Dear Ian, Thank you very much indeed for your reply, it does indeed help and seems to fit with my map. Having looked at a 'sideways' view of the area, Bidston, it certainly has hillocks and dips, which fits perfectly. I do indeed know of the Scandinavian influence. One of my Wirral Sherlock cousins has done a DNA test, which does show a marked descendancy from Scandinavia. Where's that horned hat:-)) Thank you again, Best regards, Yvonne >> [mailto:[email protected]]On Behalf Of Dr Ian Buckley Sent: 26 January 2007 16:37 To: [email protected] Subject: [OEL] HOOLE As to the first element in these fiele names, it is more likely to derive from the Anglo-Saxon 'holh' meaning a hollow, or dip in the land. The other possibility is that your names derive from 'hulu' which means huts or cabins (this is the word from which our modern word 'hovel' derives. The Wirral, as I'm sure you know, has a rich tapestry of place names, with frequent Scandinavian elements and quite a number of Celtic ones too. It is not impossible that parts of the names you are interested in predate the AS period. In Celtic place names 'hel' can mean a road or track, and 'hal' salt. Hope this helps Ian <<