Fa – the Green Dragon

A Place for the Odd Musings of an Expat Bristolian


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Unusual U.K. place names28. – Pucklechurch

PUCKLECHURCH, Gloucestershire

Bronze-age round barrow

Saxon royal villa site

Kingdom of Wessex


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Unusual U.K. place names27. – Wickwar

WICKWAR, Gloucestershire

Name from Winchen means

dairy farm, owned by Norman*

la Warre family

  • John la Warre given Winchen by King John and mentioned in the Domesday book in 1086. Still owned by Roger la Warre in 1285.

 


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Unusual U.K. place names 26. – Bishop’s Stortford

BISHOP’S STORTFORD, Hertfordshire

An historic town

at a  ford crossing the Stort

river flowing through


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Unusual U.K. places names25. – Stert

STERT, Wiltshire

On the Devises

Andover road diversion

of Etchilhampton hill


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Unusual U.K. place names 24. – Tortworth

TORTWORTH, – Gloucestershire

Tortworth chestnut tree

Of fifty great British trees

chosen for the Queen


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Unusual U.K. place names 23. – Woolfardsdisworthy

WOOLFARDSDISWORTHY, Devon-shire

pronounced Woolsery

Anglo-Saxon Wulfheard’s home

Nice place to visit

 

 


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Unusual U.K. place names 22. – Cam

CAM, Gloucestershire

Is a large village

Bigger than neighbor Dursley

which has town status


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Unusual U.K. place names19. – Framilode

FRAMILODE, Gloucestershire

On the Severn’s Bank

The Tidesman* opens the lock

for the passing trows**

 

*Tidesman is a lock-keeper

**Trow is a flat-bottomed barge-like boat about 70Ft long for hauling cargo

The name Framilode means Frome crossing.


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Unusual U.K. Place names 21. – Happy Bottom

HAPPY BOTTOM, DORSET

No person gets here

by sitting around all day.

Start exploring.

Note: To explore these unusual place names, I urge readers to visit Google Earth to see where on earth they are situated and then to visit Wikipedia for expanded historical information. All of this is difficult to convey in just 17 syllables.


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Unusual U.K. place names 18. – France Lynch

FRANCE LYNCH

Old stone cottages

near Severn and Thames canal

Folk from Chalford Vale