Society for Name Studies in Britain and Ireland (SNSBI)
Seventeenth Annual Spring Conference
Pollock Halls, University of Edinburgh 4–7 April 2008

The 2008 annual spring conference was held in University of Edinburgh and organised by Dr Ian Fraser & Dr Doreen Waugh.

Programme

Friday 4 April

3.00pm Registration
3.30–4.30pm Tea/coffee
5.30 Editorial Board Meeting
6.00pm Bar
6.30pm Dinner

Session 1: Chair Ian Fraser.

8.00pm Bill Nicolaisen: ‘On names in literature'. (read by Carole Hough).

9.15pm Committee meeting

Saturday 5 April

8.00am Breakfast

Session 2: Chair Doreen Waugh

9.15am Pat McKay: 'Scots minor names in Ulster'.
9.45am Veronica Smart: ‘Economic migrants? Continental names in tenth-century England’
10.15am Guy Puzey: ‘Minority place-names and linguistic identity in Scotland and Norway’

10.45am Tea/Coffee

Session 3: Chair Carole Hough

11.15am Ian Fraser: ‘Place-names in oral tradition’
11.45am Peter Drummond: ‘Place-name losses and changes’

12.15pm Richard Cox: ‘Issues in developing a chronology for Norse and Gaelic place-names in the Hebrides'

1.00pm Lunch

Session 4: Chair Veronica Smart

2.15pm Gwyneth Nair and Jennifer Scherr: ‘“Especiall vertues”: abstract qualities and women's names in England 1540–1850’
2.45pm David Sellar: 'Rachael, Gormelia, Florence and Forwht: some female forenames’
3.15pm Ellen Bramwell: ‘Naming patterns in a Glasgow Pakistani/Muslim community’

3.45pm Tea/Coffee

Session 5: Chair Kay Muhr

4.15pm Liam Ó hAisibéil: ‘Aspects of research on townland names in Co. Roscommon’
4.45pm Gavin Smith: ‘-ingas place-names in Surrey'

6.00pm Bar (and meeting of 'Web Advisory Group')

6.30pm Dinner

Session 6: Chair Hywel Wyn Owen

8.00pm Project reports:

Dónall MacGiolla Easpaig: database of Irish place-names
Patrick Hanks: new edition of dictionary of English surnames
Alison Grant: Scottish field-name database
Thomas Clancy/Simon Taylor: place-names of Fife
Doreen Waugh (& Gunnel Melchers): the body in place-names
Kay Muhr: Northern Ireland Place-Name Project
Alan James: BLITON Project
(Bar open until 11pm)

Sunday 6 April

8.00am Breakfast

9.15am Annual General Meeting.

Session 7: Chair Simon Taylor

10.00am Shaun Tyas: ‘The use of medievalism in business names in Britain and Ireland’

10.30am Tea/Coffee

Session 8: Chair Simon Taylor

10.50am Peter McNiven: ‘Place-names and the medieval church in Menteith, Perthshire’
11.20am Hywel Wyn Owen: ‘Dictionary of the place-names of Wales’
11.50am Ian Fraser: 'Linlithgow place-names'

12.30pm Lunch

2.00pm Coach excursion to Linlithgow Palace, where we were entertained by the Linlithgow Players - the pictures show members of the group (and others) watching the play.



6.30pm Dinner

Session 9: Chair Oliver Padel

8.00pm Discussion

Monday 7 April

8.00am Breakfast

Conference departs after breakfast

9.15am Committee meeting