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 its black swans.[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
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wetwang. |
- Wetwang in the Domesday Book
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||