Soho

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

Frederick Williams - 28 Jan 2009 14:17 GMT

There are a number of places in the UK called 'Soho' (in
Carmarthenshire, London, Sandwell, Somerset at least). Where does this
name come from?

Recommendations for 'origins of place names' books will be welcome.

Signature

But you see, I can believe a thing without understanding it.
It's all a matter of training.
--Lord Peter Wimsey in Dorothy L Sayers' _Have His Carcase_

Reply to this Message

Egbert White - 28 Jan 2009 15:09 GMT

>There are a number of places in the UK called 'Soho' (in
>Carmarthenshire, London, Sandwell, Somerset at least). Where does this
>name come from?

I don't know about the UK 'Soho,' but I was surprised to learn not
long ago that the New York City 'Soho' means 'south of Houston,' where
'Houston' is the name of a street (and pronounced 'HOW ston,' where
'how' rhymes with 'cow,' or so I'm told),

>Recommendations for 'origins of place names' books will be welcome.

Again of incidental interest, the subject of origins of place names
may be more succinctly called toponymy.

But now I've Googled and found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soho
the following comment:

| The area which is now Soho was grazing farmland until 1536, when it
| was taken by Henry VIII as a royal park for the Palace of Whitehall.
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
| soho as a rallying call for his men at the Battle of Sedgemoor,[6]
| half a century after the name was first used for this area of London.

I see that British dictionaries still give that definition of 'soho.'

For toponymy in general, you may find it interesting to look at
http://knowledgerush.com/kr/encyclopedia/Toponymy/ .

Signature

Egbert White, | "I love Americans, but not when they try
Planet Earth | to talk French. What a blessing it is that
| that they never try to talk English."
| -- Saki's Mrs. Mebberley

Reply to this Message

Frederick Williams - 30 Jan 2009 14:33 GMT

> On Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:17:14 +0000, Frederick Williams
> <frederick.williams2@tesco.net> wrote:
[quoted text clipped - 21 lines]
> | believe that the name derives from the old soho! hunting call (Soho!
> | There goes the fox! etc.).

Thank you. I was aware of that meaning of 'soho' but it did not occur
to me that it had any connection with the place names. Do I believe it
now I've read it? Um... :-)

> [2][3][4][5] The Duke of Monmouth used
> | soho as a rallying call for his men at the Battle of Sedgemoor,[6]
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> For toponymy in general, you may find it interesting to look at
> http://knowledgerush.com/kr/encyclopedia/Toponymy/ .

Signature

But you see, I can believe a thing without understanding it.
It's all a matter of training.
--Lord Peter Wimsey in Dorothy L Sayers' _Have His Carcase_

Reply to this Message

Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2009

Soho