SNSBI 2008 Edinburgh meeting (Pollock Halls, April 04–07)

The 2008 annual spring conference was held at the University of Edinburgh and organised by Dr Ian Fraser and Dr Doreen Waugh. There is a report in Nomina 31, 121–123.

Friday 4 April

• Bill Nicolaisen: On names in literature (read by Carole Hough)

Saturday 5 April

• Pat McKay: Scots minor names in Ulster
• Veronica Smart: Economic migrants? Continental names in tenth-century England
• Guy Puzey: Minority place-names and linguistic identity in Scotland and Norway
• Ian Fraser: Place-names in oral tradition
• Peter Drummond: Place-name losses and changes
• Richard Cox: Issues in developing a chronology for Norse and Gaelic place-names in the Hebrides
• Gwyneth Nair and Jennifer Scherr: Especiall vertues: abstract qualities and womens names in England 1540–1850
• David Sellar: Rachael, Gormelia, Florence and Forwht: some female forenames
• Ellen Bramwell: Naming patterns in a Glasgow Pakistani/Muslim community
• Liam Ó hAisibéil: Aspects of research on townland names in Co. Roscommon
• Gavin Smith: -ingas place-names in Surrey
• Project reports:
  • Dónall Mac Giolla 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 (and Gunnel Melchers): The body in place-names
  • Kay Muhr: Northern Ireland Place-Name Project
  • Alan James: BLITON Project

Sunday 6 April

• Shaun Tyas: The use of medievalism in business names in Britain and Ireland
• Peter McNiven: Place-names and the medieval church in Menteith, Perthshire
• Hywel Wyn Owen: Dictionary of the place-names of Wales
• Ian Fraser: Linlithgow place-names
• Coach excursion to Linlithgow Palace, where attendees were entertained by the Linlithgow Players – the pictures show members of the group (and others) watching the play