First Published in 1970, What's in a Name is intended for the layman who feels some curiosity about local names and would like to know more about them- their history, the clues they hold to the life of the past, and the methods of discovering what they have to tell. Place-names can, as the authors of this book put it, ‘help to unravel the beginnings of English history’. Books on place-names tend, in the main, to concentrate upon technical linguistic matters, but this book, while not neglecting the technical aspect of the subject, places more emphasis on history at large.
It is designed as a popular introduction to the study of place- names and the authors describe the pleasure to be derived from knowledge of the history and meaning of place-names, showing how they can illuminate battles and settlements, the occupations and beliefs of men and women, the sides of castles and of Roman roads. Those who travel about the countryside will find this to enrich their enjoyment of England.