Geographical etymology: a dictionary of place-names giving their derivations

The Introduction, by which the present work is ushered into public notice, renders any lengthened Preface on my part quite unnecessary. Yet I wish to say a few words with regard to the design and plan of this little volume. The subject, though no doubt possessing a peculiar interest to the general reader, and especially to tourists in these travelling days, falls naturally under the head of historical and geographical instruction in schools; and for such use the book is, in the first place, specially intended. When I was myself one of a class in this city where Geography and History were taught, no information connected with etymology was imparted to us. We learned, with more or less trouble and edification, the names of countries, towns, etc., by rote; but our teacher did not ask us who gave the names to these places, nor were we expected to inquire or to know if there was any connection between their names and their histories. Things are changed now; and I believe the first stimulus to an awakening interest in Geographical Etymology was given by the publication of the Rev. Isaac Taylor’s popular work, Words and Places . About ten years ago, I found that the best teachers in the English schools of Edinburgh did ask questions on this subject, and I discovered, at the same time, that a book specially bearing upon it was a desideratum in school literature. As no one better qualified came forward, I was induced to make the attempt; and I hope the following pages, the result of much research and in the face of no small discouragement, may prove useful to teachers, as well as to their pupils. The Index at the end of the volume, although it contains many names not included in the body of the work, does by no means include all that I have given there. This did not seem necessary, because, the root words being alphabetically arranged, an intelligent teacher or pupil will easily find the key to the explanation of any special name by referring to the head under which it is naturally classed. I must, however, premise that, with regard to names derived from the Celtic languages, the root word is generally placed at the beginning of the name—that is, if it contain more than one syllable. This is the case with such vocables as pen , ben ,…