whats in a name?

Lancashire 17

Image by treehugger-uk

treehugger-uk Aug 30, 2005 21:05:08

Hi Peeps

Living in sunny old Blackpool theres not much in the way of Megalithic culture this way. However a little snooping around in my area has revealed quite a bit. the poulton Elk was found not far from my dorrstep along with ancient burials, skulls and an iron age boat have all been found in the surrounding pete mosses and bogs.
I also came across references to a place called Warbreck Hill this is the highest point on the Fylde coast and stands in the middle of our town covered in roads and topped with a water tower!
The references brief as they were suggest this hill once had an iron age hillfort and a possible R*man camp does anyone have any info on this or indeed a Translation of the name Warbreck?
thanks in advance.

Peace

Tree

Rivington Pike Aug 30, 2005 21:31:02

Replying to treehugger-uk

Hi Mr. T,

From Ekwall "The Place-Names of Lancashire".

"Warbreck : Beacon Hill from the O.N. vardi - beacon and brekka - slope.

Warbreck stands on a ridge of 100 ft on which is also a place called "Knowle" (O.E. cnoll "knoll")

Wardebrec C 1140, Wardebrecca C 1147, Wardebrech 1155, Warthebreck C1324.

You only needed to ask !!

Riv ;0))

Hob Aug 30, 2005 21:39:34

Replying to treehugger-uk

Eyup Mr Tree,

A bit of googling came up with:
'an area of land which has been cultivated for a while and then allowed to revert to heath'
Or:
'from the Gaelic word breac, meaning speckled'
Or:
'a feminine noun meaning slope, from the Scandanavian'

But more of direct relevance, from http://www.lancslinks.org.uk/linkscontent/mycommunity/localcommunity/blackpool/
Is:
'The name 'war' is thought to derive from the Old English word 'waer' meaning a settlement by a weir, with the word 'breck' deriving from 19th century slang for break, meaning an area of land that has been broken up for cultivation. Warbreck Hill in north Blackpool is probably the highest point on the Fylde, it is believed to have been a beacon hill in ancient times, there is talk of it being used by the Druids; is it so inconceivable that the Romans also would have utilised its commanding position as a lookout post? Who knows what evidence may have been destroyed when in the 1920s the water board built a reservoir and the massive water tower which now occupies the crest of the hill, and why is the hill's real name "Beryl Hill"? This suggests a link with celtic gods to me. Also worth mentioning is the fact that this hill was used along with Beacon Fell for triangulation purposes during the first ordnance survey of Lancashire; this is because from the hills Warbreck is easily seen, just as it was in Roman times'

Which I suspect you may have seen already, so not all that much help really, soz.

But it's nice to see there is at least a small bit of evidence for prehistoric Blackpool. I've noticed it's a bit sparse round there, which always seems a bit unlikely, given the good farming land. Mebbe it wasn't so good back in the dim and distant.

Spaceship mark Sep 2, 2005 17:12:40

Replying to treehugger-uk

Fuuny old thing, I lived on Warbreck Hill Rd., almost on the summitof the hill in fact. When we dug a pond in our back yard it filled with water of its own accord and stayed pretty fullall year round. We calledthe water board as we thought the resevoirmight be leaking but they tested it and said it wasn't their water. So it seems there's some sort of underground spring...
Great views of the Bowland Hills too. And having never broken in an climbed the covered resevoir, I couldn't tell you about the views of the Lake District and North Wales. And of course, from anywhere on Blackpool front, the very wierd and rare sightings ofthe Isle of Man, often floating above the horizon and sometimes reflected upside down in itself! Seen that, my Dad saw Ireland not so long ago, that's very very rare...