I’ve just posted this map of Dorset to a very puerile thread on MetaFilter.
Looking at it, it reminded me just how odd Dorset placenames are. I mean, aside from Piddletrenthide and Affpuddle, a good 50% of the names sound like romantic novel heroes (“Winterbourne Clenston held her in his strong arms…”. “‘Lord Glanvilles Wooton”, announced the butler’). And what’s with the two places about a mile apart, one called Melcombe Bingham and the other Bingham’s Melcombe? Do people there ever get the right letters?