I firt saw York in 2000. Since moving to London I have become fascinated with the obscure history and facts of England that only a foreigner or history enthusiast could. In describing the establishment of York, Patrick Nuttgens gives it a classicly British humor touch.
It was a land with configurations caused by moraines. But if it was bare near the banks there must have been trees nearby. The ground rising to a fairly level plateau on the left bank of the main river was probably crowned by yews, and it was the yews that had caught the eye of the legion's perceptive commander. Dark and evergreen, they may have indicated a place useby the Britons as a place of worship and therefore accessible from many directions. Whatever their origin they were recorded in the name of the place where the commander decided to set up camp. For Eboracum was the Roman adaptation of the name given to the place by the Britons, Eburacon, which means either the place where the yew trees grow or a place belonging to someone called Eburos. And since someone called Eburos has not appeared in history either here or anywhere else and there is no evidence whatever for his existence, we may reasonably send him back into obscurity from which he has so hesitantly emerged and assume the presence of the yews; as the camp was transformed, first made permanent and then a legionary fortress, it was call after them -- Eboracum. (York:
The Continuing City)
As we are now in aniticipation of our third child we have become more scrupulous of names than ever. Would one actually consider naming their child Eburos? A search of the internet yields little in support of this as a potential name so I will stick with Patrick Nuttgens judgment -- Lets leave Eburos in obscurity!
