Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Chetred' 1215 ClR 1288 Ass 1372 ChrP

• Cetred, Cettred(e) 1242 Ch

• Chetreth 1243 FF

• Chyttheryd, Chitred 1331 Cecil

• Chitredd', Chittreade 1541 Glyn

• Chettered, Chittered 1547 Hutch3 1618 Map

• Chetrede Chace 1572 Hutch3

• Chittred Walke 17 CecilMap

• Chitred Walk or Chitred Chase 1633 Hutch3

• Chetter Wood 1811 OS

Etymology

Chetterwood (ST 973084), Chetred '1215 ClR, 1288Ass , n.d. (1372) ChrP , Cetred , Cettred (e )1242 Ch, Chetreth 1243 FF, Chyttheryd , Chitred 1331Cecil , Chitredd ', Chittreade 1541Glyn , Chettered , Chittered 1547 Hutch3, 1618Map , Chetrede Chace 1572 Hutch3, Chittred Walke 17CecilMap , Chitred Walk or Chitred Chase 1633 Hutch3, Chetter Wood 1811 OS. Fägersten 80 is almost certainly correct in taking the first el. to be PrWelsh or PrCorn *c d 'a wood'. Professor Jackson suggests that the second el. may be PrWelsh  *rïd or PrCorn *rid 'a ford'; alternatively, if the second el. is of English origin, it could be OE  rīð 'a stream' (cf. the forms for Hendred Brk 479–480); there is now no ford or stream, but there is a marked valley. All the early forms (except that from 1288 which is villa de Chetred ') denote a wood, which Chetterwood still is, hence the recent rationalization of -ed to -wood ', it was one of the eight 'walks' in Cranborne Chase q. v. infra , v. walk , chace .