The Place Names of County Durham and Some Pub Names Too

In his introduction, the author explains how the county's place names are influenced by its history even before the 1st-century Roman occupation, to when it was lived in by the Brigantes who spoke a hybrid form of Celtic, a mixture of British and Irish Gaelic. This was followed by the Angles and the Saxons speaking a form of early English which then assimilated some Latin and Norman-French. Early place names reflect natural features or ownership by a particular person. Besides giving some historical background to each town or village featured, including the wonderful No Place, Paul explains the most likely origin of the name. There's a small section on notable hills and a chapter on pub names. This is a great book to dip in and out for interesting wee snippets. You'll learn plenty!