SOMERSET is blessed with some fantastic place names.

From Curry Rivel to Nether Stowey, Combe Florey to Shepton Beauchamp.

Here, thanks to the efforts of Charles Whynne-Hammond in his book English Place Names Explained, we pick out 10 notable places in Somerset and explain the how they came about...

SHEPTON MALLET

Shepton is a common place name in England, derived from 'sceap-ton', meaning 'sheep farm'. Here, the name was Sepetone (in the Domesday Book), before the manor came into the ownership of Robert Malet in the early 12th century. Nearby, the village of Evercreech (which was Evorcric in the 11th century) comes from 'eofor' (boar) and the old Celtic word 'cruc' (hill).

CHARD

Before being called Cerdre in the Domesday book in 1086, Chard had been known as Ceardren and Cerdren, from the Saxon words 'ceart', meaning 'rough ground', and 'aern' or 'renn', meaning 'dwelling or house'.

The town stands on the edge of the Blackdown Hills, an area of poor soils and upland pasture.

Chard & Ilminster News:

MINEHEAD

This name means 'head of Myne Hill', the origin being the Celtic or Welsh 'mynydd' and the Saxon 'heafod', both of which meant 'hill'. In 1046, the place was called Mynhaefdon, chaning to Menehewed by the 13th century.

CREWKERNE

The prefix derives not from the Celtic 'cryw' (for or stepping stones) but from the Celtic 'cruc', 'crug' or 'crouco' (meaning hill). The nearby Cricket St Thomas is derived from the same root. The suffix comes from the Saxon term 'aern', mening house or storehouse.

In the ninth century, Crewkerne was called Crucern and in the 13th century, Crukerne.

TAUNTON

The name of the County Town has changed very little, it was Tantun in AD 722. It was so called because it was the 'tun' (farmstead) on the River Tan (later, the Thon and today the Tone). This river name was from the Celtic root 'tanarus' - a roaring stream.

WESTONZOYLAND

Weston (west-tun or farmstead) is a common place name, with many villages or towns which possess it having an additional element. Weston-super-Mare, of course, is named from its coastal position. But on the Levels, Zoyland is a corruption of 'sowi-land' - the land of streams. The introduction of the 'z' might have been due to the influence of Dutch workers who, in the late Middle Ages, helped drain the fens around the village. In the Domesday Book it was called simply Sowi, and in about 1245, Westsowi.

CASTLE CARY

The town takes its name from the castle, which was built by the Normans, and the river upon which it stands. A document of 1138 lists it as Castellum de Cari; in 1237 it was called Castelkary. The river name is derived from the Celtic word 'caric', which meant loving, or pleasant stream.

EASTON-IN-GORDANO

The first element is simply from 'east-tun', meaning 'east farm', and in the Domesday Book is called just Estone. The last element is more interesting, referring to the whole district. It either comes from the words 'gara-denu' (triangular valley), or from 'gor-denu' (dirty valley), both being Saxon. Bearing in mind the topography of the area, and the widening of the Avon valley as it reaches the Severn Estuary, the former meaning might be the more likely. In the 13th century the village was called Eston in Gordon.

Chard & Ilminster News:

GLASTONBURY

The Glastonia of old was Glastingaea in AD 704 and Glaestingeberia in the Domesday Book. To the Celtic root 'glasto' (woad) the Saxons added 'inga' (people), 'eg' (island) and later 'burh' (fortified place). Woad - a plant of the cabbage family - grew all around the area in pre-Norman times and provided an important source of dye colouring. The old Welsh name for Glastonbury - Ineswytrin - meant 'island of gutrin', and ancient Celtic word meaning 'glassy'. The legendary Isle of Avalon, thought to be here, means 'island of apples', from the Celtic 'afal', for 'apple'.

BRIDGWATER

Interestingly, this does not come from 'bridge over the water', but from 'bridge belonging to Walter de Dowai' (a Norman baron). The bridge (Saxon word 'brycg') was over the River Parrett and unusually, it was the owner's first name that was transferred to the place name and not his surname. In the Domesday Book it was Brugie, and in 1194, Brigewaltier.

So there you go, the stories behind some of the place names we use each and every day. So now, you can head to Brugie, via Cerdre, and on to Glatingaea...

For more histories of place names from right across the country, you can order a copy of English Place Names Explained, by Charles Whynne-Hammond, via www.countrysidebooks.co.uk.

* All content reproduced with permission of the publisher.