Shropshire Place-Names
Here, you will find examples of places in Shropshire similar to the ones used in the project.
Guess the meanings behind the place-name
Each of these names contains a word which refers to a living creature (animal), a vegetable (trees and plants), or a mineral (a building or natural structure). Can you guess which for each of them?
Lee Brockhurst
I'm a badger!
Well done! Badgers are found in many Shropshire place-names. The Old English word for badger was brocc. Old English is the language used by the Anglo-Saxons. We know that the Anglo-Saxons saw badgers in Shropshire because the names of some villages tell us about the badgers. The village of Lee Brockhurst was named after badgers: it means 'a wooded hill where badgers are found'. Some things to think about: Where do badgers live? Have you ever seen a badger? Do you think that badgers live in Shropshire today? Why do you think the Anglo-Saxons named Lee Brockhurst after badgers?
That's not right! Try again!
That's not right! Try again!
Bridgnorth
That's not right! Try again!
That's not right! Try again!
I'm a bridge!
Well done! This is quite an easy name to guess. Even though the name Bridgnorth was first written down in medieval times, the way we say it today hasn't changed very much for about 800 years! Some things to think about: Why do you think medieval people chose this place to build a bridge? Bridgnorth was once known simply as 'Bridge' - 'the settlement near the bridge'. Why do you think the name was changed to Bridgnorth?
Chirbury
That's not right! Try again!
That's not right! Try again!
I'm a church!
Well done! This is quite a difficult name to guess. The first part of this name comes from the Old English word cirice, which means 'church'. Old English is the language spoken by the Anglo-Saxons. Chirbury means 'church fort or manor'. Some things to think about: Why do you think the Anglo-Saxons named this village after the church? What materials do you think the church was made from? Do you think that every Anglo-Saxon village had a church?
Earnwood
I'm an eagle!
Well done! Eagles are found in Shropshire place-names. Even though we don't see eagles in Shropshire today, our place-names tell us that they were once a common sight in some parts of the county. In the Middle Ages, eagles certainly flew in the skies above Shropshire. Earnwood is in Kinlet, and it means 'eagle wood'. Some things to think about: What kind of place did eagles like to live in? Did they need a special habitat? Why did the Anglo-Saxons name this wood after eagles?
That's not right! Try again!
That's not right! Try again!
Shipton
I'm a sheep!
Well done! Sheep are found in lots of Shropshire place-names. The Old English word for sheep was scēp - the first two letters made a 'sh' sound, and the 'e' was pronounced as a long vowel sound, like 'ee', giving us modern 'sheep'. The village of Shipton was named after sheep, and it means 'sheep estate'.
Some things to think about:
Sheep were common in Anglo-Saxon England, so why do you think this place was called 'sheep estate'? What was the main occupation of people living in Shipton in the Middle Ages, do you think?
That's not right! Try again!
That's not right! Try again!
Shrewsbury
That's not right! Try again!
I'm shrubland!
Well done! This is quite a difficult name to guess. The first part of this name comes from an Old English word which means 'scrubland'. Old English is the language spoken by the Anglo-Saxons. Shrewsbury means 'fortified place of the scrubland'. Some things to think about: What kind of place was scrubland, do you think? What is a fortified place, and what do you think such a place looked like? Perhaps you could draw a picture of what Shrewsbury looked like when the Anglo-Saxons built their settlement there.
That's not right! Try again!
Wheathill
That's not right! Try again!
I'm wheat!
Well done! This name is quite easy to guess. The Old English word for 'wheat' - hwǣte - looks a little bit strange to us today, but it sounds quite similar to our modern word. You have probably already guessed that Wheathill means exactly what it seems to be - 'wheat hill'! Some things to think about: Thinking about this name, what sort of occupation do you think the people that lived in Wheathill had? Why were they growing wheat? What can you make from wheat?
That's not right! Try again!
Coreley
I'm a crane!
Well done! Cranes are now extinct in Britain, but they used to visit us every summer. Coreley is a small village in south Shropshire, and it means 'cranes' open woodland'. Close Some things to think about: What kind of place did cranes live in? Did they need a special habitat? Why do you think the cranes chose Coreley as their home?
That's not right! Try again!
That's not right! Try again!
Myndtown
That's not right! Try again!
That's not right! Try again!
I'm a mountain!
Well done! This name relates to the Long Mynd. Mynd means 'mountain', and it comes from the Welsh word mynydd, so the Long Mynd is of course the long mountain. Myndtown means 'the settlement by the mountain'. Close Some things to think about: Why do you think the village was named after the Long Mynd? The Anglo-Saxons had lots of different words for hills and mountains - why do you think that was?
Farlow
That's not right! Try again!
I'm fern!
Well done! This is quite a difficult name to get right. Although the Old English word for 'fern' - fearn - looks almost exactly the same as our modern word, the way people said the name has changed over hundreds of years, giving us modern Farlow. The name means 'fern tumulus', and a tumulus is a mound. Some things to think about: Why do you think Farlow was named after fern? How much fern was there in Farlow in the medieval period, do you think? What sort of mound is a tumulus?
That's not right! Try again!