Village with three different names decides on correct spelling

A village with three different names has finally decided on the correct spelling.

The spellings Yelden, Yielden and Yieldon are all used on road signs leading to the village in Bedfordshire.

But Bedford borough council has now decided that the correct spelling is “Yelden”.

The spellings have confused motorists over the years, causing havoc with visitors trying to reach the village using satnavs and maps.

In January last year, the council, in official documents and social media posts, used the spelling “Yielden” for the village.

However, a spokesman for the council has now said: “Where signs are replaced, we will be using ‘Yelden’ as the spelling for this village.”

Different organisations also refer to the village in different ways.

Royal Mail, in its official postal addresses for the area, uses the spelling “Yielden”, whereas the Office for National Statistics uses “Yelden” in the 2021 census.

The village has had many names since it was first listed as Giveldene in the Domesday Book of 1086. Other spellings have included Yueldene, Yealdon, Evelden and Yeveldene.

A survey was distributed to villagers on the issue in 1998, in which 44 people preferred the spelling “Yelden” compared with 30 people who considered it to be “Yielden”.

Residents on social media found the differing spellings amusing. One person wrote: “I grew up in the village in the late 70s, 80s and early 90s. It was always Yelden and then on the Melchbourne side, a new sign was put up spelling it as Yielden.

“That made me mad. I said to my parents I was going to white it out, but I never did.”

Another said that residents still argued about the correct spelling in the local pub.

“I thought they were two different places,” commented another.

A spokesman for Bedford borough council said: “We are aware of the difference in spelling in the signs around this village.

“Some years ago, we contacted the parish council to ask for clarification as to how their village name should be spelt.

“The response from the parish council was that they have no preference as to the spelling of their name as the difference in spelling has been used over many years.

“The local road signs in Bedford borough use the spelling as ‘Yelden’, the roads in Northamptonshire use both ‘Yelden’ and ‘Yielden’, and the spelling by Highways England on the A-road [trunk road] was ‘Yieldon’.

“Where signs are replaced, we will be using ‘Yelden’ as the spelling for this village.”

[Source: Daily Telegraph]