Talk:Pontefract

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is within the scope of the following WikiProjects:
WikiProject UK geography      (Rated Start-Class) This article falls within the scope of WikiProject UK geography, a user-group dedicated to building a comprehensive and quality guide to places in the United Kingdom on Wikipedia. If you wish to participate, share ideas or merely get tips you can join us at the project page where there are resources, to do lists and guidelines on how to write about settlements. United Kingdom Portal Start This article has been rated as Start-Class on the assessment scale. (Assessment comments) Mid This article has been rated as mid-importance within the UK geography WikiProject. WikiProject Cities     (Rated Start-Class) This article is supported by WikiProject Cities, an attempt to build a comprehensive and detailed guide to cities, towns, and various other settlements on Wikipedia. For more information, or to get involved, visit the project page. Start This article has been rated as Start-Class on the Project's quality scale. See comments for details. Low This article has been rated as low-importance on the priority scale. WikiProject Yorkshire     (Rated Start-Class) Yorkshire Portal Pontefract is within the scope of WikiProject Yorkshire, an attempt to build a comprehensive and detailed guide to Yorkshire on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, you can visit the project page, where you can join the project, see a list of open tasks, and join in discussions on the project's talk page. Start This article has been rated as Start-Class on the Project's assessment scale. See comments for details. Mid This article has been rated as Mid-Priority on the Project's priority scale.
This article has an assessment summary page.

Contents 1 dates 2 "Broken Bridge" 3 Lacy 4 POV

[edit] dates

could we say which century or range of centuries the castle dates from? not all readers will known when "norman times" were. -- Tarquin

[edit] "Broken Bridge"

I don't think the name does come from the Latin for "broken bridge", though that's what I assumed when I first heard it. As the article says later on, it used to be known as Pomfret. What is the evidence for this statement? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.44.0.174 (talk) 15:18, 30 October 2005

Ekwall's Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names (1936–60) cites:

• Fracti-pontis (genitive) 1069 (1141) Ordericus Vitalis, Historia Ecclesiastica
• Pontefracto (dative) 1100–2 Early Yorkshire Charters 1418
• Pontfreit 1177 Pipe Rolls

(I don't know what to make of the double dating.)

Ekwall also says the local pronunciation is pumfrit. Obviously either Pontem Fractum (Latin) or Pont Freit (French), meaning Broken Bridge, is the original and Pomfret the worn-down descendant thereof. —Tamfang 21:27, 29 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Lacy

Nothing on the Lacy family, who probably built the castle and certainly were the first holders of the honour of Pontefract? See W. E. Wightman, The Lacy Family in England and Normandy 1066-1194 (Clarendon Press, 1966). I'll try to find time to do this. -----Michael K. Smith 19:12, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

[edit] POV

The phrase "In recent years much of the town has grown considerably poorer" demonstrates a personal point of view and is unquantifiable. Jonobass 13:37, 23 March 2007 (UTC)