From: "Andy Horton" To: "Michael Haseler" Cc: "Andy Horton" Subject: Re: -ham and -hamm Place Names Date: 30 May 2008 12:26 Hello Mike, My current hypothesis goes as follows: The Celtic peoples (the Romano-Brits lived in towns) would have an enclosure for cattle or other livestock, located next or hemmed in by natural boundaries in their village (more than just a homestead as evidenced by burials and religious activities). This is enclosue "hemmed in pasture" would be known When the Saxons (generic term for lots of German tribes) arrived, as the Hamm, much later known as le Ham. Later the whole homestead with the people and the animal enclosure would be referred to as the Ham. Homestead only would seem more likely to be prefixed with a person's name. On the signs and signposts theory (like road signs today) the hamm, hemmed- in land makes more sense for the traveller. Stuck on the downs in a flash fog even today without a compass, you have to look for visible signs in the landscape to negotiate your passge, the fallen tree, or the incline, the barrow on the hill. For the person orientated personality the -ham making "bring home a wife" is more appealing. Cheers Andy Refs: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kraal ://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kraal