Understanding English Placenames Quiz

Answer: fields belonging to a hospital

In 1394 the place was still called Seintmariespitel. This plot of land belonged to the Priory of St Mary Spital (founded in 1197).
Spitals were the lowest category of hospitals, and were meant for beggars and for the poor in general.

Answer: street through the lands of the Earningas

Would have been a rather big estate for just one Lord.
The Ermine Street ran from near Pevensey to York. London and York were on that road.
There was also an Ermine Street that ran from Gloucester to Silchester.

Answer: Shrewsbury

Shropshire has the same etymology as Shrewsbury, but it is not a town.
Though the name Salop is etymologically correct for Shropshire it bears an unpleasant resemblance to French salope (a slut).
Salisbury derives from Sarisberie. The Normans found it easier to pronounce the name of "Sarum" with an -l- rather than with an -r- and so Salisbury was born.

Answer: Chiswick

Chevy Chase is the "chase" or hunting-ground near to the Chevy Hill. Same root as Cheviot Hills.
Chesham has no link with cheese. It is the reduction of "ceastel-hamm" in which "ceastel" is a heap of stones and "hamm" refers to a river meadow.
Cheshire is short for Chester-shire.
"Wick" and "Wich" are etymologically related to Latin vicus but in English they may refer to a farm. Compare: Eastwick, Greenwich, Droitwich, etc.

Answer: the Middle- English word preste for priest

Prestwich and Prestwick refer to a "priests' outlying farm".
Preston is a "priests' village".
In all these cases the name probably refers to an endowment for priests who may have served a church somewhere else.
Prestcot ("priests' cottage") may have been a parsonage.
Preseli in Wales is probably related to "prys", wood or grove.

Answer: Chipping

Chipping means "market place" and is related to Chep in Chepstow or Cheap in Cheapside (= street alongside the market area)."Céap" is a market.

Answer: Corinium Castrum

Cirencester was not a Roman Camp dedicated to the Moon (Selena), nor was it a circular camp or a camp full of sirens.
Domesday Book spells it as "Cisetur", which may account for the later pronunciation "Sissiter".

Answer: place near or in the wood

Another "wood-place" is Stow-on-the-Wold which means: assembly-place in or near the wood.

Answer: lake with hazel-trees

Also in Ellesmere and Windermere "mere" means lake. Compare Dutch "meer" as in Ijsselmeer.

Answer: Gloucester

Worcester and Gloucester are both on the same river: the Severn. Gloucester derives from Gleawcestrescir (Camp near the glowing river) and Worcester from Wireceastrecir (Camp near the winding river). The Latin name for Gloucester was Glevum.
Leicester derives from Laegreceastrecir (documented in 1087) and probably refers to a tribe, the Ligore.
Colchester - the old Colonia Camelodunum - has often been described as "Old King Cole's Camp", but the true etymology relates to the River Colne on which the town stands.