Contes lies on the Canche west and slightly north of Hesdin. The country is hilly north to Henoville but becoming flatter and open as far as the east west Roman road linking Boulogne and Thérouanne. The district is crossed by another Roman road that is mapped from southwest to northeast as far as Henoville and clearly headed for Thérouane. This small area shows a mixture of names typical of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region.

Going backward in time from the contemporary place names we find Old English, Germanic (Frankish), Latin, Gaulish (in names of natural features mainly) and possibly pre Gaulish (in river names). The most important place-names are listed. Not all can be glossed