English Place-name Society

Survey of English Place-Names

A county-by-county guide to the linguistic origins of England’s place-names – a project of the English Place-Name Society, founded 1923.

The Forehead

Early-attested site in the Parish of Stratfield Mortimer

Historical Forms

  • Forewode 1305 Ipm
  • Le Forewode 15th VCHiii,422
  • Le Forwood, Forewood 1552 LRMB
  • Four Heads 1761 Rocque
  • Forward 1817 OS
  • The Forehead 1846 Snare

Etymology

The Forehead, Forewode 1305 Ipm, Le Forewode 15th VCH iii, 422, Le Forwood , Forewood 1552LRMB , Four Heads 1761 Rocque, Forward 1817 OS, The Forehead 1846 Snare, '(land) in front of the wood', v. fore , wudu , and cf. Wa 243–4, where three other examples of the name are cited.