Aber-Conway preferves its ancient name fignifying "the Mouth of the Conway." * St. Afaph derives its name from St. Asaph, its patron faint, who was the second Bishop of the fee. It is called by the Welsh Lhan-Elwy from its fituation at the influx of the River Elwy into the Clwyd. + Liverpool-Leverpool, Litterpool, or Lirpool, was by the Saxons called Lineppole, as it is fuppofed, from the waters of the Mersey spreading themselves here like a pool or fen. Newcastle under Line was firft called Newcastle from a castle, now in ruins, built here in the reign of Henry the Third, and by way of diftinction from an older caftle which ftood at Chestertown, a village in the neighbourhood. It was afterwards called " Newcastle under Line, or Lime, from its fituation upon the east side of a branch of the Trent, called the Line, or Lime, and to distinguish it from Newcastle upon Tine, in the county of Northumberland. Litchfield is by fome thought to be a corruption of Licidfeld, an ancient British word fignifying dead carcaffes, but by the generality it is said to be fo called from Lichenfield, Lichen in Saxon fignifying a dead body, and it is thus the field of dead bodies. Thofe, who adopt the former opinion, found their affertions upon a great flaughter of Chriftians, which they fay took place here in the perfecution under the Emperor Dioclefian. On the other hand, the advocates for the Saxon etymology of the word Litchfield fay, that this name was given it in memory of a dreadful maffacre of an army of Chriftians, who fought at Litchfield against Ofwius king of Northumberland, upon the first introduction of Christianity. And they moreover add that Ofwius, after his converfion to Chriftianity, in repentance for having been the caufe of fo great a flaughter first founded the Cathedral of Litchfield. Woodstock derives its name immediately from the Saxon Wuderroc which fignifies a woody place. * Oxford was by the Saxons called Oxen-Fond, a name generally fuppofed to have been derived from a ford, or paffage for oxen, over the river Thames at this place. The Cities of Bofphorus, upon the Lake Mootis in Greece, and Ochenfurt, upon the River Odur in Germany, derive their names from the fame origin, each fignifying a ford for oxen. The Welsh name for this place is Rhid-Ychen, which also fignifies a ford for oxen, and the city arms are an ox paffing a ford; yet fome have thought that the ancient name of this city was Ousford, a ford over the Ous, a name by which the River Thames, by the Latins called Ifis, appears to have been known. Here and there are some islands formed by the river at this place, which are still called the Ofeney, or Oufney Ilands. - yards-Fleet at Spithead -Jeremy-Ap- Dorchefter-Wey- mouth-Peninfula of Portland - Stone minster |