More mysteries solved

Questions that I have wanted answered since travelling around:

• What does Chester mean? As in Dorchester, Winchester, etc...
• What does Winterbourne mean? There are loads of them around here such as Winterbourne Abbas, Winterbourne Monkton, Winterbourne St Martin.......

So the answers are:

• Chester comes from the old English word 'ceaster' meaning a city or walled town. It was used to describe a walled town that had originally been a Roman station such as Dorchester. See http://www.blurtit.com/q714014.html.
• A winterbourne is a stream or river that is dry through the summer months. Winterbournes generally form in areas where there is chalk downland bordering clay valleys or vales. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winterbourne_(stream)