How did Sheffield get its name? This unique illustration has been created to explains city's origins
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Rail operator TransPennine Express has commissioned a series of pictures explaining the origins of a string of northern cities – and how they got their names.
Sheffield comes from Sheth-feld, which means ‘Sheaf forest clearing.’
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Hide AdThe city’s initial name is Old English or Anglo Saxon and is thought to date back to the arrival of the Anglo Saxons in this part of the country.
This could be anywhere between the 6th and the 9th Century.
The name itself derives from the River Sheaf, with sheaf being a corruption of shed or sheth meaning to “divide” or “separate”.
Feld in Old English means “a forest clearing”. It’s safe to assume that Sheth-Feld therefore refers to a settlement in a forest clearing near the confluence of the River Sheaf and the River Don.
The illustration is part of a celebration of the origins of how northern cities and towns got their names. You can see the illustrations HERE.