Mestevia
Attested: Mestevia at position 18 in the Ravenna Cosmography
Where: The Cosmography's list of names runs through Termonin (Topsham, near Exeter), then probably into south Devon, starting with Mestevia which might have been in the vicinity of Newton Abbot, at SX860713, on a Roman road, and where Roman coins have recently been found.
Name origin: Mestevia obviously echoes Vertevia, which suggests that all 3 rivers which start at almost the same spot (Cranmere Pool on Dartmoor), the Teign (through Newton Abbot), the Tavy (through Tavistock), and the Taw (towards the north coast) were all originally called *Tevia. The Mes- part would naturally mean ‘middle’, like μεσος, from PIE *medhi-.
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Last edited 13 May 2020 to main Menu.