h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Isn't it just the way. Just after I posted the previous message, I found a book that stated that "Drew" appears in a number of Devon placenames (as well as Drewsteignton), including Drewston, but goes on to say that the origin of the Drew element varies.

These other places include Drewston (near Chagford), Drewston Common (near Drewsteignton), and Drewstone Farm (near Bishops Nympton).

Also, the Drew family name seems to have links to Devon and Ireland, so perhaps Celtic after all.

I came across this site recently, which suggests some interesting British and Anglo-British origins of Devon placenames.

It focusses on "twitchen" placenames, suggesting meanings and giving possible celtic prefixes to reach modern placenames. It also discusses some other placename examples.

http://uriconium.blogspot.com/2010/11/british-and-anglo-british-place-names.html

Caution. This is a blog, and I do not know the credentials of the author.

Nevertheless, there are some interesting suggestions if you slog through it (at times it is heavy going).

There is also a section on language, including this "Isaac Taylor in his Words and Places 1865 page 16 asserts 'In the remote parts of Devon the ancient Cymric speech feebly lingered on until the reign of Elizabeth'."

There is a farmstead in Kingsteignton parish called Ponswine which I was brought up to pronounce as Pawnson. In EPNS of 1932 it is noted that it was recorded as Pawnswyn in 1558. My own research has found it referred to in 1323 in a Quitclaim as Pontesfenne and Pountesfen in a Quitclaim of 1440.

Can we go back to a conversation started Sep 22, 2005?

Ozzie Exile stated that 'One extremely common factor of Devon placenames is the extra vowel that occurs in the middle of such names as Babbacombe, Challacombe, Parracombe, Staddiscombe etc…

I have often heard the saying that “Devon speech will not tolerate two consonants together” and I understand that this practice is called epenthesis.'

I have been looking at the place name 'Bradford' and find in the Domesday Book that there are five places names 'Bradeford' in Devon.
One of these seems to have mutated into Bradaford (south of Holsworthy). Is this an example of 'epenthesis'? if so, why only this settlement?

Thank you

Hi Rydonian,

I haven't checked the details, but it is interesting.

Here are a couple of thoughts.

Epenthesis might apply more commonly if the meaning is less than obvious to the speaker/writer (and many epenthsis place names are rather difficult to analyse). "Broad Ford" has an obvious etymology so perhaps it endured for that reason.

Also, it may be that with so many "Bradfords" in the UK, and there are many, the local inclination might have been overwritten by a more national use of tbe word. Devon use may have been "overwritten" in those other 4 places.

It would also be interesting to know when the Bradford names started being used. Many place names in Devon "morphed" from Celtic forms to Anglo forms over the centuries (so Celtic place names were much more common 1,000 years ago, even though many remain).

Also, many names with consonant "clusters", such as Plympton and Plymstock, have not retained an epethysised name, although they did exist in earlier times.

You would love to have a time machine...!

I've found a couple more useful references on Nymet placenames in Devon.

One is by Angie Lake on the Megalithic Portal. http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=8430

The other is on Devon Dowsers, in a useful PDF format:
https://www.devondowsers.org.uk/newsite/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Was-there-a-Celtic-Sanctuary-in-Mid-Devon-1.pdf