Category: Histories of British towns, villages and cities

By Tim Lambert Early Horndean Horndean began as a little Saxon village. Its name may be a corruption of the Saxon words Hearman denu meaning dormouse valley. Horndean stood in a great forest that stretched from the border of Hampshire to Winchester. It was called the Forest of Bere. A track led through the forest… Continue reading A History of Horndean

By Tim Lambert Horsham in the Middle Ages Horsham began as a Saxon village. Ham is the Saxon word for a village. No one is quite sure where the first part of the place name comes from. Perhaps this ‘ham’ was famous for horses. Or maybe it belonged to a man named Horsa. Horsham is… Continue reading A History of Horsham

By Tim Lambert Hull in the Middle Ages The town of Hull was founded late in the 12th century. The monks of Meaux Abbey needed a port where the wool from their estates could be exported. They chose a place at the junction of the rivers, Hull and Humber, to build a quay. The exact… Continue reading A History of Hull

By Tim Lambert Roman Ilchester Ilchester began as a Roman town. The Romans invaded England in 43 AD. When they subdued the Celtic tribe in this area, the Durotriges, they built a fort to guard a ford over the River Yeo. Soon they built a town on the site of the old Celtic settlement. It… Continue reading A History of Ilchester

By Tim Lambert Dedicated to Tim and Bec Raynes Inverness in the Middle Ages Inverness is often called the capital of the Highlands. Inverness means the mouth of the River Ness. It is an ancient settlement. In the 6th century AD, St Columba is supposed to have visited the Pictish king Brude at his fortress… Continue reading A History of Inverness

By Tim Lambert Anglo-Saxon Ipswich Ipswich started as a small trading settlement in the early 7th century. There are 2 theories about how Ipswich got its name. It may have been Gippa’s wic (wic is an old word meaning port). Or it may have been Gip’s wic (gip meant corner, in this case, the corner… Continue reading A History of Ipswich

By Tim Lambert Early Kendal The Romans built a fort at Watercrook just south of Kendal. A civilian settlement grew up beside it. The fort’s garrison would have provided a market for locally made goods. But the fort was abandoned in the late 3rd century. In later centuries a settlement grew up at Kendal. It… Continue reading A History of Kendal

By Tim Lambert Keresley began as a Saxon village. The Saxon word leah meant a clearing in a wood. The first part of the name Keresley may be a corruption of watercress. Or it may be a corruption of a man’s name. The original settlement was at Keresley Green but Keresley Heath grew up in… Continue reading A History of Keresley

By Tim Lambert Medieval Kettering Kettering began as an Anglo-Saxon village. Its name was Ketter ingas, which means the people of Ketter. Kettering was first mentioned in history in the year 956. Then in 972, the manor of Kettering was granted to the abbey at Peterborough. By the time of the Domesday Book in 1086… Continue reading A History of Kettering

By Tim Lambert King’s Lynn in the Middle Ages King’s Lynn was once called Bishop’s Lynn because it belonged to a bishop. (Bishops Lynn became King’s Lynn in the 16th century). The word Lynn means pool and probably refers to a tidal pool on the Ouse. By the end of the 11th century, a little… Continue reading A History of King’s Lynn