You are reading a single comment by @BringMeMyFix and its replies. Click here to read the full conversation.
  • *Swain *often meant lover, and there were examples of roads called Swains' Lane i.e.* Lovers' Lane*.

    So if we're to assume that the road was a haunt of more than one (probably gothic, graveyard fascinated) lover, Swain's is definitely wrong.

    What's probably happened is that the original plural apostrophe was dropped, but some dicksplash along the line has decided it needs to be reapostrophised, and referred to an individual called Swain.

    Bearing all that in mind, I'd say Swains is the least troublesome option for an apostrophe-illiterate population, but purists would go for Swains'.

About