England and the Danelaw
The map shows where settlement or parish place-names which are of
Scandinavian language origin are mainly found. In some cases, the entire name is
Scandinavian, in others it is a hybrid -
part English, part Scandinavian. Some names are the result of Scandinavian
re-naming of English settlements, making them easier for speakers of Old
Norse to pronounce (for instance, Shipton became Skipton. Cheswick became
Keswick). Common Scandinavian
elements in place-names are: -by, -thorp, -trop, or -thorpe, -toft, -tofts,
-thwait or -thwaite, -holm or -holme, and ness.

It can be seen that some parts of the Danelaw have few or no Scandinavian
place-names. How do explain this? (Clue: Examine maps which show the physical
geography of these areas.)