The Origin of Names in the Ironbridge Gorge
The origin of town and village names in the gorge

Benthall
"beant" meaning grass from the Old English beonet.

Broseley
Was originally a medieval site which at the time was called Burwardesley,. The Anglo-Saxon name was Burgheard’s forest which meant clearing in the forest (probably between Bentall Wood and Willey Estate Woods).

Buildwas
Means a building in a swamp, which appears to be the Old English version gebyldu-waesse (perhaps meaning the abbey by the river that overflows?)

Coalbrookdale and Coalport
Were really areas created by the iron masters to enlarge their industrial area of production and expand a bit on the items produced there. Coalport in actuality has now turned into a name for a certain type of china that was originally produced in the Gorge, but is now produced in Staffordshire.

Ironbridge
Became the name of the town because of the location of the world’s first iron bridge.

Jackfield
Was also a product of the Industrial Revolution and really began as a port and when the Lord of the manor of Broseley constructed the wooden railway to the river to get coal to the river it really came into life, but how it

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