Name game. . . If you have ever wondered the meaning of place names, help is at hand. David Whittaker has compiled a concise dictionary of Oxfordshire Place Names (Wavestone, £6.99), giving the meanings of more than 600 places. Oxford really does mean 'ford used by oxen', while Witney means 'Witta's Island in a Marsh' and Charlbury is the stronghold associated with Ceorl.
As the author says, very little is known about the Anglo-Saxon celebrities who gave their name to local places, including Hook Norton (Hoccanere tribe), Wychwood (Wicca tribe) and Sunningwell (Sunningas).
David Whittaker, a writer and book dealer who lives in Charlbury, has included a glossary of Old English place name elements which allows you to invent your own meaning for any name you encounter.
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