| Wetwang | |
|---|---|
 St Nicholas Church | |
  Wetwang Location within the East Riding of Yorkshire | |
| Population | 761 (2011 census)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SE932590 |
| Civil parish |
|
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | DRIFFIELD |
| Postcode district | YO25 |
| Dialling code | 01377 |
| Police | Humberside |
| Fire | Humberside |
| Ambulance | Yorkshire |
| UK Parliament | |
Wetwang is a Yorkshire Wolds village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, 6 miles (10 kilometres) west of Driffield on the A166 road.
At the 2011 census, it had a population of 761,[1] an increase on the 2001 census figure of 672.[2]
YouTube Encyclopedic
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The Wetwang skeleton (2/2)
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Excavations at Wetwang in Yorkshire (1/2)
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The Wetwang Chariot Burial! : In Focus
Transcription
That's a left arm. And what's quite surprising is just how light these bones are. And this is the skull after it's been pieced back together, and, as you can see around the eye sockets, they're completely out of alignment. The skeleton itself is laid out into a very shallow scoop in the ground. Down at her feet, resting almost against her shin, was the iron mirror, with its associated brooch and hundreds of very small blue glass beads. The excavation at Wetwang village really provided us with some very key insights into the Iron Age. From my perspective, the opportunity to really understand Iron Age vehicles, to get the sort of evidence that allowed us to go into reliable reconstruction and then develop a whole lot more questions about how did these work, what did they look like, how well were they able to work in wood, in metal. Very, very important. We also have the idea that we have an iconic woman, buried with a vehicle, with her mirror. She herself was a very distinguished person, obviously, from the burial rite, but also the fact that she appears to have been very old for the population, comparative with the population. We think she's at least 35 years old, probably early 40s. Unfortunately, most of the women were dying around about the age of 25, some a lot younger than that, so, she's very old, she's also very tall. Perhaps one of the longest lasting things which show power, is a very small but nonetheless significant thing. On the terrets – shown them here decorated with reviewed red enamel, we've cheated – there were – one of them was replaced with red enamel, but most of this was actually red coral. Now, the red coral has probably come from the Red Sea, that's about the closest. There are a few isolated eastern Mediterranean coral deposits. But it's significant, I think, that here we are seeing, in Yorkshire, material that's been brought in a very long way, clearly reflecting status, clearly showing you that although the cart chariot burials are a feature of east Yorkshire, actually what they represent is, if you like, at least European connections. We certainly know that the British evidence seems to be pulling together similar wheel dimensions, for example, similar ways of manufacture. But, actually, I think that, really, that's just symptomatic of trade and travel and transport across much, much wider remit than one tends to think about when you're talking prehistory.
Name
There are two interpretations of the name. One is from the Old Norse vaett-vangr, or 'field for the trial of a legal action'. Another theory is that it was the "Wet Field" compared to the nearby dry field at Driffield.[3]
The name is jokingly defined in The Meaning of Liff by Douglas Adams as meaning "a moist penis".[4] In some varieties of English, wang is a slang term for penis,[5][6] although this sense of the word is not recorded in the Oxford English Dictionary.[7] The name Wetwang has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names.[8][9]
History
The village is known for its Iron Age chariot burial cemetery at Wetwang Slack,[10] and it has been speculated that the unlocated Romano-British town of Delgovicia may have been at what is now Wetwang.[11]
Before the Norman Conquest (TRE) Ealdraed held Wetwang, and it was worth £4 per year in rent.[12]
The village is mentioned twice in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Wetuuangha. The lesser mention simply records its existence: "In Wetwang the archbishop 13+1⁄2 carucates". The mention is under "Warter Hundred" on original folio 381V: East Riding.[13] Earlier in the Domesday Book, there is a fuller description (Folio 302V: Yorkshire) within the listing of the land of the Archbishop of York:
In Wetwang there are 13+1⁄2 carucates to the geld, and there could be 7 ploughs. Archbishop Ealdraed held this as 1 manor. Now Archbishop Thomas has it and it is waste. TRE worth £4. This manor is 2 leagues long and 1+1⁄2 broad
— Folio 302V: Yorkshire) within the listing of the land of the Archbishop of York
A carucate is the area of land a man with 8 oxen can plough in a season, sometimes cited as around 120 acres (49 ha). In Wetwang there were 13+1⁄2 of them available for the tax take ("geld"). A "plough" was a carucate which was being ploughed, rather than grazed or fallow. A league is around 3 miles (4.8 km). After the conquest, Wetwang was waste land held by Archbishop Thomas. [12]
St Nicholas's Church is of Norman origin and was restored between 1845 and 1902. In 1966, the church was designated a Grade II* listed building.[14] It is on the Sykes Churches Trail devised by the East Yorkshire Churches Group.[15] The church has a ring of three bells (tenor 7 long cwt 0 qr 12 lb; 796 lb or 361 kg in A), the oldest of which (the tenor) dates from c. 1450.[16]
Wetwang was once known for its black swans, after which the village pub, the Black Swan, is named.[17]
Public transport
Until 1950, the village was served by Wetwang railway station, on the Malton to Driffield Line, but this line has closed.[18] The village is now served by an infrequent East Yorkshire Motor Services bus.[19]
Honorary mayor
Richard Whiteley of the Channel 4 quiz show Countdown held the honorary title Mayor of Wetwang from 1998 until his death in 2005.[20] On 25 June 2006, local weather forecaster Paul Hudson from BBC Look North was invested as Whiteley's successor.[21]
| Year | Mayor |
|---|---|
| 1998–2005 | Richard Whiteley |
| 2006– | Paul Hudson |
References
- ^ a b UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Wetwang Parish (1170211287)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
- ^ UK Census (2001). "Local Area Report – Wetwang Parish (00FB158)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
- ^ Parker, Quentin (2010). Welcome to Horneytown, North Carolina, Population: 15: An insider's guide to 201 of the world's weirdest and wildest places. Adams Media. p. 191. ISBN 9781440507397.
- ^ Adams, D.; Lloyd, J. (1983). "Wetwang". The Meaning of Liff. Pan Books. ISBN 0-330-28121-6.
- ^ "Wang". Cambridge Dictionary. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
- ^ "wang (n.)". www.etymonline.com. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
- ^ "Wang". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
- ^ Lyall, Sarah (22 January 2009). "No Snickering: That Road Sign Means Something Else". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
- ^ "13 Town Names We Can't Stop Laughing Over". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
- ^ Loades, Mike (25 January 2005). "Wetwang: A Chariot Fit for a Queen?". History Trails Archaeology. BBC. Retrieved 12 February 2011.
- ^ Rivet, A. L. F.; Smith, Colin (1979). The Place-Names of Roman Britain. London: B. T. Batsford. pp. 331–332.
- ^ a b Williams 2003, p. 797.
- ^ Williams, Ann, ed. (2003). Domesday book: a complete translation. Penguin classics. London: Penguin Books. p. 877. ISBN 978-0-14-143994-5.
- ^ Historic England. "The Church of St Nicolas (1083774)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
- ^ "Sykes Churches Trail Southern Route". Beverley, East Yorkshire: East Yorkshire Historic Churches Group.
- ^ Central Council of Church Bell Ringers. "Wetwang, S Nicholas". Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers. Central Council Publications. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
- ^ Thompson, Karen. "The Villages of the Yorkshire Wolds – Wetwang". Driffield Online. Retrieved 12 February 2011.
- ^ Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
- ^ "Service 135". East Yorkshire Motor Services. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
- ^ "From Wilberforce to Mayor Whiteley". Yorkshire Post. 26 September 2007. Retrieved 12 February 2011.
- ^ "Paul Hudson – Weatherman". BBC Look North. BBC. Retrieved 12 February 2011.
- Gazetteer — A–Z of Towns Villages and Hamlets. East Riding of Yorkshire Council. 2006. p. 11.
External links
- Wetwang in the Domesday Book
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This page was last edited on 4 April 2024, at 18:12