Horsforth was recorded in the "Domesday Book" of 1086 as "Horseford", "Horseforde", "Hoseforde"; but late-ninth-century coins with the legend "ORSNA FORD" and "OHSNA FORD" may have come from Horsforth. The name derives from Old English "hors" or, to judge from the coins, *"horsa" ('horse') in the genitive plural form "horsa"/"horsna" + "ford" 'ford', thus meaning 'horses' ford'. This refers to a river crossing on the River Aire that was subsequently used to transport woollen goods to and from Pudsey, Shipley and Bradford. The original ford was situated off Calverley Lane, but was replaced by a stone footbridge at the turn of the 19th century.