WHAT DOES 'COTSWOLD' MEAN?

"Cotswolds" derives from two words: "cot," which refers to stone sheep enclosures (derived from the Anglo-Saxon word "cote") and "wold," which means "bare hill" (also Anglo-Saxon in origin). The plural "wolds" denotes a series of rolling uplands. The area was made famous and wealthy over the centuries for its wool trade. One look at the many fine buildings in the various Cotswolds towns and villages presents ample evidence of that wealth.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first known reference to the term was recorded in 1306 in a petition appearing in the Rolls of Parliament under the title "Ecclesie de Newenton super Coteswalde."

Thanks for that Rob. Learn something new on POE every day don't you?

Most of us Colonials don't know much about sheep or anything else for that matter.  Hard to believe Ron is one of us.

Linda-Mary:  I figured that it was a typo, but any chance to tease Ron, you know, good man that he is!

I am indeed a Colonial born and bred--grew up on the east side of Detroit. My love of all things British stems mainly from my Ma, a Georgia mountain girl whose English, Welsh, Irish and Scottish ancestors mainly came over in the early to late 17th century. Through my mother's maternal side I also descend from the Creek and Choctaw Indian tribes. My paternal grandmother's family came over from Luton, Bedfordshire, at the end of the 19th century, and she is the one who gave me my taste for tea over coffee.

My mother's abiding love of things medieval was passed on to me and I have had the very good fortune of working in an academic position that allows me to come over to England on a semi-regular basis to do research on Gothic church architecture.