English Place-Name Society
Encyclopedia
The English Place-Name Society is a learned society
concerned with toponomastics and the toponymy of England, in other words, the study of place-names (toponyms).
Its scholars aim to explain the origin and history of the names they study, taking into account factors such as the meaning of the elements out of which they were created (which can be in languages such as Old English, or early Welsh
, Danish
, Norwegian
or Cornish
etc.); the topography, geology and ecology of the places bearing the names; and the general and local history and culture of England
.
about setting up an English place-name survey. He obtained the formal and financial support of the Academy. Within a year he had brought into being a society composed of interested persons, provided it with a constitution and laid down the lines of its future conduct. The headquarters of the Society were first at the University of Liverpool
where Mawer was Professor of English Language. The publications of the Society began in 1924 with two volumes, a collection of essays and a dictionary of place-name elements. Mawer and Aileen Armstrong acted as General Editors for the annual volumes of county place-name surveys. From 1929 J. E. B. Gover collected material and was sub-editor of the volumes.
In 1929 Professor Mawer was appointed Provost of University College, London and the Society moved there at the end of the year. When World War II came the Society moved briefly to University College, Aberystwyth, back to London and then to Stansted Bury on the Hertfordshire
/Essex
border. In July 1942 Sir Allen Mawer died and Sir Frank Stenton
became General Editor. The Society moved to the University of Reading
until 1946. When Professor Bruce Dickins
succeeded as Honorary Director the Society moved to the University of Cambridge
and Miss Margaret Midgley (later Dr Margaret Gelling
) was appointed Research Assistant.
When Professor Hugh Smith
assumed the position of Honorary Director in 1951, University College, London became once more the Society's headquarters, with Margaret Midgley continuing research until 1953. Hugh Smith produced two new "Elements" volumes and 14 others on county place-names. On his death in 1967 Professor Kenneth Cameron became Honorary Director and the Society's offices were split between London and Nottingham, where the university provided room for the Library and Archives, as well as the services of a secretary. In 1972 the Society moved completely to Nottingham where it remains at the Centre for Name Studies. Victor Watts became Honorary Director in 1992 until his death in 2002 when he was succeeded by Professor Richard Coates
.
, and some have now been shown to be more likely Celtic. Kenneth Hurlstone Jackson advised on Celtic names. By 2007 it had published 82 volumes of the county-by-county Survey of English Place-Names, aimed mainly at scholarly and academic users, and a range of books and booklets on names organized by region or by category (e.g. field-names), as well as some county dictionaries aimed mainly at a non-specialist audience. The Society is starting to publish a new series of booklets on place-name elements, but it is likely to be some time before this is complete. The Survey has been consistently supported, morally and practically, by the British Academy
, and from 2005 to 2010 was supported by a large grant from the Arts and Humanities Research Council
. English Place-Name Society material was used as the basis of the The Cambridge dictionary of English place-names published in 2004.
Learned society
A learned society is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline/profession, as well a group of disciplines. Membership may be open to all, may require possession of some qualification, or may be an honor conferred by election, as is the case with the oldest learned societies,...
concerned with toponomastics and the toponymy of England, in other words, the study of place-names (toponyms).
Its scholars aim to explain the origin and history of the names they study, taking into account factors such as the meaning of the elements out of which they were created (which can be in languages such as Old English, or early Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
, Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
, Norwegian
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
or Cornish
Cornish language
Cornish is a Brythonic Celtic language and a recognised minority language of the United Kingdom. Along with Welsh and Breton, it is directly descended from the ancient British language spoken throughout much of Britain before the English language came to dominate...
etc.); the topography, geology and ecology of the places bearing the names; and the general and local history and culture of England
Culture of England
The culture of England refers to the idiosyncratic cultural norms of England and the English people. Because of England's dominant position within the United Kingdom in terms of population, English culture is often difficult to differentiate from the culture of the United Kingdom as a whole...
.
History
In 1922 Professor Allen Mawer read a paper to the British AcademyBritish Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national body for the humanities and the social sciences. Its purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the humanities and social sciences, throughout the UK and internationally, and to champion their role and value.It receives an annual...
about setting up an English place-name survey. He obtained the formal and financial support of the Academy. Within a year he had brought into being a society composed of interested persons, provided it with a constitution and laid down the lines of its future conduct. The headquarters of the Society were first at the University of Liverpool
University of Liverpool
The University of Liverpool is a teaching and research university in the city of Liverpool, England. It is a member of the Russell Group of large research-intensive universities and the N8 Group for research collaboration. Founded in 1881 , it is also one of the six original "red brick" civic...
where Mawer was Professor of English Language. The publications of the Society began in 1924 with two volumes, a collection of essays and a dictionary of place-name elements. Mawer and Aileen Armstrong acted as General Editors for the annual volumes of county place-name surveys. From 1929 J. E. B. Gover collected material and was sub-editor of the volumes.
In 1929 Professor Mawer was appointed Provost of University College, London and the Society moved there at the end of the year. When World War II came the Society moved briefly to University College, Aberystwyth, back to London and then to Stansted Bury on the Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
/Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
border. In July 1942 Sir Allen Mawer died and Sir Frank Stenton
Frank Stenton
Sir Frank Merry Stenton was a 20th century historian of Anglo-Saxon England, and president of the Royal Historical Society . He was the author of Anglo-Saxon England, a volume of the Oxford History of England, first published in 1943 and widely considered a classic history of the period...
became General Editor. The Society moved to the University of Reading
University of Reading
The University of Reading is a university in the English town of Reading, Berkshire. The University was established in 1892 as University College, Reading and received its Royal Charter in 1926. It is based on several campuses in, and around, the town of Reading.The University has a long tradition...
until 1946. When Professor Bruce Dickins
Bruce Dickins
Bruce Dickins FBA was Elrington and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon, Cambridge University, from January 1946 until September 1957, afterwards Emeritus Professor; and Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge from 1946...
succeeded as Honorary Director the Society moved to the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
and Miss Margaret Midgley (later Dr Margaret Gelling
Margaret Gelling
Margaret Joy Gelling, OBE was an English toponymist, Fellow of St Hilda's College, Oxford, and member of the Society of Antiquaries of London and the British Academy....
) was appointed Research Assistant.
When Professor Hugh Smith
Hugh Smith
Hugh Smith may refer to:*Hugh Smith , former news director and anchor at Tampa, Florida's WTVT*Hugh Smith *Hugh Smith , Ontario farmer and political figure...
assumed the position of Honorary Director in 1951, University College, London became once more the Society's headquarters, with Margaret Midgley continuing research until 1953. Hugh Smith produced two new "Elements" volumes and 14 others on county place-names. On his death in 1967 Professor Kenneth Cameron became Honorary Director and the Society's offices were split between London and Nottingham, where the university provided room for the Library and Archives, as well as the services of a secretary. In 1972 the Society moved completely to Nottingham where it remains at the Centre for Name Studies. Victor Watts became Honorary Director in 1992 until his death in 2002 when he was succeeded by Professor Richard Coates
Richard Coates
Richard Coates is an English linguist. He is professor of linguistics at the University of the West of England in Bristol. He was formerly professor of linguistics at the University of Sussex, where he served as Dean of the School of Cognitive and Computing Sciences from 1998 to 2003...
.
Publications
In 1969 the Society commenced publishing its annual "Journal", which contains essays on various place-name topics. Most English counties are now covered in its place-name survey, however its early volumes are not as detailed as its later ones. From the 1960s there has been a change in the interpretation of some place-names, resulting from the detailed comparison of distributions of the place-name types which had been thought to be early Saxon and archaeological evidence. There was originally also a bias towards interpreting names as Anglo-SaxonAnglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
, and some have now been shown to be more likely Celtic. Kenneth Hurlstone Jackson advised on Celtic names. By 2007 it had published 82 volumes of the county-by-county Survey of English Place-Names, aimed mainly at scholarly and academic users, and a range of books and booklets on names organized by region or by category (e.g. field-names), as well as some county dictionaries aimed mainly at a non-specialist audience. The Society is starting to publish a new series of booklets on place-name elements, but it is likely to be some time before this is complete. The Survey has been consistently supported, morally and practically, by the British Academy
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national body for the humanities and the social sciences. Its purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the humanities and social sciences, throughout the UK and internationally, and to champion their role and value.It receives an annual...
, and from 2005 to 2010 was supported by a large grant from the Arts and Humanities Research Council
Arts and Humanities Research Council
Established in April 2005 as successor to the Arts and Humanities Research Board, the Arts and Humanities Research Council is a British Research Council and non-departmental public body that provides approximately £102 million from the Government to support research and postgraduate study in the...
. English Place-Name Society material was used as the basis of the The Cambridge dictionary of English place-names published in 2004.
See also
- English toponymy
- Scottish Place-Name SocietyScottish Place-Name SocietyThe Scottish Place-Name Society is a learned society in Scotland concerned with toponymy, the study of place-names...
, Ulster Place-Name Society, Society for Name Studies in Britain and IrelandSociety for Name Studies in Britain and IrelandThe Society for Name Studies in Britain and Ireland is a learned society for members with interests in proper names, including place names, personal names and surnames relating to the British Isles.... - International Council of Onomastic SciencesInternational Council of Onomastic SciencesThe International Council of Onomastic Sciences is an international academic organization of scholars with a special interest in onomastics, the scientific study of names The International Council of Onomastic Sciences (ICOS) is an international academic organization of scholars with a special...
- Rude BritainRude BritainRude Britain is a 2005 book of British place names with seemingly rude or offensive meanings...
, a book of selected British toponymy - Eilert EkwallEilert EkwallBror Oscar Eilert Ekwall , known as Eilert Ekwall, was Professor of English at Lund University, Sweden, from 1909 to 1942, and one of the outstanding scholars of the English language of the first half of the 20th century...
- Kenneth Hurlstone Jackson
- Richard CoatesRichard CoatesRichard Coates is an English linguist. He is professor of linguistics at the University of the West of England in Bristol. He was formerly professor of linguistics at the University of Sussex, where he served as Dean of the School of Cognitive and Computing Sciences from 1998 to 2003...
- Margaret GellingMargaret GellingMargaret Joy Gelling, OBE was an English toponymist, Fellow of St Hilda's College, Oxford, and member of the Society of Antiquaries of London and the British Academy....
- Oliver PadelOliver PadelOliver James Padel is an authority on the origin and meaning of place-names, currently Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic in the University of Cambridge and Visiting Professor of Celtic at the University of the West of England.He was born in 1948...