jan 1, 1697 - wath

Description:

‘Wath’ is a word of Scandinavian origin which means ‘ford’, particularly common as a place-name element in Yorkshire and Cumbria. As a suffix it came under the influence of similar sounding words and there has been confusion with -thwaite, -way, -with and -worth in particular. It occurs for example in Helwith Bridge and Solway Firth. Beggars Wife Bridge in Giggleswick was originally Beggerwathe (1580). The bridge of <i>Brygwath</i> is mentioned several times in accounts for Bolton Priory from 1310 but the name did not survive and the site is not known (YRS154). The word remained in use in the northern dialects: 1486 ‘to <i>le Wath</i> above the mill pond’, Thornton (YRS63/139); 1655 <i>the wearing of the wath</i>, Kirkby Moorside (NRQS5/195); 1697 <i>From thence I went over a wath which tradition says was formerly a great river running ... into Humber</i> (SS54/153). It alternated with ‘wath-stead’, the site of a wath, and both are used in references to work on the bridge at Skipton on Swale. In 1604 money was advanced for the making of <i>a passable foard, or wath-stead, for cart and carriage</i> (NRQS3/47) but heavy traffic continued and the bridge was ruinous by 1610. As a result it was decided to improve the <i>foard or wath</i> and deny heavy carriages access to the bridge. <i>A locke and chaine</i>’ was provided so that <i>offensive burthens</i> would be obliged to use the ford and (NRQS1/204-5).

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