A Shrewsbury man has attempted to unravel the centuries-old history of the town’s name which has sparked an online internet battle about how to pronounce it – an argument that just won’t go away.

Richard Harper, 85, has been investigating the history behind the different pronunciations of Shrewsbury.

Residents are divided over how to say the town’s name with some pronouncing it “Shroowsbury”, others preferring “Shrowsbury” and some even leaving the first “r” out and saying “Shewsbury”.

Mr Harper was inspired to carry out his investigations after reading a recent Shropshire Star story which focused on the “It’s Shroowsbury, not Shrowsbury” debate which is raging on internet site Facebook.

Dozens of people have been arguing on the site over how the town name should be said.

Mr Harper, of Falcons Way, Copthorne, has uncovered old spellings of the name at the town’s McDonald’s in Pride Hill and at the Oxon Priory pub.

He said: “In McDonalds in town there is a grotto-like place down below which runs along part of the old town wall.

“There were various flags and there used to be a board saying the old spelling of Schroesbyrig.

“The Scrobbesbyrig spelling appears on the wall in the bar at the Oxon Priory pub as well.

“It is said to mean ‘fought in the shrublands’.”

Mr Harper added: “I say Shrowsbury because it is easier to say and Shroowsbury is not so easy, which is why at least half of the people in the town say Shewsbury.”

It is believed the area of Shrewsbury was settled in the fifth century by refugees from the nearby Roman city of Wroxeter, but the first physical evidence dates from the seventh century Saxons who named the town “Scrobbesbyrig”.

The Shrewsbury Tourist and Information guide website says: “Over the years this became corrupted to Shrewsbury, which nowadays is pronounced usually in two different ways: ‘Shrowsbury’ or ‘Shroowsbury’.

“Both variations seem to have equal merit amongst the townsfolk, so prepare for a good debate if you choose to discuss the subject with a group of locals.”

The alternatives for our county town:

• Shrewsbury’s origins date back to the fifth and sixth centuries. It is thought the ancient princes of Powys recognised the area’s vital strategic importance and named it Pengwern.
• The first physical evidence of Shrewsbury as a settlement comes from the Saxons, who named the site Scrobbesbyrig. It is believed the name comes from the old English words for scrubland – scrubb – and fortified place – burh.
• Over hundreds of years this became corrupted to Shrewsbury. This is now pronounced either Shrowsbury or Shroosbury, with each version having roughly equal merit.
• After the Norman conquest Shropshire was handed to Roger de Montgomery who chose Shrewsbury as his base. Alternative names for the town from this time include Sloppesbury or Salopsbury, which gave rise to the county name of Salop.
• Older townspeople and those born in the area still occasionally refer to the town as Salop. Shrewsbury Town Football Club are still referred to as Salop among die-hard fans.

By Rhea Parsons