English Place & Personal Names with Stress

vis-à-vis Spelling Irregularities

Names consisting of two or more words, other than those prefixed by an article or St or ending St(reet) or Isle(s), when not spelt as a single word or hyphenated are regularly accorded tonic stress on the final accentable syllable of the final word eg Abbots `Bromley but `Chester-le-Street, `Fair Isle.

The following are examples of items which do not conform to this pattern.

`Cape Town,

`Christ Church, 

`Cinque Ports, The

`Fosse Way

`Holy Land, The

`Kinder Scout

`Little Rock (AR)

`Long Beach (CA)

`Long Mynd

`Long Stow

St `Peter Port

Wapping `Old Stairs

`White House, The

Names consisting of a single undivided word are regularly accorded tonic stress on their first accentable syllable when not beginning with Aber-, Inver-, Kil-, Strath-, Tre-- etc, eg `Eastbourne, `Newport, `Northwich, `Westbrook. (Note, however, `Abercorn, `Abercrombie and `Aberford.)

The following are items which do not conform to this pattern. Items maked ˃ do confirm in subvariant forms.

Almond`bank

Ath`lone

Bears`den

Bex`hill

Bexley`heath

Birken`head˃

Bridg`end

Buckfast`leigh

Cairn`gorms, The

Carrick-`Mannan

Car`stairs

Castle`door

Castle`town (Isle of Man)

Catinthewell /kætɪt`wel/

Clun`gunford

Coat`bridge

Cowden`beath

Cumber`nauld

Fas`lane

Graves`end

Heath`row˃

Holm`firth

Kelvin`side

Lark`hill

London`derry˃

Morning`side

Mos`side

Moy`gashel

Nor`thampton

Olle`renshaw˃

Orford`ness

Sea`ford

Skeg`ness

Spit`head˃

Sou`thampton