English Place Names with Stress/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)`Scilly Isles.

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

`Cape Town, `Christ Church, (The)`Cinque Ports, (The)`Fosse Way, (The) `Holy Land, `Kinder Scout, `Little Rock (AR), `Long Beach (CA), `Long Mynd, `Long Stow, St `Peter Port, Wapping `Old Stairs, (The)`White House

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  Aber`dare, `Eastbourne,  Inver`ness, Kil`marnock,`Newport, `Northwich, Strath`clyde, `Westbrook.
Note, however, `Abercorn, `Abercrombie and `Aberford.

The following are items which do not conform to this pattern.
Items marked ˃ do confirm in subvariant forms:
Almond`bank, Ath`lone, Bears`den, Bex`hill, Bexley`heath, (The) `Big Horn (Mountains), Birken`head˃, `Bowder Stone, `Brăcon Ash, Bridg`end (locally in Wales Bri`dgend), `Broade Chalke, Buckfast`leigh, (The) Cairn`gorms, Carrick-`Mannan, Car`stairs, Castle`door, Castle`town (Isle of Man), Catinthewell /kætɪt`wel/, (The) `Cinque Ports, Clun`gunford, Coat`bridge, Cowden`beath, Cumber`nauld, Fas`lane, Graves`end, `Hele Stone, Heath`row˃, Holm`firth, Kelvin`side, `Hŏlyhead, `Holy Loch, `Kinder Scout, Lark`hill, Lammer`moor˃ London`derry˃, Morning`side, Mos`side, Moy`gashel, Nor`thampton, Olle`renshaw˃, Orford`ness, Sea`ford, Skeg`ness, Spit`head˃, Sou`thampton, Stone`haven˃, Wolver`hampton˃.

`Westminster is often also West`minster.