Comments on alphabetical list of Romano-British place-names
1 It is clear from the place-name list that there were many changes in place-names during the Romano-British period, but only the most common will be discussed here. One of the most common changes of all was b → v, this being seen in
Alabona → Alavna
Alobergium → Alovergium
Banvobalum → Bannovalum
Benonis → Venonis
Bereda → Voreda
Bernemedo → Vernemeto
Bindogara → Vindogara
Bindogladia → Vindogladia
Bindolande → Vindolande
Bindomi → Vindomi
Bindomora → Vindomora
Canubio → Conovio
Debentiasteno → Deventiasteno
Derbentione → Derventione
Lagubalium → Luguvalio
Lincobigla → Lincovigla
Luba → Luva
Sorbiodoni → Sorvioduno, and
Tebionisso → Devionisso
The names Lincovigla and Vindolande appear to date from the Flavian period. In these names the b had already changed to v on the Flavian maps used by the compiler of Ravenna. On the other hand Bereda and Lagubalium kept these forms on those same maps - the b → v change in these names first appears in the AI, which is thought to have been produced in the first half of the third century. Bindogladia appears to date from a time shortly after the invasion in AD 43, and this name still has the b. This particular change, b → v, at least in place-names, was surely effected by Latin speakers and not by Celtic speakers, for it is a change the latter were hardly likely to make. To the Celts the letters b and v in topographical names had quite different functions. The letter b with a hill-letter was an adjective meaning 'high', whereas v with a hill-letter was a noun referring to a slope, a hillside, quite regardless of whether it was high or not. The Celts surely did not destroy that distinction by changing b to v. It was different with river-names, since there was a river-letter b but no river-letter v. The change from b to v in river-names may therefore have been effected by Celtic speakers, though apparently only in compound river-names, e.g. Alavna, Derventione, Devion. In a simple name with only the river-letter b, the b seems to be retained, for example in Ravenna's Abona, the Avon at Bristol, though admittedly there is only one instance of this in Ravenna. But we see the river-letter b in Ravenna's place-name Abisson and in Ptolemy's river-name Abi.
2 But the reverse change is also seen, i.e. v → b, as in
(Abonetraiectusvicus →) Bonctusvicus → Punctuobice
Alvinundo → Albinumno
Avalava → Aballava → Aballaba
Brovonacis → Braboniaco
Cantiventi/Clanoventa → Glannibanta
Lotucobimvion → Loucopibia
Velesedio → Blestio
(Velurcionvicus → ) Vercovicus → Borcovicio
Vindovala → Vindobala, and
Vresmedenaci → Bresnetenaci.
Bresnetenaci appears to be a Flavian name, whereas Aballaba was much later. But there was an intermediate stage between Trajanic Avalava and the Aballaba of the ND - this is the Aballava of the Rudge cup and Amiens patera. Both cup and patera appear to have been produced during the Trajanic period, so at least the first v of Avalava appears to have changed to b during the Trajanic period. Glannibanta and Borcovicio date from a much later period. The b in Glannibanta was still a v in the Clanoventa of the AI, and this document is thought to date from the first half of the third century. And Borcovicio appears to date from some time after AD 225, the year Severus Alexander died, since RIB 1594 is dated to his reign and includes the place-name abbreviation VER, indicating that the name was still Vercovicus around that time.
3 One also sees the change b → p, as in
(Abonetraiectusvicus → ) Bonctusvicus → Punctuobice
Bamvocalia → Pampocalia (also shows v → b → p)
Becsa → Pexa
Benvocrucio/Bendocrucio → Pennocrucio
(Vilatis/Vilacis →) Bilais → Pilais
Binnatis → Pinnatis
Brocoliti → Procolitia
Burocoronavis → Purocoronavis
Durolibonde → Duroliponte
Ebio → Epiacum
Lobocarion → Corielopocarium
Lotucobimvion → Loucopibia
Rutubis → Rutupis, and
Yboscessa → Ypocessa.
4 Another fairly common change was d → t, this being seen in
Bernemedo → Vernemeto
Bladobulgio → Blatobulgio
Cerdodalia → Zerdotalia
Combredovio → Combretovio
Durolibonde → Duroliponte
Elconionemedo → Elconio Nemeto
Lacobrinda → Lavobrinta
Lindinonaco → Lintinomago
Maboridon → Maporiton
Masandion → Mantio
Mugulesde → Ugueste
Nedionemedon → Medionemeton
Omirededertis → Omiretedertis
Segundio → Seguntio
Velesedio → Blestio, and
Vresmedenaci → Bresnetenaci.
Of these names Maporiton, Mantio, Ugueste and Bresnetenaci all appear to be Flavian. Omiretedertis was earlier. Blatobulgio appears in the AI, so the change from d to t had already taken place by the date of the AI, though it might have taken place much earlier since there may have been an early fort at Birrens - such a fort may have been an important staging post on the main western route into Scotland during the Agricolan period. But again the change from d to t was presumably effected by Latin speakers. For the Celts the letter d in conjunction with a hill-letter referred specifically to the summit of the hill, whereas t with a hill-letter indicated that the hill was high, and it seems unlikely that the Celts would destroy that distinction by changing d to t.
5 The reverse change can also be seen, i.e. t → d, as in
Nito → Nido
Tano → Dano
Tebentiasteno → Deventiasteno
Tebionisso → Devionisso
Tuabsissis → Duabsissis, and
Turiarno → Duriarno
Note that the above names, in the case of Devionisso and Duabsissis the first part of the name, are all river-names and all were transferred to forts built on the banks of the rivers concerned or, in the case of Devionisso and Duabsissis, were incorporated into place-names with an essa-type ending.
6 There was also a change c → v, as in
Lacobrinda → Lavobrinta
Lecidensca → Evidensca
Leciocsava → Levioxava
Lecilodanum → Leviodanum, and
Racatonium → Ravatonium.
7 There are also examples of xy → xx, where x may be any of a variety of consonants, though n is the most common, and y may be a consonant or vowel. One sees this change in
Bandaventa → Bannaventa
Banva → Banna
Banvobalum → Bannovalum
Benvocrucio/Bendocrucio → Pennocrucio
Bulgaeum/Buldaeum → Bullaeum
Cambrolanda → Cambroianna
Conda or Conva → Onna
Condo or Convo → Onno
Gabaglanda → Amboglanno
Iberban → Iberran
Luguvalio → Luguvallo
(Iuliocenon → Iuniocelon →) Tuniocelon → Tunnocelo, and
Vindolande → Vindolanna (→ Vindolana)?
A question mark is placed after the last example since it may just be a case of dropping the d. But it seems more likely that ande changed to anna and then one n was dropped, or simply lost at some stage of copying.
Note that some of the above changes occurred quite early - Onna appears to date from the Claudian period, Cambroianna and Iberran from the Flavian period, and Banna and Onno from the Trajanic period. But others occurred much later - Luguvallo first appears in the AI and Amboglanno, Tunnocelo and Vindolana in the ND.
But again this change was apparently one effected by Latin speakers. There would seem little sense in the Celts losing the v meaning 'slope' in Banva or the d meaning 'summit' in Gabaglanda and Vindolande. One assumes therefore that the names were changed by Latin speakers just to make them sound better, gentler, to the Latin ear.
8 Then there are examples where the initial letter of a name was dropped or lost, these being
Bravonia → Ravonia
Camanulodulo → Manulodulo
Cardadonecon → Ardaoneon
Carduaravenatone → Arduaravenatone
Carnis → Armis
Cartadoriton → Tadoriton
Conda/Conva → Onna
Condo/Convo → Onno
Gabaglanda → Amboglanno
Gobannio → Bannio?
Litucodon → Itucodon
Lutuceto → Etoceto
Mucoganges/Lucoganges → Coganges
Mugulesde → Ugueste
Veratino → Rutunio, and
Verbeia → Arbeia.
Gobannio → Bannio is included here on the assumption that the initial Go was in the original name, though this is not certain.
Lutuceto → Etoceto is included for completeness, though it is unlikely that either form ever actually existed - these names appear to be creations of a careless copyist.
9 Another common change was the omission of a letter (other than at the beginning of a name), this being seen in
Acsireloduno → Acseloduno (→ Axeloduno) (ir omitted)
Begsesse → Begesse (s omitted)
Cambaglanda → Gabaglanda (m omitted)
Cambroduno → Camboduno (r omitted)
Castaractonion/Casataractonion → Caturactonium/Cataractone/Cataractoni (s omitted)
Coritisotar → Coritiotar (s omitted)
Croconcalana → Crococalana (n omitted)
Demerosessa → Demerosesa (s omitted)
Durovirguto → Duroviguto (r omitted)
Isacinodulno → Iaciodulma (s and n omitted)
Magnis → Magis (n omitted)
Malio, Matio or Macio → Maio (l, t or c omitted)
Medibogldo/Mediboglodono → Medibogdo (l omitted)
Mugulesde → Ugueste (l omitted)
Olerisca → Olerica (s omitted)
Serduno → Seduno (r omitted)
Sorbilodoni → Sorbiodoni (l omitted)
Tuessis → Tuesis (s omitted)
Vindolande → Vindolana (d omitted), and
Yboscessa → Ypocessa (s omitted).
The omission of the m in Gabaglanda was most likely just an oversight on the part of some copyist. In the case of Vindolande the ending ande may have changed to anna and then one n was dropped or lost.
10 But there are also names with an intrusive letter, for example
Cantiventi → Clanoventa (l inserted)
Coganges → Concangios (n inserted)
Lavaris → Lavatris (t inserted), and
Magiovinto → Magionvinio (n inserted)
11 There are also cases where a new element was added on to the end of a name, for example
Abone Traiectus → Abonetraiectusvicus (vicus added)
Coritisotar → Coritisotaroppidum (oppidum added)
Derventio → Derventiovicus (vicus added)
Lincovigla → Lincoviglavicus (vicus added), and
Velurcion → Velurcionvicus (vicus added).
To these may be added two cases where a Celtic element was added, namely
Acsirelo → Acsireloduno (duno added), and
Anderelionuba → Anderelionubita (it added before final a).
Acsirelo is simply Olerisca reversed, where Olerisca is most probably the original form of Ravenna's Olerica.
11.1 All of the extended names listed above were subsequently shortened by deleting internal letters, thus
Abonetraiectusvicus → Bonctusvicus (→ Punctuobice)
Acsireloduno → Acseloduno (→ Axeloduno)
Anderelionubita → Anderita (→ Anderitos)
Coritisotaroppidum → Corstopidum (→ Corstopitum)
Derventiovicus → Devovicus (→ Devovicia)
Lincoviglavicus → Lincovicus (→ Longovico), and
Velurcionvicus → Vercovicus (→ Borcovicio).
12 Finally, three groups which are interesting for their curiosity value as much as anything else.
12.1 Firstly, names which were modified or replaced but which later re-emerged in the modern names. These are:
Ebio → Vindomora → Ebchester
Tadoriton → Calcaria → Tadcaster, and
Binovia → Vinovia → Binchester (possible case: see Vinovia in the Alphabetical List).
12.2 Secondly, cases where a copyist has confused two different names:
Lagentium + Segeloci → Lageloci (→Lageloi → Lageolio)?
Carbandium + Cartadoriton → Carbandoriton (→ Carbantorigum)
Lectoceto + Lutudaron → Lectodaron (→ Lactodoro), and the reverse
Lutudaron + Lectoceto → Lutuceto (→ Etoceto).
Carbantorigum appears in Ptolemy, Lageolio, Lactodoro and Etoceto in the AI. But one assumes that none of these names ever actually existed as a place-name - they were all creations of copyists.
12.3 Lastly, names in which certain letters have been rearranged or swapped over:
Condecor → Conderco
Durbis → Dubris
Iuliocenon → Iuniocelon (→ Tuniocelon → Tunnocelo),
Lucamosessa → Camulosessa
Rugulentum → Ugrulentum, and
Turupis → Rutupis.
[This page was last modified on 21 September 2024]
