Britain has some of the most amusing place names in the English-speaking world. From Shitterton in Dorset to Wetwang in Yorkshire, our map is dotted with names that make visitors giggle and residents either cringe or embrace their hometown’s unfortunate nomenclature. But how did these places get such ridiculous names?
The Embarrassingly Named
Shitterton, Dorset
Origin: From Old English “scitere” (sewer) + “tun” (farm). It literally meant “farm by the sewer.” The village sign is frequently stolen by souvenir hunters, leading residents to replace it with a heavy stone version.
Crapstone, Devon
Origin: Probably from “crappa” (Old English for “crow”) + “stan” (stone). So it’s likely “crow stone,” not what you’re thinking.
Penistone, South Yorkshire
Origin: From “Pening” (a personal name) + “tun” (settlement). Nothing rude about it—just an unfortunate combination of sounds to modern ears. Locals pronounce it “PEN-i-stun” to avoid confusion.
Pratts Bottom, Kent
Origin: “Pratt” was a family name, “bottom” means valley. It’s simply the Pratt family’s valley. Still unfortunate.
Thong, Kent
Origin: From Old English meaning “narrow strip of land.” Nothing to do with underwear.
Anatomically Awkward
Wetwang, East Yorkshire
Origin: From Old Norse “vaett-vangr” meaning “field for the trial of a legal action” or possibly “wet field.” Either way, it’s pronounced exactly as you’d expect, and residents fully embrace it.
Cockermouth, Cumbria
Origin: At the mouth of the River Cocker. The river name comes from a Celtic word meaning “crooked.” Perfectly innocent etymology, unfortunate modern reading.
Bell End, Worcestershire
Origin: Named after the Bell Inn that once stood there. “End” means district or area. Now a term for… something else entirely.
Twatt, Orkney (and Shetland)
Origin: From Old Norse “þveit” meaning “small parcel of land” or “clearing.” There are actually two Twatts in Scotland. Neither has anything to do with the modern insult.
Food-Related Names
Sandwich, Kent
Origin: From Old English “sand-wic” meaning “sandy trading place.” The Earl of Sandwich took his title from here, and his gambling-friendly snack invention took its name from him.
Ham, various locations
Origin: From Old English “hamm” meaning “enclosure” or “meadow.” Nothing to do with pork.
Westward Ho!, Devon
Origin: Named after Charles Kingsley’s 1855 novel. It’s the only place in Britain with an exclamation mark in its name!
Violently Named
Slaughter, Gloucestershire (Upper and Lower)
Origin: From Old English “slohtre” meaning “muddy place.” Nothing violent happened here—it’s just a reference to soggy ground.
Giggleswick, North Yorkshire
Origin: Probably from a Viking personal name “Gikel” + “wic” (dwelling). The giggling is coincidental.
Charmingly Absurd
Blubberhouses, North Yorkshire
Origin: Possibly from a Scandinavian personal name “Blubber” or from a word meaning “bubbling” (as in streams). The village is tiny but the name is memorable.
Nether Wallop, Hampshire
Origin: “Nether” means lower, “wallop” probably from Old English “waell-hop” meaning “valley with a stream.” Part of a trio with Middle Wallop and Over Wallop.
Pity Me, County Durham
Origin: Uncertain. Possibly from French “petit mere” (small lake) or from a local legend about a boy lost in the snow. The name certainly invites sympathy.
Great Snoring and Little Snoring, Norfolk
Origin: From Old English, meaning “the people of Snear.” Nothing to do with sleeping, though guests at the local hotels might disagree.
Biblically Bizarre
Christmaspie, Surrey (now lost)
Origin: Christmas was a family name. The “pie” is uncertain but possibly a corruption of another word.
Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire
Origin: Originally the Roman “Durovigutum.” The “God” prefix was added in medieval times, possibly for religious cachet or from a personal name.
Why British Place Names Are So Strange
Linguistic Layers
Britain’s place names reflect invasions and settlements by:
- Celts – River and hill names
- Romans – “Chester,” “caster” from “castra” (camp)
- Anglo-Saxons – Most village names
- Vikings – “-by,” “-thorpe” endings
- Normans – French influences
Sound Changes
Words changed pronunciation over centuries while spellings stayed fixed, creating modern embarrassment from innocent origins.
Prudish Victorian Mapmakers
Some genuinely rude names were bowdlerised in Victorian times. “Gropecuntelane” (yes, really—a medieval street name for areas of prostitution) became “Grape Lane” in many towns.
Place Name Elements Decoded
- -ton/-tun – Farm, settlement
- -ham – Homestead, enclosure
- -ley/-leigh – Clearing, meadow
- -ford – River crossing
- -bury/-borough – Fortified place
- -thorpe – Village (Norse)
- -by – Farm, settlement (Norse)
- -wick/-wich – Trading place or dairy farm
Living with Embarrassing Names
Residents of these places often:
- Embrace the humor and sell merchandise
- Suffer constant sign theft
- Face sniggers when giving their address
- Develop good-natured defenses
- Create viral social media content
The Tourist Trail
Some people make pilgrimages to photograph signs at:
- Shitterton
- Twatt
- Wetwang
- Penistone
- Bell End
- Crapstone
Conclusion
British place names tell the story of our islands—layers of invasion, settlement, and linguistic evolution creating a map that would make a schoolchild giggle. What seems rude to modern ears usually has perfectly innocent origins in Old English, Old Norse, or Celtic languages.
These names remind us that language changes while geography doesn’t. The people of Shitterton will continue to live by their ancestral sewer-farm, and Twatt will remain a perfectly respectable clearing in Orkney, regardless of what the words have come to mean.
As the residents of these places would tell you: it’s only funny until you have to put it on a job application.
