Would you live in a town called Grimness?
Tuesday, August 13th, 2002
England has some of the wackiest place names I’ve ever heard. America is no slouch when it comes to odd place names either, of course, (I mean, my parents live near Tombstone, for pity’s sake). But: Giggleswick? Barton in the Beans? Nether Wallop? If you’re from one of these places, how can you tell somebody where you live without cracking up?
I love unusual place names, by the way, and can spend hours scouring maps for interesting sounding cities and towns. This is, in fact, how we passed some of the time in the car on our way to the concert in Somerset. And in the midst of all the wallops and wicks, we found what is by far the coolest place name ever:
Ryme Intrinseca.
How weird is that? Well, it’s not as weird (or as interesting, I’m afraid) when you know where the name comes from, but still… Ryme Intrinseca. I want to visit there. I want to live there. I want people to start calling me Ryme Intrinseca.
And for further amusement, here is a list of some other funny place names in the UK.
Comments
1
There is plenty more weird names straight out of Newfoundland:
Top 3 Dildo Come By Chance Blow Me Down
Others Too Good Arm Burnt Arm Herring’s Neck ( A herring is a fish for all you mainlanders) Devil’s Kitchen Joe Batt’s Arm Cow Head Crow Head Heart’s Content Heart’s Desire Heart’s Delight Tickle Cove Middle Gut
and many many more
2
There’s a place on the Isle of Skye called Peinlich, which means "embarassing" in German …
3
boobie faced, hawaii
4
in N.S.W a road called dog shit lane I beleve it is in the blue mt.
5
The town: Chicken, Alaska
6
I don’t know of a town, but I am writing to admit that I was wrong and that the Calgary Flames will win the Stanley Cup this year and crush the crappy Tampa Bay Lighting 4-0 in the series. I just wanted to admit that the Lightning are no match for Calgary and that I was stupid for thinking so.
7
I’m different (you know) and I’m proud. I live in a place where we are all welcomed and treated with the respect that we reserve. I love to dance and Paint and do other things. Anyway my town’s name is Crowbell Mountain, North Dakota.
8
I know of a place by the name of Norwood Sanitarium, It’s a real nice place, I was there for four years, then I moved to the town of BoBo Chirt, Maryland.
9
I know of a town called Toilette Bowl, France
10
Sorry about the last post. Commas would be nice:
There is plenty more weird names straight out of Newfoundland:
Top 3: Dildo, Come By Chance, Blow Me Down
Others: Too Good Arm, Burnt Arm, Herring’s Neck ( A herring is a fish for all you mainlanders), Devil’s Kitchen, Joe Batt’s Arm, Cow Head, Crow Head, Heart’s Content, Heart’s Desire, Heart’s Delight, Tickle Cove, Middle Gut
and many many more
11
So hilarious. Loved the article. I get a kick out of funny place names too.
12
Upon searching for my village name, I come accross this website. Yes, I live in Barton in the Beans. And I do have to tell people that I’m not joking, the worst was when I needed to make an order over the phone on April 1st (April Fools Day) and the woman really wouldn’t take my order seriously! But apart from that, it’s cool living somewhere with a stupid name :)
13
Red Bear Lake newfoundland canada
14
ASSS HILL NEWFOUNDLAND CANADA
15
I am from Ryme Intrinseca, or at least I was. I grew up there and left when I was 18. When people asked where I was from I used to say Dorset ( the county that Ryme is in). The problem was having to spell it out all the time.
16
Captain James Cook HMN Melisa, thats who. He is more renowned for his Pacific voyages of exploration. Early in his naval career the British Admiralty recognized Cooks exceptional ability in Mathematics , Navigation and leadership skills. As a young man in the mid 1700’s he was given the task of producing navigational charts for the waters of the Island of Newfoundland, the Gulf of St. Lawrence and St. Lawrence River as well as mapping the coastlines. Fogo Island is off the northern coast of Nfld. “Joe Batts Arm” is the name of a small town there. Captain Cook named it in memory of his Brother in Law and mistress who jumped ship and settled there. Because of the exceptional accuracy and detail of Cooks Charts and Maps the British Navy dominated the region. The French suffered a humiliating defeat at the Battle of Quebec on the plains of Abraham . Cook and his Charts were given credit for the victory. Years later while exploring New Zealand the Captain gave some places there the same names as towns he named in Newfoundland. Hello Melisa: I was doing a search and noticed your comment about the odd names of towns so I responded because I knew the answer. Sincerely Charlie Wilmington MA
17
Get this: The towns of Come By Chance, Blow Me Down, and Dildo can all be found in Canada. (All in Newfoundland Province) Like who in the world thought of and APPROVED those names???
18
I lived in Okla most of my life and recently discovered a town named Pink, Okla. Its a tiny town too. Just thought you would like to hear another strange name.
19
In the “Yankee States of North America” I wouldnt live in a place with a name that domminated a huge area that was… Waspy like- Wilmington DE (domminates state of Delaware) New York, New York (REnamed for ego-mad english Duke- kept name -same with Wilmington) Boston, MA (I like the Massachsetts part though) Birmingham, AL Trenton, NJ Camden, NJ Richmond, VA Manchester, New Hampshire Charleston, WV Huntington, WV Houston, TX Austin, TX Dallas, TX Places in Virginia outside DC that refer to themselves as “Washington” Or with goofy local pronunciations like Norfolk, VA (pronounced NOR-FU*K) or Louisville, KY (Pronounced LOOO-UGH-VUGHLL)
In Canada, I would’nt care for living in a geographically domminating place with a waspy name like… Windsor, ONT Edmondton, ABTA
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