The town was possibly the site of the capital of Powys, known to the ancient
Britons as Pengwern, signifying "the alder hill"; and in Old English
as
Scrobbesburh (dative
Scrobbesbyrig), which has several
meanings; "fort in the scrub-land region", "Scrobb's fort",
"shrubstown" or "the town of the bushes". This name
gradually evolved in three directions, into
Sciropscire, which became
Shropshire;
into
