What
is a Gazetteer?
The term gazetteer is derived from the Latin Gazetta to mean broadly, a
geographical dictionary. The popularity of gazetteers started in
Britain in the 16th Century and reached a peak by the 19th Century,
with a large number of publishing houses producing detailed
topographical directories. Typically, place names would be listed
alphabetically with each entry including its grid reference,
population, contextual location, main industries and for larger places,
a short paragraph containing associated points of interest, famous
people and historical events. The interest in gazetteers can be
correlated with the imperial expansion of the time and an increased
knowledge and fascination of foreign lands. The gazetteer was a highly
revered reference publication and enjoyed the status and popularity of
a dictionary or an encyclopaedia, as this quote from the Imperial
Gazetteer (1855) suggests;"Next to a good dictionary, the most
generally useful book is a good gazetteer"
- W.G. Blackie (1855)
‘However, during the 20th Century the gazetteer became less fashionable partly due to the rapid changes in political boundaries, particularly in Europe and hence the need for almost continual, expensive updates and perhaps also partly due to a plethora of tourist guide books which, however, provide only part of the information and function of a good gazetteer. Today, the skills and expertise necessary to produce a quality gazetteer are correspondingly scarce.’
– With permission from Edinburgh
University’s – ‘Gazetteer for Scotland’.
What
is different about Frost’s Scottish Gazette?
Frost’s Scottish Gazette works in unison with Frost’s Who’s Who;
Frost’s Anatomy; and the overall composition of www.martinfrost.ws
site; -- this synergistic approach adds depth to all. Frost’s Scottish Gazette is divided into two alphabetic index categories:
An index of permanence:
towns, rivers, mountains etc -- along with sites of interest – such as battlefields
– note: one is not likely to move the site of a battle or change the location of a town.
| A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
F |
G |
H |
I |
J |
K |
L |
M |
| N |
O |
P |
Q |
R |
S |
T |
U |
V |
W |
X |
Y |
Z |
An index of transition:
physical places that revolve – such as hotels, museums, courts, council offices, club & pub buildings, hospitals, community centres – note this place index is current – hotels change, public buildings come and go.
| A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
F |
G |
H |
I |
J |
K |
L |
M |
| N |
O |
P |
Q |
R |
S |
T |
U |
V |
W |
X |
Y |
Z |
As with the Who’s Who section each entry will be split into three sections:
• What is Published
• What they say (usually an advert or promotion link)
• What you say (i.e. what a hotel guest might say about
their stay)
For further details see Martin Frost Web Designs