Geographic Names of Flintshire, Wales. Review of the book: Owen H. W., & Gruffydd, K. L. Place-names in Flintshire. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 2017. 272 p.

Abstract

The new book on the toponymy of Flintshire is notable in several respects, including the scope of the study that goes well beyond the geographical borders of this county. This review addresses the virtues and the shortcomings of the publication. Two academic monographs, several books for a wider audience, and a number of articles had already been devoted to Flintshire’s geographical names. A new study is considered against this background and includes an analysis of the book, its features, and the evaluation of the authors’ contribution to the study of the toponymy of North East Wales. The book covers 801 geographical names of 753 places in Flintshire (Welsh Sir y Fflint) before the administrative reform of 1994. Given that 62% of the toponyms under study (including those that disappeared from modern maps) are Welsh, the review focuses on the analysis of this set of data, with attention to chronological layers and the etymologies of some geographical names, as well as their translation into English. The author points out that the English layer of Flintshire’s toponymy deserves a more detailed coverage. The layout of the data in this work makes it possible to express some considerations regarding the general trends observed in the toponymic studies of Wales.