UNUSUAL PLACE NAMES ON OLD MAPS ...

[Guest]

The British naval officers responsible for giving names to new places obviously must have run out of names for consideration at times or at least consumed considerable amounts of grog. I wonder what the Admiralty thought?

I say this because I have an very old map of St. Kitts. On the South East Peninsula there is a bay named "ARSE HOLE OF SHITTING BAY" further more next to it is "BUGGS HOLE" which is round the corner from "NAGS HEAD" followed by "CRAB HOLE" then "MAJORS BAY". Did the major have crabs?

Subsequent maps "renamed the "ARSE HOLE OF SHITTING BAY" to "Shitting Bay" which has recently been renamed "SHITTEN BAY". Further round the peninsula "Mosquito Bay" has been renamed "Turtle Beach". In Nevis "Mosquito Bay" has been renamed "Oualie" All in an effort to be more politicallycorrect/acceptable/palatable to visitors etc?

Anybody got any other unusual named places?

 

[Guest]

In the Greek islands you will come across four small mountains or hills.

1. Yam 2. Yrroc 3. Eb 4. Denmad.

The young surveyors had had their leave stopped by a martinet of a captain, with the name of Corry.

Their revenge lives on.

 

[Guest]

Took a few seconds well to read true message . sweet revenge. nm

nm

 

[Guest]

I\'ve never understood why they called it Rocky Harbour

(E side of New Territories, Hong Kong) There are no rocks to worry about. Similarly, Deep Water Bay isn't deep, Shelter Harbour isn't particularly sheltered.

Of course Clearwater Bay might have been 200 years ago.

 

[Guest]

Not quite a place name, but stemming from one. In 1794 a British force supporting Corsican insurgents had great difficulty in taking a fort near Mortella. The officer in charge of the force recommended that the design be adopted for British coastal defences. It was duly adopted, but because of his bad handwriting the forts have always been called Martello Towers.

 

[Guest]

Maybe it should have been Mortadella? nm

.

 

[Guest]

no doubt an expert will correct me...

but didn't that action in Corsica have the Nelson touch?