In the place-names of England can be read the nation’s history. The names on road signs and maps reflect the migrations and conquests of the past, the features of the landscape, ancient customs, agricultural practices, and local trade and industry. Covering the names of cities and suburbs, towns and villages, counties and districts, rivers and coastal features, the 12,000 entries in this concise dictionary describe the meaning and origin of the most important English place-names, and trace their development from earliest appearance to the present day.