In the northeast and east of England the term "staith" or "staithe" (from the Norse for landing stage) is also used. The two terms have historically had a geographical distinction: those to the north in the Kingdom of Northumbria used the Old English spelling "staith", southern sites of the Danelaw took the Danish spelling "staithe". Both originally referred to jetties or wharves. In time, the northern coalfields of Northumbria developed coal staiths specifically for loading coal onto ships and these would adopt the "staith" spelling as a distinction from simple wharves: for example, Dunston Staiths in Gateshead and Brancaster Staithe in Norfolk. However, the term "staith" may also be used to refer only to loading chutes or ramps used for bulk commodities like coal in loading ships and barges.