Eric
I'm not too sure about place-names in 'ham' having
a Norse derivation.
I believe that 'ham' is one of the earlier
place-name elements to be found in Old English charters of the seventh
century; 'tons' as a rule, occur in later charters.
If anyone is interested in this, the authorities to
consult are Joliffe, Stenton and Granville.
I haven't really looked at the distribution of
'hams' in Britain, so I can't say whether they predominate in the north. I do
know that they occur far less frequently than the 'ton' settlements and that the
implications of this could be that they were early administrative or
political centres for their respective regions.
Anyhow, if there is a chance for an informed
discussion on this, I would like to hear other opinions.
Cheers
Jed Mc Harg