From what I remember when I used to spend hours on the Republic of Pemberley website (LOL), this was done to "protect" the real locations/people, without having to make up a completely fictional place name. I have no idea why this became so popular or who started it, though.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2009-11-16 11:10 pm (UTC)http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/bronte/cbronte/blanks.html