GEN-MEDIEVAL-L Archives

From: Karen Courtenay <>
Subject: Leicester
Date: Mon, 30 Dec 1996 16:22:14 -0500

Hope I am doing this right - first time....

> Worcester rymes with Booster.

No. Take it from a Massachusetts native - the vowel in the first syllable is like that of BOOK,
not that of BOOT.

Leicester is LESS-tuh.

Gloucester (not that you asked) is GLOSS-tuh.

We have a Leominster here in Mass. too, and although it's now pronounced LEM'n'stuh, the New
Hampshire town named after it shows the old pronunciation is its spelling - Lempster.

See if you can guess the pronunciation of Cirencester - I hear that people in England
are now pronouncing it more the way it's spelled, but its old prounciation was spectacularly
different.

While we're at it, some surnames have pretty fascinating pronunciations -

Cholmondeley - CHUM-ley
Featherstonehaugh - FAN-shaw
etc.

This thread:

• Leicester by Karen Courtenay <>

  • Re: Leicester by "D. Spencer Hines" <>
  • Leicester by Art Prutzman <>