Thetownend.com

Now most know that Pennslyvania in the US is named after William Penn who lived in Bath and Bristol as well as numerous other places.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Penn

Now for a long time i have tried to find the origin or the name meaning for the village/hamlet of Pennslyvania on the A46 towards Bath....you know where they have built a petrol station on that dodgy road :no: :no:

Does anyone know if there is a connection with William Penn...cannot think of another placename with slyvania in it in England.

Of course Pen/n is an ancient name for places(Pen-hill for example)...and Slyvania means Forest in latin....so maybe its just an ancient name  and the Pennslyvania in the US is just a completly different slant on things. :hmmm:

I'm pretty sure that it'll be indirectly linked to William Penn in some way.

http://www.sylvanianfamilies.com/

 ;D

Pennsylvania outside of bath has a disgustingly expensive petrol station

Yeah...I recall going in there a few years back, to get a bottle of water, when I was walking a chunk of the Cotswold Way. I'm always vaguely resentful about getting ripped off for bottled water, but when it's a stonking hot day, I suppose it's worth it.

Can't help with Pennsylvania, Leefer, but there's a few odd place names about....why is there a place near Goatacre called New Zealand?

Yep been there Reg.

Not sure why that place is named that....i will have a sniff round.

Of course many wont know that New Zealand was actually in Holland before being emigrated to....well New Zealand.

http://history.wiltshire.gov.uk/community/getfaq.php?id=353

The above reason looks a bit vague to me.

My old man works within the care home racket and apparently an resident of one of the places he was looking after was getting some sort of extra allowance because she had (correctly) listed her family as living in New Zealand.

I don't know whether those who were paying said allowance ever discovered that her family lived in New Zealand, Wiltshire.

I work with a woman who lives in that New Zealand. True story.

Just been reading up on Pennsylvania but this one is a suburb on the North side of Exeter between the ancient deer park at Druryard and Stoke hill. It was named after the US State by Joseph Sparkes a Quaker banker who built the first terrace There in 1820. Probably of no help to you Leefer but may be connected somehow.

As a young boy, I used to think Pennsylvania was a fictional place where Dracula lived.

Someone else has asked the same question as you Leefer on a forum back on 2004 : " Pennsylvania  near Bath, What's the origin of this place-name? And does it precede Pennslyvania in the USA? is it Connected to William Penn?" A reply came back saying:" Lest anyone does not know, Penn Sylvania refers to a colony of William Penn, and the Sylvan Fields of Elysium.

Cheers...i will endeavour to find out the real reason.

Was going to say there's a Pennsylvania in Exeter. Full of terraced student lets.

Transylvania was one of the first places to offer religious tolerance and equality to Catholics and Protestants.  This impressed William Penn so much, that he wanted to name his colony Transylvania.  I don't know why he didn't, by Pennsylvania is close enough I guess.

I dont think he actually named it.....a few local bigwigs may have after he passed on in honour of the good Quakerish things Penn  did for the new up and coming state.

By the sounds of it Penn spent half his life in prison/jail which makes what he did achive even more impressive.