IT’S been a while since Belgarum discussed the issue of apostrophes in local place names.
Just a reminder about the seeming confusion in the use of apostrophes in denoting possession.
The Ordnance Survey uses them in Bishop’s Waltham and King’s Somborne but not Kings Worthy. The Hampshire Chronicle style guide reflects that. We also put the mark in Bishop’s Sutton.

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Belgarum remembers a public discussion back in the 1990s over the use of the mark in Kings Worthy. The Belgarum memory may be going but did the issue make the Daily Mail? Alas, it was just before the internet captured these things for online eternity.

The Ordnance Survey dropped it for reasons lost in obscurity. It could have been that at that time many people merged the two words into one so it was quite widespread to call the village ‘Kingsworthy’. The OS, like many public organisations, lost its nerve and decided on some sort of compromise, splitting the two words but dropping the apostrophe.

Almost needless to say, the apostrophe causes no end of confusion. Most young people have no idea about its use and the workers who make the signs also seem to have little idea.
By a coincidence the issue was raised at the council meeting last Thursday.
Cllr Tony Bronk asked about the missing apostrophe in the new sign for St Mary’s Terrace in Twyford. Villagers were told that all new street signs must omit the punctuation.
Cllr Martin Tod, council leader, replied: “Clear and unambiguous street and place names are vital for postal and other delivery services and also for the emergency services – and punctuation can make that more difficult, particularly with modern computer systems – and our default approach is to make signs that use the spelling recorded in the systems used by the emergency services: the National Land and Property Gazetteer.

“St Mary’s Terrace in Twyford is a difficult case - since Ordnance Survey have it listed as St Mary’s Terrace - and Royal Mail and the Land and Property Gazetteer (and hence the emergency services) have St Marys Terrace. The next door primary school also has an apostrophe – adding to the confusion. In the case of St Mary’s Terrace, I agree that the current name is confusing and not in line with residents’ wishes. To that end, I have asked officers to update the sign.”