Baron's Quay or Barons Quay? (From Northwich Guardian)

Baron's Quay or Barons Quay?

2:20pm Thursday 27th September 2012 in News By Gina Bebbington

GRAMMATICALLY-minded residents have been baffled by the missing apostrophe in the ‘Barons Quay’ redevelopment scheme name.

Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWAC), which is behind the plans, has revealed its reasons for dropping the apostrophe.

Stephen Clarke, senior regeneration officer with CWAC, said: “Common sense suggests that this was originally a quay owned by a Mr Baron as opposed to a collection of medieval barons so spelling it with an apostrophe before the s would be correct. “However, the reason for not including an apostrophe in the name of the new development is that it is missing from the modern Ordnance Survey map and all the old editions dating back to the first edition of 1875.

“So we are simply carrying on the tradition of the last 140 years!

“Interestingly, the adjacent Baronsquay Mine is shown as all one word!

“Perhaps we should have used that version and missed out the space as well although it might sound rather Russian if you mispronounce it!”