The first part of the name of the village is the Welsh bet(t)ws, a borrowing from the Old English bed-hus, meaning 'prayer house' or 'chapel'.

[5] The Welsh noun crowyn has a range of meanings, including 'shed where animals are kept, sty, coop, kennel; creel, basket'.

[8] It lies at 400 m (1,300 ft) above sea level, making it one of the highest settlements in Shropshire and England too.

Bettws had a school which closed in 1951; its building is now the village hall, containing a First World War memorial board.

A pair of medals belonging to local man Pryce Lloyd, who returned from wartime service (during which he was a prisoner of war), used to be displayed under the plaque.