Letters: The Place-Name, Aluana
Mrs Thompson's doubts (see 'Letters' - Newsletter No. 26) about my tentative identification of Tonbridge with the placename Alauna in the Ravenna Cosmography (Newsletter No.25.) are understandable. I too had considered Maidstone as being a potential location, but ultimately decided that because the town lay so far north, it should have been included by the cosmographer in his string of place-names, on or close to, the coast of Kent (see map in Newsletter No. 24). It would of course be possible to argue either that in his first sweep the cosmographer accidentally skipped over the place-name, or that his source map had erroneously placed the town too far south. As I preferred to give him the benefit of the doubt, Tonbridge seemed the best bet. The question of the location of Alauna will probably never be firmly resolved. Mrs Thompson's suggestion, that the Romano-Celtic river name of Alauna was later transferred from the Medway to the Len, offers an interesting avenue of investigation. The Len rises near Lenham and after some nine miles joins the Medway at Maidstone. The first mention of the river is as the Leno (oblative case) in 1607 and then as the Len in 1612 when the village's name of Lenham or Leanaham occurs five times in the 9th. and 10th. centuries. Ekwall regards the river-name as a back-formation from Lenham, but has difficulty with the etymology of the latter. He finally concedes that it may be derived from a postulated LG faun- (etymology obscure) (1): in the light of Mrs Thompson's suggestion, Ekwall's proposal is a most interesting independent observation. NICHOLAS FUENTES. (1) E. Ekwall, English River-Names. (1928) 249.
Dear Editor, I notice in the Autumn edition of the Newsletter, that the KAS offers to seek information on historical and archaeological topics through its pages. I wonder therefore, if you or your readers have any information at all concerning the Sound Locators or Detectors built around the 1920's at both Hythe (on the Roughs) and near Dungeness. These concrete dishes (there are three) and a 150 ft. wall, were built as Audio Mirrors' as an attempt to detect low flying aircraft before the invention of radar in the late 30's. I am a mature student writing a paper for my A level History project, I am trying to provide as much information on these objects - which are totally unique both in the UK and the rest of the world. Any information including photos, articles and newspaper references would be much appreciated. R.L.FLETCHER.