Place-Names of the Northern Neck of Virginia: a Proposal for a Theory of Place-Natning

Abstract

THE NORTHERN NECK is a narrow strip of northeastern Virginia beginning at the fall line on the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers and extending eastward between those rivers to the Chesapeake Bay. In general, this neck varies in width from ten to 20 miles, and is in itself composed of a series of smaller pieces of land similarly divided by coves, bays, inlets, and streams into smaller necks. Its historic roots are deep and predominantly English in origin. It has cradled such great families as the Lees, the Washingtons, the Monroes, and the Madisons. Many of the family names attached to the earliest land grants are still flourishing in the Northern Neck today, and the area remains singularly free of huge urban developments, industrialization, and other forms of dubious modern progress. The unspoiled terrain is matched by the traditional bent of the citizenry, and the serenity of a countryside dotted with historic dwellings and churches still in use. , The Northern Neck is a particularly apt location for a place-name study, as the researcher has access to naming practices which have been in operation since the early years of the seventeenth century, and which continue to this day, although on a much reduced scale. The extended span of time permits us to examine names which have been applied at various times during the course offour centuries. During these 350 years the sources of the names, the places named, those responsible for making the selection, and even the types of names have changed considerably from one era to the next. An examination of the place-name evidence from pre-English times down to the present will permit us to note in detail how names have been applied during that time. The place-names in this study were collected from tracts of local history, maps, legislative decrees, deeds, land grants, letters, and local informants. From this collection of more than 2,500 names it gradually became clear that a number of generalizations could be made about place-naming. For example, one could generalize concerning the large number of early settlers who are commemorated in the names of