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.

Woodsford, East Woodsford, West Woodsford, Woodsford Strangways

Major Settlement in the Parish of Woodsford

Historical Forms

  • Werdesford 1086 DB 1194 P 1210–2 RBE 1212 Fees 1213 Cur 1268 Ass
  • Est Werdesford 1268 FF 1280 Ass
  • Est Werdesford, West Werdesford 1285 FA
  • Est Werdesford 1303 FA 1335 Pat 1336 FF
  • Werdesford Belet 1361 Ilch
  • Est Werdesford 1440 IpmR 1444 Weld1
  • Werdesford Bolet 1445 FF
  • Werdesford Bolet 1457 IpmR
  • Werdesfort 1086 Exon
  • Werdeford 1196 ChancR 1197 P 1241 Ch 1268 Ass
  • Werdeford Belet, Werdeford Abbot's 1353 Pat
  • Werdeford Belet 1388 Cl
  • Est Werdford 1303 FA
  • Wardesford 1086 DB 1323 Pat 1428 FA
  • Wardeford 1221 Sarum 1275 RH
  • Wirdesford(e), Wyrdesford(e) Hy3 Cerne 14 AD Ed1
  • Wyrdesford belet 1280 Ass
  • Wyrdesford Belet 1282 Orig 1291 Tax 1298 AD 1306 Abbr
  • Wyrdesford Belet 1317 Pat 1318 1320 1332 SR 1335 Pat
  • Est Wyrdesford 1340 1498 Ct
  • Westwyrdesford 1408 Weld1 1431 FA
  • Wyrdeford(e), Wirdeford(e) 1244 Ass 1327 SR 1412 FA 1467 Weld1
  • Wirdefforde 1535 VE
  • Wyrtefforde 1270 ChrP 1372
  • Wyrdusfforde 1389 Weld1 1392 Ct
  • Wyrdysfforde 1417 Ilch
  • Wirdisford 1428 FA
  • Weyrdeford 1268 Ass
  • Wodesforde Belet 1280 Ass
  • Woddesforde Belet 1544 Ilch
  • Woodford 1575 Saxton
  • Woodsford 1682 Weld1
  • Woodsford Strangways 1741 Hutch3
  • East Woodford, West Woodford or Woodford Strangeways 1774 Hutch1
  • E(a)stwordesford 1337 DorR 1428 FA
  • Wordesford Bolet 1458 AD
  • Vrideford 1344 Cerne 14
  • Belet in 1086 DB (VCHDo 3 113)

Etymology

Probably 'Wīgheard's ford', from the OE  pers.n. Wīgheard and ford, as suggested by Ekwall (DEPN); a N-S road crosses R. Frome here (now by a bridge, but there are still two fords marked 6″ further downstream). A possible alternative for the first el., postulated by Kökeritz PN Wt 67, is an OE  (WSax ) wierde 'beacon', an i -mutated variant of OE  *wearda or *wearde 'beacon' which are cognate with OE  weard 'watch' and correspond to ON  varði , varða 'beacon, cairn', cf. Goth  wardja 'watcher' (for *wearda , *wearde , cf. also Löfvenberg 219, EkwallDEPN s.n. Wardington); early forms without genitival -s are quite frequent, but the more numerous forms with -s would have to be explained as analogical; for a much later beacon here, v. Woodsford Castle infra . The parcel later called East Woodsford belonged to Cerne Abbey in 1086 DB (VCHDo 376), hence -Abbot 's , v. abbod , ēast ; that later called West Woodsford belonged to William Belet in 1086 DB (VCHDo 3113) (remaining in the possession of this family until the time of Ed 2), and came to the Strangways family in the 18th cent. (Hutch3 1449), hence the affixes -Bel (l )et , -Bolet , -Strang (e )ways , v. west . There was a mill at West Woodsford in 1086 DB (VCHDo 3113).