John Moss (6)

Celtic Places by John Moss is an excellent reference guide to place names and the linguistic roots of those names.

I admit that I was expecting something more akin to a narrative type of history of placenames but once I adjusted my expectations, I found the format used to be far more useful for looking a name up. I enjoyed the opening section of each chapter quite a bit, with a broad background for the area covered and a nice language map. I then read some of the entries that followed, maybe about 80% of them, and while they were brief and very much to the point, I found them to be just what I would want if I were either studying or simply exploring an area.

The readership for this is going to be somewhat niche, namely those who have a desire for a nice reference book of Celtic placenames. While not really made for reading from cover to cover it would make a nice bedside book to dip into occasionally, the information is quite fascinating.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.… (meer)

Great British Family Names – An excellent reference book

With interest growing in family history and local history at both general level as well as at academic level, this book will be a welcome addition. As someone with degrees including at postgraduate level in history, I find this an excellent too, and starting point for information when required.

As well as the obvious names such as Percy, Cecil and Cavendish and a potted history of the circumstances and history surround those names. For those of us in Manchester have always known that the Mosely were lords of the manor of Manchester, and yes one branch is that Mosely. What this book is adds colour and information so that the reader will be better informed.

It is also one way of learning about your own local area such as the De Trafford family, who besides the obvious hall, gave their name to a Borough in Manchester, Trafford. Also, they gave their name, to a place where my own father worked for nearly 50 years, and the site of one of the largest industrial parks in Britain, Trafford Park.

The good thing about this book is that it covers more than England. Every part of Britain is covered, so yes, the De Angulo family from Wales or the Dalzell family in Scotland. We can also learn about the FitzMaurice family of Kerry or the FitzGerald family of Munster.

Great British Family Names and their history is a book that you will continue to reference and use. There is also an excellent bibliography if you wish to read some of the books that John Moss has used and also some excellent websites that are useful.

An excellent book, well worth the money, and a book that can be used for many years to come.… (meer)