Talk:Chad of Mercia

Toponyms
The "Toponyms" section appears to be a list of places that are not named after St. Chad, with only Chadkirk Chapel and St Chad's Well having an actual claim to relevance. But alongside the relevance issue, I'm also concerned that large parts of this section appear to be original research. I've checked through the cited sources and they only provide support for a few basic facts (e.g. "Cheadle" is a tautonym derived from leah); none of them discuss the general subject of mistaken derivations, or support any of the commentary that runs through this section. For example, just looking at the Kidderminster paragraph, none of the following claims are verified by the cited sources: "Chad or Ceadda would not normally evolve into Kidder"; "a legend traceable to Burton's 1890 History of Kidderminster"; "Later writers seem to assume the existence of the monastery"; "is generally accepted as the origin of the settlement"; "a suggestion that has found general acceptance"; "These provide a more plausible explanation for the name".

I'm going to strip this section back to bare bones for the time being, but I've copy-pasted the existing content below and may transfer some of it back if I find better sourcing. Of course anyone is free to revert and discuss if they disagree. Sojourner in the earth (talk) 17:32, 20 September 2023 (UTC)

There are many place names containing the element chad or something similar. In many cases, reference to the early forms of the name suggests that the derivation is not from the name Chad, but from some other word. It is possible that even where a name might reasonably be thought to derive from Chad that the individual is some other of the same name. Hence great caution needs to be exercised in explaining ancient toponyms by reference to St Chad.

That being said, a township located outside Ladysmith, Kwa-Zulu Natal is named St. Chad's after an Anglican Mission in the area.

One toponym with a good claim to derivation from the saint's name is Chadkirk Chapel in Romiley, Greater Manchester, which dates back to the 14th century – although the site is much older, possibly dating back to the 7th century when it is believed St Chad visited to bless the well there. Kenneth Cameron points out that -kirk toponyms more frequently incorporate the name of the dedicatee, rather than the patron, so there is every reason to believe that Chadkirk really was dedicated to St Chad in the Middle Ages. It is not so certain that Chadsmoor in Staffordshire, Chadwich in Worcestershire, or Chadwick in Warwickshire, were named after the saint.

St Chad's Well near Battle Bridge on the river Fleet in London was a celebrated medicinal well and had a new pump house built in 1832. It was destroyed by the Midland Railway company, and is remembered in the street name of St Chad's Place. There is no independent evidence of Chad's visiting the site, but it clearly is named after him, and he certainly did travel in southern England. His association with wells seems ancient, and no doubt stems from the St Chad's Well at Lichfield, visited by pilgrims and probably the water supply of his monastery. This is the most likely explanation of the name.

Numerous place-names like Cheadle and Cheddleton, in the Midlands suggest a link with Chad. However "suggestions" based on late forms of the name count for little: a hypothesis should be framed instead from documentary and topographical evidence. Mostly names of this sort are derived from other Celtic roots, generally ced, cognate with modern Welsh coed, signifying a wood or heath. Cheadle, for example, is generally reckoned a tautonym, with the Old English leah, also meaning a wood, glossing the original Celtic term. This means that the origins of its name are closely related to those of Lichfield (originally derived from the Celtic for "grey wood"), to which it bears little superficial resemblance, rather than Chad or even his brother, Cedd.

There is a village in Northamptonshire called Chadstone, after which the (rather larger) suburb of Chadstone in Melbourne Australia is named.

Kidderminster, in Worcestershire, is sometimes said to be a corruption of the name of 'St Chad's Minster'. However, place-names do not "corrupt" randomly, but evolve according to principles inherent in the history of the language. Chad or Ceadda would not normally evolve into Kidder. The existence of a minster dedicated to Chad in this town seems to be a legend traceable to Burton's 1890 History of Kidderminster, in which the author acknowledges that the only evidence for such a place is the name of the town. Later writers seem to assume the existence of the monastery and then explain the name of the town from it – a circular argument that collapses if a plausible alternative explanation is available for the name. A grant of land by Æthelbald of Mercia in 736 to one Cyneberht is generally accepted as the origin of the settlement. Cameron suggests that the minster was named after a lay benefactor (normal with -minster formations) and hypothesises Cydela, a suggestion that has found general acceptance. Another possibility might be the later Mercian dux Cydda. Certainly it seems that there was a dynasty of Mercian noblemen, all with similar names beginning Cy and connected to the area. These provide a more plausible explanation for the name of the town than St Chad or his non-existent minster.

The settlement of St Chad's (population 57) in Newfoundland was previously named "St Shad's" (after originally being "Damnable"), but was renamed after postal confusion with nearby "St Shott's".

Sojourner in the earth (talk) 17:32, 20 September 2023 (UTC)