RTW is 'the wells near Tunbridge [ie Tonbridge'. It is a "modern" name,
as the mineral springs were only discovered in 1606.
(see Adrian Room, A Concise dictionary of Modern Place-Names in Great
Britain and Ireland [Oxford*, 1993])
[Oxford is a trade mark of Oxford University Press]
John Briggs
On 31/10/2011 17:45, Richard Coates wrote:
> Royal Tunbridge Wells.
>
> But there is ambiguity about what the "head" of the name-construction is in both cases. Is RTW the wells at Tu/onbridge or that Tu/onbridge distinguished as Wells?
>
> RWB is known as Bassett by the locals, which suggests that in practice that word is the head of the construction.
>
> Help!
>
> Richard
>
> From: The English Place-Name List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jeremy Harte
> Sent: 31 October 2011 17:38
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [EPNL] The Rarest Animal
>
> Dear All,
>
> The pushmi-pullyu, as some of us may remember, was 'the rarest animal of the African jungles, the only two-headed beast in the world'. A repeated head seems unnecessary, just as a name with a distinctive affix hardly needs a second one. But my attention has been drawn to the town formerly known as Wootton Basset which, since 16th October, has officially become Royal Wootton Basset. Like the pushmi-pullyu, it carries its additions at either end of the main body.
>
> Any other examples?
>
> Jeremy Harte
>
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