3: Fords

In the past there was much less traffic than there is now. There were no tarmac surfaces and the roads became rutted and muddy. Nobody spent much money looking after roads, so travelling was slow, dirty and difficult. One of the biggest problems was when a road had to cross a stream or river. There were few bridges, and in many places travellers had to wade across the river where it was shallow. Such places were called fords.
On this map you can see all the village names in the valley between Warminster and Salisbury.

Exercises:

• Can you list the villages which have the word ford in their name?
• Can you guess what any of the names mean?

Here is a list of names and their meanings:

Codford = ford of a man called Coda
Deptford = deep ford
Langford = long ford
Stapleford = ford marked by a post (staple)
Wishford = ford by an elm tree (wych-elm)
Stoford = stony ford
Durnford = secret or hidden ford
Wilsford = ford of a man nicknamed Wifel (beetle)
Woodford = ford by the wood
Britford = ford of the British people
Longford = long ford