« Reply #28 on: Saturday 28 September 13 19:06 BST (UK) »
Leicester = 'Leicestrians' and/or 'Ligorians'( river Soars old name ) and /or Woolybacks"'
The Roman city of Ratae Coritanorum was founded in AD 50 as a military settlement upon the Fosse Way Roman road. The city was named after the Corieltauvi, the Celtic tribe that dwelt in the area before the Romans arrived.
Ratae Coritanorum grew into an important trading and military centre and one of the largest towns in Roman Britain. The remains of the baths of Roman Leicester can be seen at the Jewry Wall, and other Roman artefacts are displayed in the Jewry Wall museum adjacent to the site.
The Roman town was largely abandoned when the Romans left Britain in the 5th century, but was later re-settled by Saxons. In the 9th century, Leicester was captured by the Danes (Vikings) and became one of the five boroughs (fortified towns) of Danelaw, although this position was short lived. The Saxon Bishop of Leicester fled to Dorchester-on-Thames and Leicester was not to become a bishopric again until the 20th century.
It is believed the name "Leicester" is derived from the words castra (camp) of the Ligore, meaning dwellers on the 'River Legro' (an early name for the River Soar). In the early 10th century it was recorded as Ligeraceaster = "the town of the Ligor people". The Domesday book later recorded it as Ledecestre.
I have also heard people from Leicester called "Woolybacks" which comes from the very rich wool merchants of the medival times who were given the licenses to sell wool by the King a system of trade and its taxation in the 'Staple' markets . The main industry in Leicester in the Middle Ages was making wool, sold as raw fllece, woven into cloth. Then it was fulled( cleaned and thickened by being pounded in a mixture of water and clay). The wool was pounded by wooden hammers, which were worked by watermills. After the wool dried it was dyed.
Although a name also later used for a person( Liverpublian) who worked in Liverpool docks in the 18th Century: Unloading ships, the dockers would carry the woollen bales on their backs leaving traces of wool on their clothing.
Leicestershire:Chamberlain, Dakin, Wilkinson, Moss, Cook, Welland, Dobson, Roper,Palfreman, Squires, Hames, Goddard, Topliss, Twells,Bacon.
Northamps:Sykes, Harris, Rice,Knowles.
Rutland:Clements, Dalby, Osbourne, Durance, Smith,Christian, Royce, Richardson,Oakham, Dewey,Newbold,Cox,Chamberlaine,Brow, Cooper, Bloodworth,Clarke
Durham/Yorks:Woodend, Watson,Parker, Dowser
Suffolk/Norfolk:Groom, Coleman, Kemp, Barnard, Alden,Blomfield,Smith,Howes,Knight,Kett,Fryston
Lincolnshire:Clements, Woodend
