Etymology
Penn is probably derived from the Welsh language, signifying a hill or promontory, and is believed to refer to the hill on which St Bartholomew's Church stands. The pre-Anglo-Saxon name may indicate relatively late survival of Celtic-speaking settlement.
The area to the east of Penn Road (A449) and around St Bartholomew's church is referred to as Upper Penn, historically also as Penn Over. The village within South Staffordshire, and around St Anne's church is Lower Penn or Penn Under. These historic usages tend to confirm that the name has long been considered to refer to the ridge to the east, which is ascended via Church Hill, Wakeley Hill or Mount Road.
Read more about this topic: Penn, West Midlands
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“The universal principle of etymology in all languages: words are carried over from bodies and from the properties of bodies to express the things of the mind and spirit. The order of ideas must follow the order of things.”
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