Penda’s Footprint?

‘Penda’s footprint? Place-names containing personal names associated with those of early Mercian kings’, Nomina 21 (1998), pp. 29-62.

A distribution concentrated in the south and west Midlands is revealed for a group of place-names which contain ultimately British personal names associated with four generations of early Mercian kings: Creoda, Pypba, Penda, and Peada.

I am looking again at the body of evidence with the aim of complementing this onomastic survey with a study of the topographical and historical contexts.

Holy Wells and the Cult of St Helen

‘Holy wells and the Cult of St Helen’, Landscape History 8 (1986), pp. 59-76.

The bulk of churches dedicated in honour of Helen and wells bearing her name lie north of a line drawn from the Wash to the Severn estuary. South of this line lie the bulk of dedications in honour of the Holy Cross.

What explanations might there be for this intriguing devotional geography?