Wetwang
Coordinates: 54°01′10″N 0°34′44″W / 54.019372°N 0.578926°W
Wetwang is a Yorkshire Wolds village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Driffield on the A166 road.
According to the 2011 UK census, Wetwang parish had a population of 761,[1] an increase on the 2001 UK census figure of 672.[2]
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 and is now recorded in the National Heritage List for England, maintained by Historic England.[3] It is on the Sykes Churches Trail devised by the East Yorkshire Churches Group.[4]
The village is known for its Iron Age chariot burial cemetery at Wetwang Slack, and was previously known for its black swans after which the village pub, The Black Swan, is named.[5][6]
The village is recorded in the Domesday Book as Wetuuangha. There are two interpretations of the name, one from the Old Norse vaett-vangr, '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.[7] It has been noted on lists of unusual place names.[8][9]
It has been hypothesised that the unlocated Romano-British town of Delgovicia is located at Wetwang.[10]
Public transport
Until 1950, the village was served by Wetwang railway station, on the Malton to Driffield Line, but this line has closed.[11] The village is now served by an infrequent East Yorkshire Motor Services bus.
Honorary Mayor
Its name (defined in The Meaning of Liff as meaning "a moist penis"[12]) often attracts mirth, even from Richard Whiteley of the Channel 4 quiz show Countdown; he held the honorary title Mayor of Wetwang from 1998 until his death in 2005.[13] On 25 June 2006, local weather forecaster Paul Hudson from BBC Look North was invested as Whiteley's successor.[14]
| Year | Mayor |
|---|---|
| 1998–2005 | Richard Whiteley |
| 2006– | Paul Hudson |
References
- 1 2 "Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics: Area: Wetwang CP (Parish)". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
- ↑ Office for National Statistics. "2001 Census: Key Statistics: Parish Headcounts: Area: Wetwang CP (Parish)". Neighbourhood Statistics. Retrieved 4 September 2007.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Loades, Mike (25 January 2005). "Wetwang: A Chariot Fit for a Queen?". History Trails Archaeology. BBC. Retrieved 12 February 2011.
- ↑ Thompson, Karen. "The Villages of the Yorkshire Wolds - Wetwang". Driffield Online. Retrieved 12 February 2011.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Rivet, A.L.F.; Smith, Colin (1979). The Place-Names of Roman Britain. London. pp. 331–332.
- ↑ Butt, R. V. J. (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 1-8526-0508-1. OCLC 60251199.
- ↑ "Wetwang" in Adams, D. and Lloyd, J. the Meaning of Liff. Pan books, 1983
- ↑ "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
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wetwang. |
- Wetwang in the Domesday Book