Geographical etymology: a dictionary of place-names giving their derivations

by Christina Blackie

an enclosure, a church, a house; but Mr. Skene considers that the Cel. llan comes from the Lat. planum (a level place), just as the Gael. lan (full) comes from the Lat. plenus. This word is more common in Welsh names than in the topography of Ireland and Scotland, and in its signification of a church forms the groundwork of a vast number of Welsh names. In Ireland it means a house as well as a church, as in Landbrock (the badger’s house); Landmore (the great church), in Londonderry; Landahussy (O’Hussy’s church), in Tyrone; Lanaglug (the church of the bells). It is not so frequent in Scotland, but the modern name of Lamlash, in the Island of Arran, formerly Ard-na-Molas, the height of St. Molios, who lived in a cave there, seems to be the church or enclosure of this saint; Lambride, in Forfar, is Lannbride (St. Bridget’s church); Lumphanan is from Lann-Finan (St. Finan’s church). The derivation of Lanark, anc. Lanerk, is probably from the Welsh Llanerch (a distinct spot or fertile piece of ground). There are many examples of this root in Brittany; e.g. Lanleff (the enclosure on the R. Leff); Lanmeur (great church); Lannion (the little enclosure); Landerneau and Lannoy (the enclosure on the water); but in French topography the Teut. land generally signifies uncultivated ground; e.g. La Lande, Landes, Landelles, La Landelle, Les Landais, Landau, etc.—v. Cocheris’s Noms de Lieu. Launceston, in Cornwall, is probably corrupt. from Llan-Stephen. The greatest number of our examples must be taken from Wales. There are Lantony or Llan-Ddevinant (the church of St. David in the valley, nant, of the R. Hodeny); Llan-Dewi-Aberarth (St. David’s church at the mouth of the Arth); Lampeter (of St. Peter); Llan-Asaph (of St. Asaph); Llanbadern-fawr (the great church founded by Paternus), also Llan-Badarn-Odyn; Llandelo-vawr (of Feilo the Great); Llandewi-Brefi (St. David’s church). Brevi here means the bellowing, from the dismal moans of a sacred animal killed here; Llandovery, corrupt. from Llan-ym-dyffrwd (the church among the rivers, at the confluence of three streams); Llanudno (of St. Tudno); Llanelly (of St. Elian); Llanfair (of St. Mary); Llanover (the church of the Gover wells); Llanon (the church dedicated to Nonn, the mother of St. David); Llanfair-yn-nghornwy (on the horn or headland of the water). There are several of this name,—as Llan-fair-ar-y-bryn (St. Mary’s church on the hill); Llanfair-helygen (St. Mary’s church among willows); Llanfair-o’r-llwyn (on the lake); Llanfihangel (of the angel); Llanfihangel-genau’r-glyn (the church of the angels at the opening of the valley); Llanfihangel-y-creuddin, a church erected probably on the site of a bloody battle; Llanfihangel-lledrod (the church at the foot of a declivity); Llangadogvawr (of St. Cadoc the Great); Llangeler (of St. Celert); Llangollen (of St. Collen); Llanidloes (of St. Idloes); Llaniestyn (of St. Constantine); Llannethlin, anc. Mediolanum (the church among the pools or marshes); Llantrissant (of three saints); Llanddeusaint (of two saints); Llanberis (of St. Peres); Llandegla (of St. Theckla); Llanrhaiadr (the church of the cataract); Llanfaes (the church of the battle-field); Landaff, on the R. Taff; Llangoedmore (the church of the great wood); Llanaml-lech (the church on the stony ground, etc.); Llangwyllog (the gloomy church, perhaps in the shade of the Druidic grove); Llanfleiddian (dedicated to a bishop named Flaidd); Llanllawer (the church of the multitude, llawer, close to which was a sainted well famous for its medicinal properties, and which was resorted to by crowds of impotent folk); Llancilcen (the church in the nook, cil, at the top, cen, of a hill), a parish in Flint; Llan-mabon (of St. Mabon); Llan-Beblig, corrupt. from Bublicius, named for the son of Helen, a Welsh princess; Llan-sant-Fagan, named in honour of St. Faganus, a missionary from Rome. Llan is sometimes corrupted to long in Scotland, as in Longniddrie; Lagny, a town in France, anc. Laniacum (the church or enclosure on the stream). From the Teut. land, i.e. a country or district, some names may come in appropriately under this head—thus Scotland (the land of the Scots), from Ireland; Monkland, in Lanarkshire (belonging to the monks); Natland, in Norway (the land of horned cattle); Sutherland (the southern land, as compared with Caithness), both Sutherland and Caithness having formed part of the Orkney Jarldom; Cumberland (the land of the Cymbri), being part of the British kingdom of Cumbria; Holland (the marshy land, ollant); Gippsland, named in honour of Sir George Gipps, a governor of Port Philip; Friesland (the land of the Frisii); Beveland (of oxen or beeves); Baardland (of the Lombards); Westmoreland (the land of the Westmoringas or people of the Western moors); Gothland, in Sweden (the land of the Goths); Jutland (the land of the Getæ or Jutes, the Cimbric Chersonesus of the ancients).

LAR, LAAR, LEER (Old Ger.),
LAER (A.S.),
LATHAIR, or LAUER (Gadhelic),

a site, a bed; and in Germany, according to Buttmann, a field; in topography, synonymous with lage; e.g. Goslar (the site or field on the R. Gose), in Hanover; Somplar (marshy field); Wittlar (woody field); Dinklar (wheat field); Wetzlar, in Prussia, anc. Wittlara (woody field); Wassarlar (watery field); Noordlaren (the northern site); Lahr (the site), a town in Baden. In Ireland this word takes the forms of laragh and lara; e.g. Laraghleas (the site of the fort); Laraghshankill (of the old church). Lara, however, is sometimes a corrupt. of Leath-rath (half rath), as in Laragh, in West Meath; and laar and lare often mean middle, as in Rosslare (the middle peninsula); Ennislare (the middle island); Latheron, in Caithness, is the site of the seal.

LAUF, LAUFEND (Ger.),
LOOP (Dutch),

a current, a rapid, from laufen, Ger.; hlaupen, Scand.; hleapen, A.S. (to run, to leap); e.g. Laufen (the rapids), on the R. Salzach; Lauffenberg (the town near the rapids of the Rhine); Laufnitz (the leaping river); Lauffen (on the rapids of the R. Inn); Leixlip, in Ireland, Old Norse Lax-hlaup (salmon-leap), on a cataract of the R. Liffey; Beck-loop (brook cataract), in Holland; Loop-Head, Co. Clare, Irish Leim-Chon-Chuillerin (Cuchullin’s leap)—v. Joyce’s Names of Places.

LAW (A.S.), hleaw,
LOW,

a hill, cognate with the Irish lagh; e.g. Houndslow (the dog’s hill); Ludlow (the people’s hill, leod); Greenlaw, in Berwickshire (the green hill)—the modern town is situated on a plain, but old Greenlaw was on a hill; Winslow (the hill of victory), in Berks; Marlow (the chalk or marshy hill); Wardlaw (guard hill); Hadlow, anc. Haslow (hazel hill); Castlelaw, in the Lammermuir range, named from Roman camps on these hills; Sidlaw Hills (the south hills, in reference to their forming the southern boundary of Strathmore); Warmlow, Co. Worcester, anc. Waermundes-hleau (the hill of Waermund, a personal name); Fala, a parish in Mid Lothian, abbreviated from Fallaw (the speckled hill); Mintlaw, in Aberdeenshire, corrupt. from Moan-alt-law (the hill at the moss burn).

LAYA (Sansc.),

an abode; e.g. Naglaya (the abode of snakes); the Himalaya Mountains (the abode of snow); Hurrial, for Arayalaya (the abode of Hari or Vishnu).

LEAC (Gadhelic),
LLECH (Cym.-Cel.),