Bdora
Attested: Bdora at position 252 in the Ravenna Cosmography, in its tour of harbour estuaries.
Where: Somewhere around the Solway estuary. See an excellent map here. The river Nith slightly outranks the Annan to claim this harbour estuary.
Name origin: ‘Coastal lookout’. The consonant pair BD was not hard to pronounce in Latin, e.g. in obduro ‘to harden’, but was word-initial only in a few Greek words, probably acquired from a pre-Greek language. This name was long a big puzzle until Russian бдеть ‘to keep watch’ came into view, probably derived from PIE bheud- ‘to awake’, much discussed regarding the name Boudicca. Putin's war has directed attention to how many coastal locations in Britain have their best parallels in Ukraine on the north of the Black Sea, settled by Greeks and much visited by large ancient trading ships. The nearby Hadrian's Wall fort of Mais is a good example; it was remarkably large and is now understood as named for a signalling station The -ora part is best known from the supposed landing places of Saxon dynasty founders on the south coast; it meant ‘rise’, relatively high ground, especially on a coast.
Notes: Nithdale was full of Roman military sites: Uxela (Ward Law, near Caerlaverock), Smetri (Carzield and/or Dalswinton), Cambroianna (Drumlanrig), Locatreve (Durisdeer). This analysis rejects a previous favourite: bi-duro ‘double crossing’, like the common later name Twyford. One possible location would be the westernmost fordable point, where people, cattle, and armies have historically waded across at low tide, notably at Sandy Wath to Dornock on the northern side, near NY230638. This is roughly where a railway bridge once existed across the estuary. Maybe a significant port operated in Roman times, near where Port Carlisle operated in the 1800s, and where the name Glasson looks suspiciously similar to the Classis Britannica Roman navy (Leather, 1994), but has been lost to erosion and siltation. Note also the name Cardurnock, which had a tower and milefortlet at the end of the westward extension of Wall and the possibility of another ford across the mouth of Moricambe Bay, exemplified by a surviving public footpath at NY191578 across the river Wampool. Also the idea of Greek βδεω ‘to fart’from Corda ‘intestines, gut’! Also, a possible confusion with Βοδερια/Bodotria, the Forth. There is no merit in Rivet & Smith's argument that the Cosmography's text is badly corrupted.
You may copy this text freely, provided you acknowledge its source as www.romaneranames.uk, recognise that it is liable to human error, and try to offer suggestions for improvement.
Last edited 5 September 2025 To main Menu