I was mocked recently for using the term Founding (or Origin) Myth to
describe the story of Waterlooville in Hampshire. The town takes its name
from "The Heroes of Waterloo" inn, allegedly a simple wayside inn where
soldiers returning from the Battle of Waterloo were greeted as heroes. The
name was transferred to the settlement that later developed around it. The
sceptical will note the presence of the forms Waitland/Wait Lane End and
Wheat Lane End.
The next inn north was the "Spotted Cow" (which also survives) - the
settlement there is now Cowplain!
John Briggs
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