Place-names of all kinds contain rich and valuable information about an area, and yet have frequently been excluded from historical studies. My research explores how English place-names can be best utilised with the goal of understanding the historic environment, especially that of the medieval period. I am investigating this through two case studies in the historic North and West Ridings of Yorkshire, gathering name forms from medieval documents held in archives. I am also interested in how the environmental information held in place-names can be represented visually with the use of, for example, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and further how this can all be communicated to a public audience in an effective and meaningful way.