Places and names in UK

The meaning of a placename is almost always a matter of guesswork. The main fact about place names in England is that they are in origin overwhelmingly English or Norse. This reflects the occupation of England by the Anglo-Saxons and the later settlement of much of eastern England by the Vikings.

Traces the older Celtic placeneames crop up here and there, sometimes in odd ways. Bre was the Celtic word for 'hill' and dun meant 'hill' in Old English. So Breedon on the Hill in Leicestershire is named 'Hill hill on the hill'. In Scotland, Wales and Cornwall many more Celtic names have survived.