This was originally published in my work Slack on 2018-12-19, but I’ve since been convinced that more people than just those few who can even read it there might be interested. I’ve edited it for clarity and correctness. I’m going to migrate all my Linguistics Minutes over to my blog and probably post future ones here.

This is a short one. This is a list of redundant hill names in England (or other places with English-the-place names). I just stole it from Wikipedia and culled the list to be more targeted.

  • Barrhill, barr is an old Celtic word for a flat topped hill.
  • Bredon Hill, England (Hill Hill Hill – Brythonic/Old English/Modern English); compare Bredon and Breedon on the Hill (Hill Hill on the Hill – Brythonic/Saxon/Modern English).
  • Brill, England (Hill Hill – Brythonic/Saxon) – also once known in documents as Brill-super-montem (Hill Hill on the Hill – Brythonic/Saxon/Latin).
  • Brincliffe Edge, Sheffield, UK (Burning Hill Hill Welsh/English).
  • Bryn Glas Hill, Wales (Blue Hill Hill – Welsh/English).
  • Brynhill, Wales (Hill Hill – Welsh/English).
  • Pendle Hill, Lancashire, England. (Hill Hill Hill) – “Pen” -(Cumbric language) “Pendle” by epenthesis and elision from “Pen Hyll”, the latter word being Old English for “hill”.
  • Pendleton, near Pendle Hill, Lancashire, England. (Hill Hill Town) or, possibly (Hill Hill Hill), taking the -ton as deriving from Old English dun as opposed to Old English tun.
  • Pendleton Hill, North Stonington, Connecticut. (Hill Hill Town Hill) or, possibly, (Hill Hill Hill Hill).
  • Penhill, North Yorkshire, England: Pen (Brittonic) and hyll (Old English), both meaning “hill”.
  • Pen Hill, Somerset England: Pen (Brittonic) and hyll (Old English), both meaning “hill”.
  • Pen Hill, Dorset, England: Pen (Brittonic) and hyll (Old English), both meaning “hill”.
  • Portsdown Hill (Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK) Port’s Hill (dún; Anglosaxon) Hill.