And not only can you see their history in how they have impacted the land physically, in buildings and monuments – you can also get a window into the past through the enduring names given to those places, with some of them coming from bizarre sources.
When it comes to British place names, Anglo-Saxon origins tend to dominate in the south and Scandinavian languages in the north, mixed in with Old British or Celtic terms for natural features such as hills and rivers. Sheffield still shows the influence of all three factors in the names we find today.
Often towns and villages share common endings such as -tun (settlement), -ham (homestead), -feld (farmland), -by (village), -caester (Roman stronghold), -worthig (enclosure), -dun (hill), -halh (nook of land) – but these usually follow a first element which is much harder to define, especially when a personal name is concerned.
The famous Domesday Book – a land survey commissioned by William the Conqueror and completed in 1086 – shows some Sheffield names which have been modernised but otherwise changed very little in all that time.
To understand where they came from, we went looking in sources including the Oxford Dictionary of British Place Names, to put together this gallery.
They give an insight into history.
Take a look at the gallery below.
13. Handsworth
Handsworth: Probably 'Hand's enclosure' although the exact form of the personal name is uncertain. Photo: Google streetview
14. Oughtibridge
Oughtibridge: Recorded as Uhtiuabrigga in 1161, it is thought to mean bridge of a woman called Uhtgifu Photo: Google streetview
15. Killamarsh
Killamarsh: Mentioned as Chinewoldemaresc in the Domesday book. This is thought to mean marsh of a man called Cynewald Photo: Google streetview
16. Mosborough
Mosborough: Fortified place in the Moor. Recorded as Moresburh in 1002 and Moresburg in 1086 Photo: Google streetview