to at least the 10th century, Little Snoring has an entry in the Domesday Book of 1085 under the name Snaringa, named after the settlement leader "Snare". The name has evolved over the years into the current Little Snoring. This is to distinguish it from the nearby village of Great Snoring.

Crackpot is a village in Swaledale in North Yorkshire.

It's name is derived from a mixture of sources. The Old English, kraka meaning crow, and the Viking word pot meaning pit or deep hole.

In the nearby Crackpot Cave there is an example of a stalagmite connecting with a stalagtite forming a column.

Gotham. Mention this name and most people think of Gotham City, the home of Batman. This village was named long before the DC comics and film franchises. In fact it is the inspiration for them.

Situated near to the city of Nottingham, the name comes from the Old English name for "Goat Home" and was the home to "The Wise Men of Gotham", a name given to the villagers after an alleged incident where they pretended to be insane to prevent a Royal Visit.

The Gotham name was used by DC and the original village and legend has been referenced several times.

From Gotham, where insanity was thought to occur, to Bedlam.

The name conjures up images of asylums and chaos. But this village's name comes from the Old English Botlum meaning "at the buildings".

This tiny village only shares a name with the London Psychiatric Hospital that is the original Bedlam, itself derived from Bethlem Hospital.

Unusual in that it is the only place in the United Kingdom to have an exclamation mark within it's name.

Westward Ho! was named after a novel published in 1855 by Charles Kingsley. Set in nearby Bideford, a local entrepreneur saw a chance to earn a few pounds by naming his hotel "Westward Ho!". Copyright laws being a little more relaxed in those days, the village grew up around the hotel and the name stuck.

The village is popular with surfers and several holiday sites are nearby.

During World War 2 adapted Bailey bridges and the Panjandrum weapon were tested in the area.

The longest place name in the United Kingdom, this Welsh village on the island of Anglesey was renamed during Victorian times to encourage visitors.

The Welsh language name when translated to English means "St.Marys church in the hollow of the white hazel near to the rapid whirlpool of Llantysilio of the Red Cave".

Some 200,000 tourists visit the small town annually.

From the longest to the shortest. The village of Ae in the southern Scottish county of Dumfries and Galloway is also one of the newest, having been created in 1947 by the Forestry Commision.

Although only home to around 200 people, the local area has many mountain biking and wheelchair friendly trails through the nearby forests.

Lover is the name of a small village in the New Forest National Park, in the county of Wiltshire in southern England.

The local Post Office, although now closed, does open temporarily during the week leading up to Valentines Day. This is to provide postmarks from Lover on cards for Valentines.

I have resisted the temptation to add places whose names are extremely rude and definately NSFW or for younger ears and eyes. Although strange names, the people that live in these places are fiercely defensive of them and resist most attempts by local government to rename the villages.

I have only concentrated on the U.K. at the moment because that's where I live. There are strange names in many places around the world. Some mean one thing in the local language, but are offensive or strange in English, and also vice versa, what seems normal in English may be deeply offensive in another language.

Thank you if you commented on the first of this series, I have taken note of any suggestions and added them to my list.