To ameliorate the name shortage

veasleyd1 · Joined: 02 Dec 2007 Posts: 2064

Sometimes it appears that authors of English-set regencies and historicals are scraping the bottom of the barrel for names. This site has a plethora of geographical spots that clearly ache to be transmuted into titles of nobility, village blacksmiths, and other characters.

http://oxford-consultants.tripod.com/a_history_of_horton_cum_studley.htm

Croke should be a natural for the solicitor who handles the affairs of the mysteriously-deceased earl, while the thought of what an erotica author could make of Coxhead positively boggles my mind.

Others who have chanced upon equivalent sources are heartily invited to contribute the urls by which they can by accessed Smile

Nana · Joined: 02 Apr 2007 Posts: 888

Perhaps I just got put in this frame of mind by your "Coxhead" pun, but I read this entire article as a double entendre. I mean, the article is called "Horton cum Studley," which just makes me want to reply, "Why, yes. Yes, he does."

"Bichester? I just met 'er!"
"Well, Alchester!"

"Ash had been held by Azor, son of Titi." This one clearly came out of a purple prose love scene.

And then you have Studley Priory, Studley Hamlet, and my favorite, Studley Wood.

I love England.

Carla Kelly · Joined: 27 Mar 2007 Posts: 179

Nana, you reminded me of a family joke. It was years ago, and we were watching some overwrought movie or TV program - can't recall - and decided among ourselves that Dung Heap would be a good name for the next Angry Young Man.

Carla Kelly

Elaine S · Joined: 02 Apr 2007 Posts: 660 Location: Rural England

Well, the British Isles are full of pretty crazy names but here are several of my all time favourites:

Pease Down St John
Wyre Piddle (and Middle Piddle as well!)
Chipping Sodbury
Scunthorpe
Slough
Maidenhead

Some writers really get it jarringly wrong when they name their characters. I recall writing in a review of Julia Justiss's "Wicked Wager" (a Regency-set historical):

For a start, the names of the main characters were completely inappropriate for the time and place setting. Men named Madison, Lane, Bayard ???? Females named Hetty and Jenna? At times I had the feeling of being in a time and space warp and that they were escapees from something set in the ante bellum South when Jenna insists on calling her late husband's brothers "Cousin Lane" and "Cousin Bayard".