The Place Names of Saffron Walden, by Malcolm White

SWHA Publications no 2 (2011), ed. Jacqueline Cooper, 100 pages. ISBN 978-1-873669-04-4, price £8.50

The author, when Saffron Walden Town Clerk, often advised on the naming of new streets, as had another former Town Clerk, Cliff Stacey. The Town Council liked to use old field names as this helped to perpetuate the town’s history. A primary source for the book is the 1758 map of Saffron Walden, as well as the 1843 Tithe Award map and other sources in Saffron Walden Town Library. Gathering all these sources together has resulted in a fascinating guide to the origins of the street names and place names of Saffron Walden, offering an unusual insight into the history of a unique and special place. The book is illustrated by local photographers, Gordon Ridgewell and the late David Campbell.