The Craig Weatherhill Memorial Place-Name Resource
Cornish place-names and their past historical forms are an important archaeological resource. Any attempt to render them in a modern spelling must pay due regard to this.
The late Craig Weatherhill was probably the foremost expert on Cornish place-names and he recognised this fact.
The list attached here is based on Craig’s work and it is what Agan Tavas recommends for placing on sign boards etc. It is not based on any one spelling for Cornish today but uses a number of conventions in order to obtain the closest match to archaeological records.
An explanation of non-Cornish names has been provided in italics with abreviations Eng. = English or Fr. = French, probably Norman French.
If further information is required about Cornish place-names there are some excellent books which can be purchased using Shop or Publications on this website. If your interest is limited to one or two names you can use the enquiry form under Contact.
To use the resource download the pdf and place the modern map name in the search box and obtain the modern Cornish language form. Or scroll down the list. It may also be possible to work backwards to obtain the map name from writing in traditional Cornish. Remember to check map references to be sure the name matches the location that you are researching.