Description : Arnold (/ˈɑːr.nəld/) is a market town and unparished area in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands of England. It is situated to the north-east of Nottingham's city boundary. Arnold was referred to as "Ernehale" in Domesday Book of 1086. This name meant 'place frequented by eagles' or 'the valley of eagles'. A History of Arnold (1913) by Rev. Rupert W. King and Rev. James Russell explains the toponymy of Arnold's name thus: "Heron-hald", meaning the corner of the forest where Herons (large birds) live. Which becomes over the centuries since 500 A.D. by "lazy" pronunciation, Eron-ald, thence Ern-old and Arn-old. The local topography suggests that Arnold can never have been a haunt of eagles, because they inhabit areas of rocky outcrops, which have formed cliffs: the nearest such location is Creswell Crags, some 20 miles (32 km) north-west as the eagle flies. However, the fish-eating white-tailed eagle (also known as the erne) could have caught fish in the River Trent, which lies 4 miles (6.4 km) south-east of Arnold, on the other side of the Mapperley Plains ridge: these eagles might then have flown north-west in the evenings to roost in the ancient woodland area now known as Arnold. The Anglo-Saxon migrant-invaders, when they arrived along the River Trent from the Humber Estuary c. 500 A.D., might have seen these eagles—which measure 66–94 cm (26–37 in) in length with a 1.78–2.45 m (5.8–8.0 ft) wingspan—flying northwest in the evenings and named this roosting location 'Erne-Halh' or 'Erne-Haugh', meaning 'eagle's nook' or 'eagle's corner'.
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