Places that have changed names

[Calthrop]

How did it get the name "Moscow", incidentally? Coincidence or named after the Russian capital?

Wiki gives something of an assortment of possible explanations -- including, the place being relatively new as an actual village: one suggestion, that its first house was built, at the time of the deliberate burning of Moscow, Russia, in 1812, to make things hard for the invading Napoleon -- marking the timing coincidence, and / or in support of the Russians ("my enemy's enemy ..."). Others suggest the "Moscow" name's having come about, connected with Russian POWs' having been held thereabouts in the Crimean War. It would seem that the village or general area, previously had a name -- from whichever non-English tongue -- which happened to sound a good deal like "Moscow": not a big adjustment to make.

(Also: Moscow, Ayrshire; is on the same latitude as Moscow, Russia -- 55 degrees North.)

 

[nw1]

Wiki gives something of an assortment of possible explanations -- including, the place being relatively new as an actual village: one suggestion, that its first house was built, at the time of the deliberate burning of Moscow, Russia, in 1812, to make things hard for the invading Napoleon -- marking the timing coincidence, and / or in support of the Russians ("my enemy's enemy ..."). Others suggest the "Moscow" name's having come about, connected with Russian POWs' having been held thereabouts in the Crimean War. It would seem that the village or general area, previously had a name -- from whichever non-English tongue -- which happened to sound a good deal like "Moscow": not a big adjustment to make.

(Also: Moscow, Ayrshire; is on the same latitude as Moscow, Russia -- 55 degrees North.)

Interesting - thanks.

On a related note, isn't there also a "New York" in Tyne and Wear? Possibly a suburb of Washington (which I realise was named independently of the US capital). A kind-of "back naming", I guess: "this is Washington, let's make this new suburb New York..."

And on another note, there's a Hollywood in Ireland in the Wicklow Mountains, which I'm sure was completely independent of the California place. That said, they had erected their own mini Hollywood sign when I passed through there some time ago.

 

[birchesgreen]

There is a California and a Hollywood in Birmingham.

 

[DaventryRabbit]

A bit tenuous maybe but my home town of Daventry was historically called Daentre. This name lives on in some locations in the town....

 

[SargeNpton]

A bit tenuous maybe but my home town of Daventry was historically called Daentre. This name lives on in some locations in the town....

Daentre, or Danetre? I've only ever seen the latter spelling in Daventry.

 

[nw1]

There is a California and a Hollywood in Birmingham.

Just checked, and New York, Tyne and Wear is actually north of Newcastle.

However, Washington, Tyne and Wear does have suburbs called Albany (state capital NY) and Concord (state capital New Hampshire, I think).

 

[Strathclyder]

Just checked, and New York, Tyne and Wear is actually north of Newcastle.

However, Washington, Tyne and Wear does have suburbs called Albany (state capital NY) and Concord (state capital New Hampshire, I think).

Indeed, that is correct. New Hampshire's largest city by population though is Manchester.

There is a California and a Hollywood in Birmingham.

Also the name of a village in the Falkirk council area, complete with a Welcome sign with a not-so subtle nod to one of the US state's nicknames.

 

[DaventryRabbit]

Daentre, or Danetre? I've only ever seen the latter spelling in Daventry.

Sorry Yes my silly mistake it is Danetre

 

[AM9]

Never heard but I can imagine hearing from one of its posher residents: "Blandford? ... Blandford Forum if you don't mind."

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 17 Jan 2023 ==



How did it get the name "Moscow", incidentally? Coincidence or named after the Russian capital? I've heard of various "Moscow"s in the USA, but never one in Scotland!

Meanwhile one which has come up on this forum before is "Handborough" becoming "Hanborough".

They could insist that it was pronounced 'Mosscock' as in the '80s Cockburns TV ad.

 

[Calthrop]

And on another note, there's a Hollywood in Ireland in the Wicklow Mountains, which I'm sure was completely independent of the California place. That said, they had erected their own mini Hollywood sign when I passed through there some time ago.

At the risk of coming across as an irritating place-name know-all: it so happened that I recently discovered that the naming of Hollywood, California; was nothing to do with the Wicklow Hollywood; or indeed Holywood, County Down (a bit out of Belfast, on the way to Bangor). It would seem that when Hollywood came into being, a little time before moving pictures came along; the founder just thought that the name sounded nice, plus, holly is supposed to be lucky !

Discussion of the old, two-syllable form of Daventry: I recall that from a "historical" play of Shakespeare's -- one of the Henrys -- Falstaff, in burbling on about marching his troops around the midlands, mentions "the red-nosed innkeeper of Daintry" -- that's got to be the place as above.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Discussion of the old, two-syllable form of Daventry: I recall that from a "historical" play of Shakespeare's -- one of the Henrys -- Falstaff, in burbling on about marching his troops around the midlands, mentions "the red-nosed innkeeper of Daintry" -- that's got to be the place as above.

It's in Act Four, Scene Two of 'King Henry IV Part I', but the quote is "...the red-nose innkeeper of Daventry..."

 

[SuspectUsual]

Grosmont was originally known as Tunnel

 

[Calthrop]

It's in Act Four, Scene Two of 'King Henry IV Part I', but the quote is "...the red-nose innkeeper of Daventry..."

Oh ! Shows how much I remember from GCE English ...

 

[Shimbleshanks]

On my last cycle ride in North Wales, I was mildly perplexed to find myself passing through a village called 'Y Felinheli'. It wasn't until later that it dawned on me that it was what we called Port Dinorwic in my youth in the 1970s.
Not sure why it had such a drastic change of name given that a simple change to Porth Dinorwig should have satisfied the Welsh language enthusiasts. The old name referred to its status as the shipping point for the Dinorwic Quarry (and terminus of the 4ft gauge Padarn Railway.) Y Felinheli means 'Salt water mill, though Wikipedia suggests an alternative interpretation is from Y Felin Heulyn, meaning the mill on the River Heulyn.
Wales of course has had plenty of official name changes since the start of the Welsh language movement, although the locals - Welsh and English - often persist in using the old English versions. I'm not sure whether anyone calls Bull Bay 'Porth Llechog' or Menai Bridge 'Porthaethwy'.

Further afield, I'm told that the locals still refer to Mumbai as Bombay; and I'm not sure if asking for a Mumbai Aloo in your curry house would get you anything other than blank looks.

 

[D6968]

I tend to find myself on the side of those local worthies who take the position "this place is called [whatever], and it will continue to bear that name -- to heck with the sniggers of people with a metal age of eight" (no offence meant to any posters here). I gather that that celebrated village in Austria, quite recently renamed "Fugging"; kept for a long time its former spelling, shocking / hilarious to many English-speakers -- it was the sheer expense of forever having to replace the entry-road name signs, stolen as souvenirs by such folk, which at last led to the name-change.

Bell End near where I grew up (Near Blackheath) was always good for raising a snigger.
A few years ago the residents did ask Sandwell Council to change the name and it fell on deaf ears.

 

[D6130]

Bell End near where I grew up (Near Blackheath) was always good for raising a snigger.
A few years ago the residents did ask Sandwell Council to change the name and it fell on deaf ears.

Perhaps the councillors ears were ringing?

 

[nr758123]

isn't there also a "New York" in Tyne and Wear? Possibly a suburb of Washington (which I realise was named independently of the US capital). A kind-of "back naming", I guess: "this is Washington, let's make this new suburb New York..."

George Washington's family came from Washington, County Durham.

New York is a village on the edge of North Shields. I briefly lived there. There was an advert hoarding in the centre of town with the prices of flights to New York, but I figured that it was cheaper by bus.

On the subject of North Shields, the area around the first metro station towards Newcastle has been at vairous times past and present The Ridges, Meadow Well & Smiths Park.

 

[Western Sunset]

Where I live, Wimborne.
Or Wimborne Minster.
Or (as seen on some Highways England signs)... Wimbourne.

There is a Wimborne St Giles not too far away as well.

 

[D6968]

Perhaps the councillors ears were ringing?

Would it amuse you to know that up the road from there, there’s a pub called ‘The Cock Inn’? Fnarr Fnarr

 

[LUYMun]

Camberley was known as Cambridge but was changed for obvious reasons.

I think you mean Cambridge Town, much like the neighbouring York Town to the west.

 

[THC]

There were several renamings in what is now the republic of Ireland at or around the time of leaving the UK. Notable examples are:

Kingstown - Dun Laoghaire
Queenstown - Cobh
King's County - Co. Offaly
Queen's County - Co. Laois
Maryborough - Portlaoise
Philipstown - Daingean

Not all renamings stuck. Attempts to rename Edgeworthstown in Co. Longford to Mostrim and Bagenalstown in Co. Carlow to Muine Bheag were only partially successful and even to this day the Anglo-Irish names remain in common use.

THC

 

[Calthrop]

An Irish name-change which part-amuses, part-amazes me; and of which I learnt not long ago -- concerns Enfield, Co. Meath. One gathers that this town was called Innfield, until a new postmaster took up office there in the late 19th century. This guy came from what is now the London Borough of Enfield; and decided, seemingly arbitarily, to alter the name of his new "billet" accordingly. It would seem hard not to feel, "cheeky so-and-so"; but seemingly, the older and traditional form was not reverted to after the end of British rule.

 

[32475]

Brighton was known as Brightelmstone until the early 1800s when it was a fishing village.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 Jan 2023 ==

And a few miles north of there was Hassocks Gate station on what could have been the Londinium, Brighthelmstone & South Coast Railway.

 

[SJL2020]

Rossett near Wrexham had a big name change when the railway arrived.

Prior to the 1840s the settlement was named on maps as Trevalyn (or Trevalen) but was also frequently Anglicised to Allington (or Allyngton) - there are plenty of spelling variations of both names though.

According to a village history book, when the railway was built in the 1840s the local station was named after a local building - The Rossett (now known as Rossett Hall). At some point about this time the village adopted the name Rossett. The tithe map of the late 1840s calls it Rosset though (with only one 't').

There are still plenty of farms and other buildings in the area that use either Allington or Trevalyn in their names.

It would be interesting to know why they named the station after The Rosset(t) rather than Trevalyn Hall, as the latter is a much more impressive building.

 

[Sprinter107]

Bell End near where I grew up (Near Blackheath) was always good for raising a snigger.
A few years ago the residents did ask Sandwell Council to change the name and it fell on deaf ears.

The residents wanted to keep it. It was some other party, who though escapes me, and the residents won in the end. I'm also from around there.

 

[341o2]

Brokenhurst or Brockenhurst? The golf club insists on the former
Portmadoc - Porthmadog
Towyn - Tywyn

 

[THC]

An Irish name-change which part-amuses, part-amazes me; and of which I learnt not long ago -- concerns Enfield, Co. Meath. One gathers that this town was called Innfield, until a new postmaster took up office there in the late 19th century. This guy came from what is now the London Borough of Enfield; and decided, seemingly arbitarily, to alter the name of his new "billet" accordingly. It would seem hard not to feel, "cheeky so-and-so"; but seemingly, the older and traditional form was not reverted to after the end of British rule.

That's a great story, thanks for sharing. I used to pass through Enfield regularly on my way to family in Sligo and remember the railway station reopening back in the late 1980s.

As an aside, since I lived in west Dublin in the early 1990s it appears to have gained a new suburb - Ongar. Apparently named for the stud farm on which it was built rather than any erstwhile outcrop of the Central line!

THC

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Brokenhurst or Brpockenhurst? The golf club insists on the former

Have you introduced a typo there?

Portmadoc - Porthmadog
Towyn - Tywyn

Are relatively minor English language/Welsh language variations in scope here?

 

[Stuwhu]

Bugsworth in Derbyshire changed to Buxworth in 1930 The canal dock there is still known as Bugsworth Basin, and it's still nicknamed Buggy

 

[341o2]

Have you introduced a typo there?

no, I don't run the golf club

Are relatively minor English language/Welsh language variations in scope here?

Or misspelling such as "Wimbourne then?"