When it comes to British place names, Anglo-Saxon origins tend to dominate in the south and Scandinavian languages in the North, mixing in with Old British or Celtic terms for natural features such as hills and rivers. Wigan demonstrates all three of these influences.
Often towns and villages share common endings such as -tun (settlement), -ham (homestead), -feld (farmland), -by (village), -caester (Roman stronghold) or -dun (hill). The first element is often the hardest to define, with some involving long forgotten people’s names.
To understand where these Wigan places’ names came from, we went looking in the Oxford Dictionary of British Place Names.
1. Golborne
Recorded as Goldeburn in 1187, the township's name stems from ‘Stream where marsh marigolds grow’. Other ancient documents have recorded Golborne as Goldburc in 1201, Goseburn in 1212. Gowborne was a 16th century spelling Photo: submit
2. Hindley
Hindele in 1212, the town's name was derived from wood or clearing frequented by hinds or does. The first recorded use of its current spelling was in 1479 Photo: submit
3. Ince
Coming from the Old Welsh language of ïnïs meaning 'island' or as likely in this case, 'dry land', the first recording of Ince was Ines in 1202 Photo: submit
4. Standish
Deriving its name from a stony pasture or enclosure, Standish was previously known as Stanesdis in 1178 and Stanediss in 1219 Photo: submit