Penn
Major Settlement in the Parish of Penn
Historical Forms
- Penna de Tapeslawa 1188 P
- Lapenne 1197 FF 1199 P 1222 Cur
Etymology
This is probably penn, meaning 'enclosure,' though association with Celtic pen , 'headland,' is tempting as it stands on a well-marked hill. Aspen =headland is not used as an independent word in O or ME it would be difficult to account for the common use of the def. art. la , if we assume derivation from that word, though Professor Ekwall points to the Shropshire parallels of La Munede for Long Mynd (Sa) and La Wrekene for Wrekin (ib.). The def. art. in ME forms of place-names tends as a rule to be used only before significant words (v. Zachrisson in Anglia , xxii. 308 ff.). For Tapeslawa v. Taplow infra .