Place Names of Old Northumberland - Jonathan West

This first volume of a series of books on Northumberland place-names takes the reader on virtual journeys through the Cheviot Hills and Dales. Meanings of many local place-names are discussed in print for the first time, using the forms of the names which appear on ordnance survey maps. A useful guide to pronunciation is given, as well as National Grid References to pinpoint exact locations and avoid confusion. An exhaustive index allows speedy access to the material. The series as a whole will provide a comprehensive and reliable guide to the origins of Northumberland place-names.

Amongst the illustrations are a number of 19th-century impressions of the Redesdale landscape by the talented Frances Mitford (died 1866), sister of John Thomas Freeman Mitford, the first (and last) Earl of Redesdale. Frances and her brother managed the Mitford estate at Batsford in Gloucestershire, and holidayed regularly in Redesdale, where she loved to paint and draw. Her images, usually details of larger works, are reproduced here for the first time by kind permission of the present Lord Redesdale.

About the Author

Dr West studied Germanic and Celtic linguistics in Manchester, Bonn and Trinity College Dublin. He now lives in the beautiful Redesdale valley and devotes his time to local place-name research while still continuing his other academic interests.