Treyford
Major Settlement in the Parish of Treyford
Historical Forms
- Treverde 1086 DB 1428 FA
- Treferd 1256 Ch 1302 RH 1332 SR
- Trefferde 1296 SR
- Triouerdia 12th AD5222
- Triford 1194 Cur
- Triffeld 1242 Fees
- Treuford 1272 RH
- Troferd 1278 FF
- Treford 1272 RH 1279 Ass 1428 FA
- Threford 1316 FA
- Trefurde 1327 SR
- la Threferde 1330 Ipm
- Treaford 1585 MarC 1608 Ipm
- Trayford 1641 SRS 1724 B
Etymology
The early forms make it clear that the first element is OE treo(w), 'tree, piece of wood,' and that the second element is not simply ford, for that would leave unexplained the numerous early forms in verde , fetde and the one form in furde . All these point to an OE adj.fyrde , a derivative of ford , cf. OE twī -fyrde , 'double-forded.' The stream here is a very small one and probably the place was named from the fact that it was crossed by a bridge made of a trunk of a tree. Hence the name means 'tree-forded.' Later the name was assimilated to a more common type. Professor Ekwall would prefer to take fyrde as the locative form of ford and Dr Ritter suggests that there may have been an i -stem fyrd side by side with the usual u -stem ford . For the sense we may possibly compare beamford (BCS 550) and Bamford (PN La 54), though here we may have a ford marked rather than made by a tree (v. beam ).