Editing Colchester (section)

==Name==
There are several theories about the origin of the name ''Colchester''.  Some contend that is derived from the [[Latin]] words ''[[Colonia (Roman)|colonia]]'' (referring to a type of [[Roman Empire|Roman]] settlement with rights equivalent to those of Roman citizens, one of which was believed to have been founded in the vicinity of Colchester) and ''[[castra]]'', meaning ''fortifications'' (referring to the city walls, the oldest in Britain).<ref name="Crummy, Philip 1997">Crummy, Philip (1997) City of Victory; the story of Colchester – Britain's first Roman town. Published by Colchester Archaeological Trust ({{ISBN|1 897719 04 3}})</ref><ref name="Ashdown">Ashdown-Hill, John (2009). Mediaeval Colchester's Lost Landmarks. Published by The Breedon Books Publishing Company Limited. ({{ISBN|978-1-85983-686-6}})</ref> The earliest forms of the name Colchester are ''Colenceaster'' and ''Colneceastre'' from the 10th century, with the modern spelling of ''Colchester'' being found in the 15th century.<ref name="Crummy, Philip 1997"/> In this way of interpreting the name, the [[River Colne, Essex|River Colne]] which runs through the area takes its name from ''Colonia'' as well.<ref name="Crummy, Philip 1997"/> [[Cologne]] (German ''Köln'') also gained its name from a similar etymology (from its Roman name [[Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium]]).<ref name="Ashdown"/>

Other etymologists are confident that the Colne's name is pre-Roman, sharing its origin with several other rivers Colne or Clun around Britain, and that Colchester is derived from ''Colne'' and ''Castra''. [[Eilert Ekwall|Ekwall]] went as far as to say "it has often been held that Colchester contains as first element [Latin] ''colonia'' ... this derivation is ruled out of court by the fact that Colne is the name of several old villages situated a good many miles from Colchester and on the Colne. The identification of Colonia with Colchester is doubtful."<ref name="Ekwall">Eilert Ekwall (1928). English River-names. Published by Oxford at the Clarendon Press. ({{ISBN|9780198691198}})</ref>

The popular association of the name with [[King Coel]] has no academic merit.