The names of the Towns and Villages which are to be found along the Thames have a familiar ring to them. However many of the names have their origin in our distant Anglo-Saxon past and have a particular meaning. Here are some of them. Looking at them patterns can be spotted, e.g. cot = cottage, ey = island.
Name of town or village |
Meaning of name |
|---|---|
Cricklade | The crossing on the hill |
Inglesham | The enclosure or river meadow of Ingen |
Lechlade | Wharf by the Leach |
Buscot | Burgweard's cottage |
Kelmscott | Caenhelm's cottage |
Eaton Hastings | Farm by the river held by the Hastings family |
Grafton | Homestead in a grove |
Radcot | Reed or red cottage |
Rushey | Rush Island by the Weir |
Shifford | Sheep ford |
Bablock Hythe | The landing place of Babba's stream |
Swinford | Ford for Swine |
Eynsham | Aegen's place by the bend in the river |
Godstow | The place of God |
Binsey | Byrni's island |
Hinksey | Hengist's eyot(island) |
Oxford | Ford for oxen |
Abingdon | Of Aebba's people |
Burcot | Bryda's cottage |
Wittenham | Witta's place by the bend in the river |
Shillingford | Of Sciella and his tribe |
Benson | The farm of Baenesa |
Wallingford | Of Wealh's tribe |
Moulsford | Mul's Ford or Ford for mules |
Cleeve | Cliff |
Goring | Of Gara's tribe |
Streatley | Clearing by the Roman road |
Pangbourne | Stream of Paega's People |
Whitchurch | White church |
Mapledurham | Village by the maple tree |
Caversham | Caphere's village |
Reading | Of Reada's tribe |
Sonning | Of Sunna's tribe |
Shiplake | Stream where sheep are washed |
Wargrave | Grove by the weir |
Henley | At the high wood |
Hurley | Wood or clearing in a recess in the hills |
Marlow | Mere Shore |
Cliveden | Steeply sloping valley |
Bray | Mud, a low marshy place |
Boveney | Above the island |
Windsor | River bank with a windlass |
Runneymede | Council field |
Staines | Stone |
Laleham | Great bend or village where withies grow |
Chertsey | Cerotus' Island or well-watered land |
Shepperton | Shepherd's farm |
Walton | Farm of the serfs |
Sunbury | Sunna's stronghold |
Molesey | Mul's Island |
Thames Ditton | Farm by the ditch or dyke |
Kingston | Farm of the kings |
Teddington | Farm Of Tuda |
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