What's in a name? (From Ludlow Advertiser)

What's in a name?

HOW many people do you know called Ludlow? Amazingly, Robin Ludlow has found 10,000 of them - and more are turning up all the time.

For the past 30 years, Robin has delved into wills, inquests and other public records from all over Britain.

Because his researches go back to the 13th century, many of the Ludlows are long dead and may be called de Ludlow or even de Lodelowe.

They include numerous knights, wool merchants and men who came to a sticky end.

For instance, Laurence de Lodelowe drowned at sea in 1294 while taking a consignment of wool to Holland.

The splendidly named Bogo de Lodelowe died at the hands of his stepbrother in a complex feud over money in 1326.

Some years before he drowned, Laurence used his wealth from dealing in wool to build the Great Hall and South Tower of one of Shropshire's most romantic buildings, Stokesay Castle.

In 2003, Robin came from his home in Wiltshire to present the castle with a beautifully prepared pedigree of the de Lodelowes who lived there from 1281 to 1498.

The family tree now stands proudly in the hall that Laurence built. Robin's research has resulted in a fascinating new book that Christopher Train has written for the Ludlow Historical Research Group.

Its title The Sheepe Hath Payed For All sums up how the Ludlows of Stokesay gained their wealth from wool, an industry still important in the Marches today.

From the days of Henry III to the Tudor period of Henry VII, they were among the most notable families of Shropshire. But they also spread.

Robin believes he comes from a branch of the family that settled around Chipping Campden, another former wool town, in Gloucestershire.

Both Robin and the Craven Arms History Society provided financial help with the book, while David Lloyd provided illustrations and read it in draft.

Christopher Train's book sheds an unusual light on local history. It is in local independent bookshops at £5.95.