Shrawley
Major Settlement in the Parish of Shrawley
Historical Forms
- Screfleh, Scræfleh 804 BCS313 11th
- Escreueleia c.1150 Surv
- Scrauele(ga) 1220 Fees140 1235 Fees526 1235 FF
- Shreuele, Schreweley 1275 FF, SR
- Shrou(e)legh 1297 Pat 1346,1428 FA
- Schrauleye 1316 Ipm
- Shrauele(ye) 1327 SR 1344 Pat 1349 Wigorn 1361 Cl
- Shrawley 1431 FA
Etymology
It is difficult to avoid the belief that here we have a compound of OE scræf , 'cave, den, hovel,' in the form scræfleah or, with gen. pl. of the first element, scræfaleah (v. leah ). An alternative possibility for the development of medial e in such compounds is explained in Zachrisson's English PN and River-names 30, n. 2.There can be no question of caves here but, near to the Severn, half a mile to the north-east of the church, there is a series of mounds known locally as 'Court-hills' or 'Oliver's mounds.'These do not seem to have been investigated but it is just possible that they might have been connected with pit-dwellings.