English: -ham and -ingham are thought to be part of the earliest stratum of English place names, given in the period of initial settlement from the continent. This map shows their distribution, demonstrating that they are in particularly high concentration in East Anglia, along the Thames and Trent river valleys, and in west Sussex. There is some difficulty in distinguishing -ham place names from -hamm place names, the latter of which can refer to geographical features such as river bends and promontories and are a later development.