Legendary Landscapes

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StoneLifter S
StoneLifter Nov 4, 2005 09:08:09
Replying to Rhiannon

I was taught history by a Dr Sill - it means 'slab of hard rock' up here, as in the Great Whin Sill and 'window sill' (it's concrete here). However there's also Hexham Sele, where the sele is now a public park, originally a park for Saxon monks, beside the abbey. I was sure that 'burgh' just meant 'borough'.

L Littlestone
Littlestone Nov 4, 2005 11:47:47
Replying to StoneLifter

Have just checked out 'borough' StoneLifter and Chambers gives the etymology as "...related to Old English <i>beorg</i> hill, mound, from Indo-European..."

Kenneth Cameron* goes into even greater detail but if I get started on that I'll not get anything else done today :-)

* <b>English Place Names</b>. SBN 416 27990 2