By Wendy Pyatt Whitby is best known for its Jet jewelry, wonderful fish, Captain Cook, Whitby Abbey, Dracula, and the North York Moors Railway. But where does the name come from? Whitby was originally called Sinus Fari by the Brigantes who were a Celtic tribe controlling large sections of Northern England but by 71 AD… Continue reading A History of Whitby
A History of Whitehaven
By Tim Lambert Whitehaven in the 17th century Whitehaven was a fishing village until the 17th century. The Priory of St Bees owned the village until Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries in 1539. In 1630 Sir Christopher Lowther purchased the estate. He decided to use Whitehaven as a port for exporting coal from the Cumbrian… Continue reading A History of Whitehaven
A History of Wickham
By Tim Lambert Wickham in the Middle Ages In Roman times Wickham was on the road from Winchester to Chichester. There was probably a small Roman settlement at Wickham along the main road. After the Romans left people called the Jutes from Denmark invaded central Hampshire. The tribe who settled there were called the Meon… Continue reading A History of Wickham
A History of Wigan
By Tim Lambert Early Wigan Wigan began as a village but in the 13th century, it grew into a town. In 1246 the king granted Wigan a charter (a document giving the people certain rights). From then on Wigan had weekly markets. (In the Middle Ages there were few shops so if you wished to… Continue reading A History of Wigan
A History of Wincanton
By Tim Lambert Early Wincanton Today Wincanton is a pretty village in Somerset but it was once an important market town. It was once called wincawel tun. The word wincawel is Celtic and means white cawel (cawel being the original name of the River Cale. Perhaps the water once rushed past and looked white.) A… Continue reading A History of Wincanton
A History of Winchester
By Tim Lambert Roman Winchester Winchester began as a Roman town. It was built around 70 AD. The Romans called the new town Venta Belgarum which means the capital of the Belgares (who were the local Celtic tribe before the Roman conquest). Roman Winchester was made a civitas or regional capital. Roman Winchester was built… Continue reading A History of Winchester
A History of Windsor
By Tim Lambert Early Windsor Windsor began as a Saxon village. The name Windsor is believed to be a corruption of the Saxon words ‘windlass Oran’ meaning a bank with a windlass. After the Saxons founded the settlement it grew into a town because of its position by a river. In those days it was… Continue reading A History of Windsor
A History of Winkleigh
By Tim Lambert Early Winkleigh Winkleigh gets its name from two Saxon words. The word wincel meant a corner and the word Leah meant a clearing in a forest. So it was wincel Leah the corner clearing. William the Conqueror gave the manor of Winkleigh to his wife Matilda. At the time of the Domesday… Continue reading A History of Winkleigh
A History of Wisbech
By Tim Lambert Medieval Wisbech The town of Wisbech began as a village. Its name may mean the bank (bec) by the marshy meadow (Wisc). By the time of the Domesday Book (1086), Wisbech was a large village. It probably had a population of about 350. By the standards of the time, Wisbech was quite… Continue reading A History of Wisbech
A History of Wolverhampton
By Tim Lambert Early Wolverhampton The story of Wolverhampton begins in 985 when a Saxon lady named Wulfruna was given land at Heanton. In 994 she founded a minster church (a church with a monastery attached). The settlement by the monastery grew larger and in time its name changed to Wulfruna’s Heanton and later to… Continue reading A History of Wolverhampton