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- Local newspaper week
You say Shroosbury, I say Shrowsbury…
Thursday 2nd April 2009, 9:55AM BST.
More than 6,000 people have now stepped in to join the debate about how Shrewsbury should be pronounced.
The Facebook site set up to argue “It’s Shrewsbury not Shrowsbury” now has 6,183 members with 18 ongoing discussion topics and 114 photographs of the town loaded up.
The row about the pronunciation of the town continues to inspire debate with people from across the country having their say and airing their opinion.
- Now it’s your turn. Try ShropshireStar.com‘s absolutely, definitively, complete and utter (for the time being) ‘Is it Shrews or Shrows?’ poll at the bottom of this page.
One member of the group has put the results of a BBC survey up on the site showing that 70 per cent of people in the town call it Shroosbury, 25 per cent Shrowsbury and five per cent Shoosbury.
Mitch Bennett says that the Government spells it Shrewsbury so that is how it should be said and Mandy-Joanne Humphreys says that the pronunciation of Dewsbury also gives us a clue.
But many believe that both ways of saying the town’s name is actually correct.
Dan Roberts says: “It is either or.
“Both are right for different reasons so anyone who has picked one over the other is ill-informed.”
Some people even spell the different pronunciations in alternate ways with Shrowsbury also spelt Shroesbury by some.
Christa Brailsford adds: “They are both right.
“The pronunciation of Shroesbury derives from the old name of Scrobesberig and various other variations over hundreds of years.
“Shrewsbury is just another version – language changes and develops all the time.”
Other groups have been set up on the social networking site arguing over the different pronunciation and also have hundreds of members.
An introductory message on one site says the former Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council website carried information about the name.
It apparently said: “It was only as bureaucracy increased in the 17th century that a single variation of the name was adopted for legal purposes which is essentially the Shrewsbury we know today – note that in middle English, Shrew was pronounced Shrow – although no doubt the majority of people wrote it phonetically as they always had done.”
By Rhea Parsons
[poll=107]
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What’s that furry little animal called, I think it’s Shrew. Certainly not a Shrow!
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To the more ‘posh’ folk it’s ‘Shroze’, and to the rest of us it’s ‘Shrews’. Come on, we all know that! Regardless of whether it might be a bit ‘un-P.C’ to say so, it’s the truth, you know it!!
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I heard some years ago that the ‘country’ way to say it was “Sozebry”. That doesn’t seem to register on the radar these days.
What is the point of this discussion anyway – nobody is right (or wrong!). There is another popular one “Shewsbree” I use and hear often. Can I vote on that one please!
ALL votes should include “none of the above” as an option.
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To us commoners it’s Salop
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its neither
proper shrewsbury folk say Shoes bury no ‘r’
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To the Welsh Shrewsbury proper name is Scrobbig…
Shrewsbury used to be a part of Wales!!
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It all depends on which side of the river Severn you are born,I’m not posh so it’s Shrewsbury.
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I’m not posh either, I pronounce it Shoesbury. My South Shropshire hills born Grandfather always called it Salop. Take your pick but I admit I do get a bit wound up with the Shrowsbury version, it just doesn’t sound right.
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As a true Salopian it’s Shrewsbury with a shrew !!
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i think you will find the welsh name is amwythig. it is an old celtic welsh name meaning the delight.
it matters not whether the town is called shrows or shrews it all comes from the original name sciropsbryg, or shrozebury. one further fact is that those born within the isthmus of the river severn may call themselves proud salopians. personally i have always called it shrozebury. come on you shrows on saturday!
james alexander gordon with his football results always calls it shrosebury town and not many times nil!!
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Jon:
“What’s that furry little animal called, I think it’s Shrew. Certainly not a Shrow! ”
What’s that bird called ? A chough ? Rhymes with rough/tough etc
So by your logic I live in a town called pronounced “Sluff” in Berkshire
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Myopinion said:
“I’m not posh either, I pronounce it Shoesbury. My South Shropshire hills born Grandfather always called it Salop. Take your pick but I admit I do get a bit wound up with the Shrowsbury version, it just doesn’t sound right. ”
I always remember local people calling it either Salop (pronounced “Sollop”) or just “Town”.
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I actually checked it out years ago (in the BBC pronunciation guide I think) and apparently either is correct apart from the Public School and the biscuit which are always SHROZEBURY
So if you want to be right 100% of the time say SHROZE…
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who cares how one says it the meaning is clear enough so put a stop to the class war.
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Patrick. Thats plain silly, there is no state of being “right 100%” over the way anything is said, plenty might think that though, but you are certainly not 100% right.
All going to prove that: You’re the weakest link, please leave the forum.
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its a class thing
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Well I for one am glad Shrewsbury isnt still in Wales!!!! and if the choise is pronounce it as I am told or end up in Wales, I shall pronounce it any which way you want! :)
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Floreat Salopia…….Shrewsbury
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I think we should rename the town ‘Old Telford’
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only commoners say shrew
peasants
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My old Grandad from Clun always called it Salop, myself I have always called it Shrewsbury (Shroos). Ineresting point of Y Mab saying it was once part of Wales? probably all the Marches Towns of Chester, Shrewsbury and Hereford were part of Wales?
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Who cares as long as you can get there!!!!
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What a funny debate! Growing up in Ditherington I called it Shrewsbury….but I had a friend who went to Shrowsbury School….!
We have a Shrewsbury here in N.America…wonder what their pronunciation is Shrausbury?
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For us in the metropolis that is Telford,it is
Salop.(Pronounced Solop).
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DevilsChair – ‘Right’ by the BBC pronounciaton guide. If either is OK apart from the two cases mentioned which MUST be “Shroze” ,then obviously “Shrozebury” is always correct.
Simple logic.
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who cares what the welsh say it shrewsbury! not shrowsbury. the only reason you hear shrow is because of the poss idiot tory toffs we have here ruining our town!
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Power mowers are thoroughly tough though. There you go. It doesn’t have to be pronounced how it looks. It’s “shroze” for me.
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Why does it always have to come down to a class divide?! I’ve had a look on the facebook site and it is full of jibes at anyone who went to Shrewsbury School or Shrewsbury High School, sounds like some people have a chip on their shoulder!
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“Shroze” every time, its not a class issue
It’ll be irrelevant in a few years anyway, as Shrewsbury will become part of the Greater Telford conurbation
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shrewsbury will never become part of telford it will cause riots and just put more scum and chav’s on the streets. look at most of telford today it says it all.
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My Grandad always called it Salop, he was Shropshire born and bred, I have always said Shoesbury – look at Dewsbury and the shrew – both are the same. the posh peeps always said Shroesbury and I think thats how it stayed
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