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 A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

(cf. Welsh '' caer''), but it can also apply to the site of a pre-historic fort. Names ending in ''-cester'' are nearly always reduced to ''-ster'' when spoken, the exception being "

Cirencester Cirencester ( , ; see #Pronunciation, below for more variations) is a market town and civil parish in the Cotswold District of Gloucestershire, England. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames. It is the List of ...

", which (commonly nowadays) is pronounced in full. 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.

A

* Acaster Malbis * Acaster Selby *

Alcester Alcester ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon District in Warwickshire, England. It is west of Stratford-upon-Avon, and 7 miles south of Redditch. The town dates back to the times of Roman ...

* Alchester * Ancaster

B

* Bewcastle, formerly ''Buthcaster'' (1263). * Bicester * Binchester * Brancaster

C

* Caister-on-Sea * Caistor * Caistor St Edmund * Casterton, Cumbria * Casterton, Great,

Rutland Rutland is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Leicestershire to the north and west, Lincolnshire to the north-east, and Northamptonshire to the south-west. Oakham is the largest town and county town. Rutland has a ...

* Casterton, Little, Rutland * Castor, Cambridgeshire *

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

, ''Chester''-shire * Chester, Little, Derby * Chesterfield * Chesterford, Great * Chesterford, Little * Chester-le-Street * Chesterton (disambiguation) * Chesterwood *

Chichester Chichester ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in the Chichester District, Chichester district of West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher ...

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in northeastern Essex, England. It is the second-largest settlement in the county, with a population of 130,245 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census. The demonym is ''Colcestrian''. Colchester occupies the ...

* Craster

D

Doncaster Doncaster ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don, it is the administrative centre of the City of Doncaster metropolitan borough, and is the second largest se ...

* Dorchester **

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

, Dor-''chester''-seat * Dorchester-on-Thames, Oxfordshire

E

* Ebchester *

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

F

* Frocester

G

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

*Gloster Hill (near Amble, Northumberland) * Godmanchester * Grantchester

H

* Hincaster * Horncastle, known in Old English as ''Hyrnecastre''

I

* Ilchester * Irchester

K

* Kenchester

L

* Lancaster **

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

, (Lan-CA-sheer) * Lanchester *

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

(Less-stir)

M

* Mancetter *

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

* '' Monkchester'', modernised form of ''Munucceaster'', the Old English name for

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

. * Muncaster

P

* Portchester

R

* Ribchester * Rocester *

Rochester, Kent Rochester ( ) is a town in the unitary authority of Medway, in Kent, England. It is at the lowest bridging point of the River Medway, about east-southeast of London. The town forms a conurbation with neighbouring towns Chatham, Kent, Chatham, ...

* Rochester, Northumberland

S

* Silchester

T

Tadcaster Tadcaster is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, north-east of Leeds and south-west of York. Its historical importance from Roman times onward was largely as the lowest road crossing-point o ...

* Towcester

W

Winchester Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...

* Woodchester * Worcester * Wroxeter

Notes

{{Reflist Place name element etymologies English toponymy English suffixes