Category: Articles

By Tim Lambert Saxon Tamworth Tamworth began as a Saxon settlement in Staffordshire. It was the Tame worth or the enclosure by the River Tame. It was made into an important place by King Offa of Mercia (a Saxon kingdom that roughly corresponded to the Midlands of England). Offa reigned from 755 to 796. He… Continue reading A History of Tamworth

By Tim Lambert Early Swindon Swindon began as a Saxon village. The name Swindon is derived from the Saxon words swine dun meaning pig hill or the hill where pigs were bred. Swindon is mentioned in the Domesday Book (1086). At that time Swindon was a tiny village but by the late 13th century Swindon… Continue reading A History of Swindon

By Tim Lambert Tunbridge Wells in the 17th century The town of Tunbridge Wells began with a chalybeate spring. Chalybeate means it contains iron. Rainwater fell on the ground containing iron deposits, soaked through them then rose in a spring. The iron deposits in the spring water stained the ground around the spring a rusty… Continue reading A History of Tunbridge Wells

By Tim Lambert Truro in the Middle Ages Truro began as a Celtic village. The Normans built a castle by the settlement. The castle stimulated the growth of Truro. The castle’s garrison provided a market for goods made in the settlement and it grew into a town. At some point (the exact date is not… Continue reading A History of Truro

By Tim Lambert Early Trowbridge At the time of the Domesday Book (1086), Trowbridge was a typical settlement with a population of about 120. However, during the 12th century, Trowbridge became a focal point for the surrounding villages. In 1200 the Lord of the Manor was granted the right to hold markets in Trowbridge and… Continue reading A History of Trowbridge

By Tim Lambert Saxon Wareham Fifteen hundred years ago the Celts lived in the area of Wareham. However, the modern settlement was founded by the Saxons. They conquered east Dorset in the mid-7th century and about 700 AD a Saxon named St Aldhelm founded a nunnery on the site of Wareham. He also built a… Continue reading A History of Wareham

By Tim Lambert Early Walsall Walsall began as a small Anglo-Saxon village. It is first mentioned in the early 11th century. The name Walsall may be derived from the words Walh halh, which means Celt’s valley. In the 5th century AD, Celts lived in England but Angles and Saxons from Germany invaded. During the 6th… Continue reading A History of Walsall

By Tim Lambert Early Middlesbrough Until the 19th century, Middlesbrough was a hamlet. In 1829 it had only 40 inhabitants but things were about to change dramatically. From 1825 coal from the South Durham coalfield was taken by train from Darlington to Stockton on Tees. From there it was taken by train to other parts… Continue reading A History of Middlesbrough

By Tim Lambert Early Narborough Narborough is a village in Leicestershire located 6 miles Southwest of Leicester. Narborough was founded by the Anglo-Saxons. Its name was originally nor burh, which means north fort or fortified house. In the 7th century, the Saxons advanced across Leicestershire and Narborough must have once been an outpost of their… Continue reading A History of Narborough

By Tim Lambert The village of Montacute gets its name from the Latin words Mons Acutis, which means pointed hill. (In the Middle Ages all educated people spoke Latin and the names of places were often given in Latin in documents). In the 11th century, according to an old legend Tostig, a lieutenant of King… Continue reading A History of Montacute