Saints and Sites: The Interrelationship Between Church Dedications and Placenames in England

Abstract

AbstractA personal name in an English placename may be that of the saint to whom the local parish church is dedicated, as notably in Cornwall. Some church dedications, however, evolved from a misinterpretation of the placename. Conversely, some placenames apparently preserving a saint's name are actually based on a secular personal name, even when prefixed by St.