chester (placename element)

{{Short description|Place-name in England}}

{{Location map+|England|width=300|AlternativeMap=England_location_map.svg|alt=Map of England showing the locations having a chester-derived element in their names.|float=right|caption=Geographic clustering of the suffixes:
File:Solid red.svg -caster File:Solid blue.svg -cester File:Solid green.svg -chester File:Solid yellow.svg -cetter/-xeter|places=

{{Location map~ |England |label=Acaster |label_size=85 |position=top |lat=53.902 |long=-1.107 |mark=Solid red.svg |marksize=6 |link=Acaster Malbis}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Alcester |label_size=85 |position=top |lat=52.215 |long=-1.876 |mark=Solid blue.svg |marksize=6 |link=Alcester}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Alchester |label_size=85 |position=left |lat=51.878 |long=-1.171 |mark=Solid green.svg |marksize=6 |link=Alchester}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Ancaster |label_size=85 |position=top |lat=52.97 |long=-0.54 |mark=Solid red.svg |marksize=6 |link=Ancaster, Lincolnshire}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Bicester |label_size=85 |position=right |lat=51.90 |long=-1.15 |mark=Solid blue.svg |marksize=6 |link=Bicester}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Binchester |label_size=85 |position=bottom |lat=54.683 |long=-1.646 |mark=Solid green.svg |marksize=6 |link=Binchester}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Brancaster |label_size=85 |position=bottom |lat=52.962 |long=0.641 |mark=Solid red.svg |marksize=6 |link=Brancaster}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Chichester |label_size=85 |position=right |lat=50.837 |long=-0.779 |mark=Solid green.svg |marksize=6 |link=Chichester}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Cirencester |label_size=85 |position=right |lat=51.719 |long=-1.968 |mark=Solid blue.svg |marksize=6 |link=Cirencester}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Colchester |label_size=85 |position=top |lat=51.892 |long=0.903 |mark=Solid green.svg |marksize=6 |link=Colchester}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Doncaster |label_size=85 |position=bottom |lat=53.515 |long=-1.133 |mark=Solid red.svg |marksize=6 |link=Doncaster}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Dorchester |label_size=85 |position=bottom |lat=50.715 |long=-2.437 |mark=Solid green.svg |marksize=6 |link=Dorchester, Dorset}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Dorchester |label_size=85 |position=bottom |lat=51.644 |long=-1.166 |mark=Solid green.svg |marksize=6 |link=Dorchester on Thames}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Ebchester |label_size=85 |position=top |lat=54.883 |long=-1.833 |mark=Solid green.svg |marksize=6 |link=Ebchester}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Exeter |label_size=85 |position=top |lat=50.717 |long=-3.533 |mark=Solid yellow.svg |marksize=6 |link=Exeter}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Frocester |label_size=85 |position=left |lat=51.72 |long=-2.31 |mark=Solid blue.svg |marksize=6 |link=Frocester}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Gloucester |label_size=85 |position=left |lat=51.87 |long=-2.24 |mark=Solid blue.svg |marksize=6 |link=Gloucester}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Godmanchester |label_size=85 |position=right |lat=52.318 |long=-0.173 |mark=Solid green.svg |marksize=6 |link=Godmanchester}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Grantchester |label_size=85 |position=right |lat=52.179 |long=0.095 |mark=Solid green.svg |marksize=6 |link=Grantchester}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Hincaster |label_size=85 |position=top |lat=54.255 |long=-2.763 |mark=Solid red.svg |marksize=6 |link=Hincaster}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Ilchester |label_size=85 |position=right |lat=51.001 |long=-2.683 |mark=Solid green.svg |marksize=6 |link=Ilchester}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Irchester |label_size=85 |position=top |lat=52.278 |long=-0.656 |mark=Solid green.svg |marksize=6 |link=Irchester}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Kenchester |label_size=85 |position=left |lat=52.081 |long=-2.822 |mark=Solid green.svg |marksize=6 |link=Kenchester}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Lancaster |label_size=85 |position=right |lat=54.047 |long=-2.801 |mark=Solid red.svg |marksize=6 |link=Lancaster, Lancashire}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Lanchester |label_size=85 |position=left |lat=54.822 |long=-1.744 |mark=Solid green.svg |marksize=6 |link=Lanchester, County Durham}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Leicester |label_size=85 |position=right |lat=52.633 |long=-1.133 |mark=Solid blue.svg |marksize=6 |link=Leicester}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Little Chester |label_size=85 |position=right |lat=52.9313 |long=-1.47257 |mark=Solid green.svg |marksize=6 |link=Little Chester}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Mancetter |label_size=85 |position=left |lat=52.569 |long=-1.529 |mark=Solid yellow.svg |marksize=6 |link=Mancetter}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Manchester |label_size=85 |position=bottom |lat=53.479 |long=-2.245 |mark=Solid green.svg |marksize=6 |link=Manchester}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Muncaster |label_size=85 |position=bottom |lat=54.356 |long=-3.381 |mark=Solid red.svg |marksize=6 |link=Muncaster}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Portchester |label_size=85 |position=left |lat=50.842 |long=-1.12 |mark=Solid green.svg |marksize=6 |link=Portchester}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Ribchester |label_size=85 |position=bottom |lat=53.813 |long=-2.532 |mark=Solid green.svg |marksize=6 |link=Ribchester}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Rocester |label_size=85 |position=top |lat=52.951 |long=-1.838 |mark=Solid blue.svg |marksize=6 |link=Rocester}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Rochester |label_size=85 |position=bottom |lat=51.388 |long=0.498 |mark=Solid green.svg |marksize=6 |link=Rochester, Kent}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Rochester |label_size=85 |position=bottom |lat=55.280 |long=-2.261 |mark=Solid green.svg |marksize=6 |link=Rochester, Northumberland}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Silchester |label_size=85 |position=right |lat=51.353 |long=-1.101 |mark=Solid green.svg |marksize=6 |link=Silchester}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Tadcaster |label_size=85 |position=bottom |lat=53.885 |long=-1.262 |mark=Solid red.svg |marksize=6 |link=Tadcaster}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Towcester |label_size=85 |position=right |lat=52.13 |long=-0.99 |mark=Solid blue.svg |marksize=6 |link=Towcester}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Winchester |label_size=85 |position=right |lat=51.063 |long=-1.308 |mark=Solid green.svg |marksize=6 |link=Winchester}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Woodchester |label_size=85 |position=bottom |lat=51.718 |long=-2.233 |mark=Solid green.svg |marksize=6 |link=Woodchester}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Worcester |label_size=85 |position=left |lat=52.192 |long=-2.220 |mark=Solid blue.svg |marksize=6 |link=Worcester, England}}

{{Location map~ |England |label=Wroxeter |label_size=85 |position=left |lat=52.670 |long=-2.648 |mark=Solid yellow.svg |marksize=6 |link=Wroxeter}}

}}

The English place-name Chester, and the suffixes -chester, -caster and -cester (old -ceaster), are commonly indications that the place is the site of a Roman castrum, meaning a military camp or fort (cf. Welsh caer), but it can also apply to the site of a pre-historic fort.{{cite book|author=Ekwall, E.|author-link=Eilert Ekwall|year=1960|title=The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names|publisher=OUP|edition=4th|page=92|isbn=0-19-869103-3}} Names ending in -cester are nearly always reduced to -ster when spoken, the exception being "Cirencester", which (commonly nowadays) is pronounced in full.{{cite book|author=Wells, John C.|author-link=John C. Wells|year=2000|title=Longman Pronunciation Dictionary|publisher=2nd ed. Longman|isbn=0-582-36468-X|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/longmanpronuncia00jcwe}} However, names ending in -ster are not necessarily related, as the Irish province of Leinster, which comes from the tribe Laigin + Irish tír or Old Norse staðr, both meaning "land" or "territory". The pronunciation of names ending in -chester or -caster is regular.

{{compact ToC|side=yes|top=yes|num=no|j=|n=|o=|q=|u=|v=|x=|y=|z=}}