[p. 23] naming of
Medford.
Again in our search we ask ‘why
Medford’ and answer our own query, thus—Because the ‘good place upon Mistick’ was to be
Mr. Cradock's farm, and they so called it, from
Medford in
Staffordshire in the old
England they came from, and which old shire
Mr. Cradock had represented in Parliament since 1620, the eighteenth year of the reign of James the first.
As we had no dictagraph record of
Dudley's pronunciation, we have naturally considered that
M-e-a-d was called phonetically Meed, and so has come the usual interpretation of
Medford, as
Meadow-ford, though in 1855, historian
Brooks gave it as ‘great-meadow’ making no mention therewith of the fording place he knew to have existed.
He directly tells us that in one of the earliest deeds of sale it is written ‘Metford,’ and that after 1715 it has been uniformly written ‘
Medford.’
Meadowford would not have been an inappropriate designation for a
specific place in the river's course; but ancient
Medford or
Mr. Cradock's farm was four miles long.
Now a few words relative to
Metford, and copy of a written note attached to a copy of the History of
Medford (
Brooks) by
Caleb Swan, which is of interest, and never before published.
Mr. Charles Brooks (the author of this book) dining with us at
Dr. Swan's today—
Mrs Adams and daughter of
Winter hill being present—said that he had lately ascertained that the original name of the town was
Metford—after a county seat
Governor Cradock in
England in
Staffordshire called Metford and that he named his new town from that and that in his will he called it
Metford in New England.
The above date is two years subsequent to the publication of the book which contains many other interesting notes and is the property of the
Medford Historical Society.
In
Staffordshire Names and Places p. 10 (1902) we find
Meaford, 1 1/2 m. N. W. of Stone D1 Mepford, Metford; 1173 Medford; 1251, later Mefford.
