The hill hill hill hill. What was its name?

Garry J. Vass

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Jan 2, 2000, 3:00:00 AM1/2/00

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Does anybody remember the name of the hill hill hill hill that was
described at the boink under the topic, "Strange Etymologies of English
Place Names"?

I wanted to make a note of this anomaly, and then forgot all about it.
Then after I remembered, I could not remember the name of the hill hill
hill hill.

I would like to write it down. Does anyone remember?
--
Garry J. Vass

Frances Kemmish

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Jan 2, 2000, 3:00:00 AM1/2/00

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Breedon on the Hill? That's not quite enough hills.

Fran

Laura F Spira

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Jan 2, 2000, 3:00:00 AM1/2/00

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"Garry J. Vass" wrote:
>
> Does anybody remember the name of the hill hill hill hill that was
> described at the boink under the topic, "Strange Etymologies of English
> Place Names"?
>
> I wanted to make a note of this anomaly, and then forgot all about it.
> Then after I remembered, I could not remember the name of the hill hill
> hill hill.
>
> I would like to write it down. Does anyone remember?

> --

Howpentor? Torpenhow? Our minute taker must still be sleeping in
Southampton, but Graeme/Linz knew all about it.

--
Laura
(emulate St. George for e-mail)

Lindsay Endell

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Jan 2, 2000, 3:00:00 AM1/2/00

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Laura F Spira wrote:

Torpenhow Hill. Which came up in conversation on new year's eve and
friends were discussing where to go to watch the sun rise on the new
year. Where we are, they could have driven to Pendle Hill (same
etymology, when you get right down to it, as Torpenhow Hill). It
wouldn't have made any difference. The sun may have risen yeaterday,
but the cloud cover was too thick to watch it.

We decided that Torpenhow is probably not pronounced Torpenhow, this
being England. "Torpner" was our best guess, though we still haven't a
clue where it's situated.

Linz
--
Oh, not really a pedant, I wouldn't say.
http://www.gofar.demon.co.uk/ - Issue 2.0 available now

Matti Lamprhey

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Jan 2, 2000, 3:00:00 AM1/2/00

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"Lindsay Endell" <go...@nospam.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:386f456c...@news.demon.co.uk...
> ...

> We decided that Torpenhow is probably not pronounced Torpenhow, this
> being England. "Torpner" was our best guess, though we still haven't a
> clue where it's situated.

There's a Torpenhow village at the northern extremity of the English Lake
District, lying just south of the A595 Cockermouth to Carlisle road on a
line due north from Bassenthwaite. My 4 miles/inch map doesn't mark a
Torpenhow Hill, though.

Matti

Matti Lamprhey

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Jan 2, 2000, 3:00:00 AM1/2/00

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"Matti Lamprhey" <ma...@polka.bikini> wrote in message
news:386f4...@news.netdirect.net.uk...

It gets worse. I've just discovered that at this Torpenhow there's a
cropmark indicating a prehistoric or Roman curvilinear enclosure. This is
evidence that the -pen- is not the Brythonic word for "head", often applied
to the summit of a hill or (actually more frequently) the end of a ridge,
but rather the Old English word _enclosure_ which has survived into the
modern language. This is usually taken to be the meaning of "pen" when it
follows other components, as in Owlpen, Inkpen and so on.

_Tor_ may simply refer to the curvilinearity, as the Old English meaning was
"bulge". Yes, it's a familiar word for "hill" in Devon and Cornwall,
glimpsed also in the Peak District with Mam Tor, but I know of no Tor-named
hills in the Lake District, where "How(e)" is common.

So we could be down from "hill hill hill hill" to the "Bulgy enclosure hill"
village.

ObAUE and to cheer Brian up: It could easily be a corruption of Tuppenhow,
of course...

Matti

Geoff Butler

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Jan 2, 2000, 3:00:00 AM1/2/00

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Garry J. Vass <Ga...@gvass.demon.co.uk> wrote

>Does anybody remember the name of the hill hill hill hill that was
>described at the boink under the topic, "Strange Etymologies of English
>Place Names"?
>
>I wanted to make a note of this anomaly, and then forgot all about it.
>Then after I remembered, I could not remember the name of the hill hill
>hill hill.
>
>I would like to write it down. Does anyone remember?

Torpenhow Hill.

Tor is Old English, or perhaps Welsh Celtic.
Pen is Cornish.
How is, I think, Saxon. I await correction.

-ler

Brian J Goggin

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Jan 2, 2000, 3:00:00 AM1/2/00

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On Sun, 2 Jan 2000 15:41:32 -0000, "Matti Lamprhey"
<ma...@polka.bikini> wrote:

[...]

>ObAUE and to cheer Brian up: It could easily be a corruption of Tuppenhow,
>of course...

I always did wonder what went on at Tupperware parties.