Horwood (Great and Little)
Major Settlement in the Parish of Great and Little Horwood
Historical Forms
- Horwudu 792 BCS264 c.1250 NLC 1152–8,1160–5
- Hereworde 1086 DB
- Horrewde 1227 Ass
- Horewode 1228 WellsR
- Horwode 1301 Ch
- Harewode 1242 Fees881 1461 IpmR
- Herewode 1284 FA
- Harwod 1509 LP
- Horroda (sic) 1512 LP
- Herwood 1535 VE
- Harwood 1766 J 1806 Lysons
Etymology
'Filthy' or 'muddy wood' v. horh , wudu . The soil is clayey.The forms with a , from the 16th cent. onwards, point to a dialectal development similar to that found in Harpole (Nth).DB Horpol , but no trace of it can be found in the present local pronunciation.