[MR] BBC: Odd English Town Names and Where They Come From

[Garth Groff via Atlantia]

Noble Friends,

Today the BBC has a delightful piece on the origins of some of those 
really odd town names one finds all over England: 
http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20160309-why-does-britain-have-such-bizarre-place-names 
. Some are not explained; there's Little Snoring (not explained), Pity 
Me (unknown), and Little Whinging of Harry Potter fame (fictional, but 
probable). You can have a lot of fun with this story, but it also is a 
serious exploration of how these bizarre names came about.

Not off topic, but worth a smile. In my mundane-world guise I am a model 
railroader, and a lover of those tiny trains which puff and chuff 
through Wales and some parts of England to the delight of children, rail 
buffs and American tourists. I am building equipment for a future model 
railway to be called the Snoring Major Light Railway, which joins 
Snoring Major (probably near Little Snoring) and the coastal town of 
Portaloo (think about this one for a moment). Perhaps this is why I 
enjoyed the BBC story so much.

Yours Aye,


Lord Mungo Napier, That Crazy Scot