Place Names of England and Wales - James Johnson

Over the past two thousand years successive waves of invaders have left their mark on mainland Britain. Nowhere is this more evident than in the names they gave to their settlements and the geographical features of the landscape. London, for example, was originally a Celtic ‘lon din’ or ‘marsh with a fort’, while Birmingham was the home of the sons of an Anglo-Saxon Beorn.

This fascinating book, first published in 1915, provides a comprehensive guide to hundreds of these names. For each entry the author has traced the name back to its earliest mention, whether in the Domesday Book, the works of Roman historians or ancient Celtic documents. He then goes on to show how the name has changed over the centuries and to explain its meaning.

Meticulously researched and detailed, this is a book for everybody who wants to know more about the history of England and Wales.