Fords and Ford Place-Names in Shropshire

Welcome to my web-page devoted to fords, ferries and ford place-names in Shropshire. It contains information about past and present fords - the past ones have been replaced by bridges and the ford is remembered in the place name. The present ones are still there. Unlike the neighbouring counties of Hereford and Stafford, the county town of Shropshire is a "burgh" (Shrewsbury) not a ford. This means that the most important ford names in the county are those of hundreds.

Hundred Meeting Places. Both these fords have long since been replaced by bridges.
1. FORD The meeting place of Ford Hundred was at the "Welshman's Ford" where the road from Shrewsbury to Welshpool crossed the Cardeston brook. Ford Hundred replaced the Domesday hundred of Ruesset which had met near Alberbury. In the later 16th century, the meeting place varied but it was frequently held at Westbury.
2. BRADFORD The meeting place of Bradford Hundred until the early 17th century, was the "broad-ford" at the crossing of the river Roden by the Shrewsbury to High Ercall road. Bradford hundred was created from the Domesday hundreds of Hodnet and Wrockwardine. It was divided into North Bradford and South Bradford around 1600 and shortly afterwards the meeting place was moved from Bradford Bridge to Wellington.

The remaining sections are work-in-progress and more information will be added to this site as and when it becomes available.

Major Place-names - those of parishes and Domesday Manors. In most cases these fords have been replaced by bridges.

Minor Place-names - those of hamlets, farms and bridges. These fords have been replaced by bridges. Others similar sites which are still fords appear in the next section.

Present-day fords
This gives a list of the fords to be found in Shropshire today.

Non-topographic Ford Place-names
Some of the ford place-names are not topographic and so never indicated the presence of a ford. The most notable of these is "Telford" - the new town named after the engineer Thomas Telford - but there are many others.