Wetherby

Wetherby is an historic market town in the county of West Yorkshire, England. It is part of the Metropolitan Borough of Leeds. It stands on the River Wharfe, and has been for centuries a crossing place and staging post on the Great North Road between London, the Midlands, Sheffield, Leeds, the NE of England and Edinburgh. It is listed in the Domesday Book and the Knights Templar were granted a Royal Charter in 1240 to hold markets in the town square.

The village of Boston Spa lies to the south-east; other villages nearby are Collingham, Sicklinghall and Kirkby Overblow.

Wetherby stands 198 miles equidistant from London to Edinburgh. As a result of its situation on the main road, many inns were established here, still used today by travellers, many of them tourists on their way to the Yorkshire Dales and Harrogate.

Wetherby is known for its racecourse. Opposite the racecourse is Wetherby Young Offender Institution.

The town's railway station (now closed) was a junction on the line between Harrogate and Church Fenton which gave access to Leeds.

Wetherby gave its name to Wetherby Place in London and thence to Wetherby School in London, which used to be located in Wetherby Place.

1 History of Wetherby
2 Origins of the name "Wetherby"
3 Interesting local facts about Wetherby
4 External links
5 News items

[edit] History of Wetherby

Archaeological evidence suggests that the area was inhabited from at least Neolithic times. Bronze age finds have also been recorded in villages around Wetherby.

In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries the Knights Templar and later the Knights Hospitallers were granted land and properties in Yorkshire. The local Preceptory founded in 1217 was at Ribston Park. In 1240 the Knights Templar were granted by Royal Charter of Henry III the right to hold a market in Wetherby (known then as Werreby). The Charter stated the market should be held on a Thursday and a yearly fair was permitted lasting three days over the 'day' of St James the Apostle.

From 1318 to 1319 the North of England suffered many raids from the Scots. After the Battle of Bannockburn. Wetherby was burned and many people taken and killed. It is said that Scott Lane is so named because it ran with blood.

Wetherby had a small part to play in the Civil War in 1644. Before marching to Tadcaster and then to Marston Moor, the Parliamentarians spent two days in Wetherby while joining forces with the Scots.

Oliver Cromwell probably spent the night after the battle of Marston Moor at the original 'Half Moon Inn' at Collingham - 3 miles from Wetherby. The present building dates from 1900.

The Fairfax family had their ancestral home at Walton for centuries, Peter Fairfax having come to England with William I.

In the heyday of the coaching era, Wetherby had up to forty inns and alehouses. The first recorded mail coach arrived in Wetherby in 1786.

The 'Grand Old Duke of York' was the 2nd son of George III who in 1789 left his home at Allerton Maulever near Wetherby, to be with his troops in the south of England.

In 1824, the sixth Duke of Devonshire sold the town of Wetherby (except one house) to finance work at Chatsworth in 1824.

For many years, the town's bypass started from at a roundabout near a Forte Posthouse hotel, which had lengthy queues. The roundabout still remains, but the A1 was diverted in July 1988 at a cost of £11.5m. On December 18th 2004, the northern section of the bypass was substantially diverted to a new section of the A1(M), bypassing Kirk Deighton, after construction work had begun in August 2003. The section to the south of the town will be upgraded in the near future.

[edit] Origins of the name "Wetherby"

The Domesday Book mentions "Wedrebi" which means "wether-" or "ram-farm". Another meaning is settlement on the bend of a river. Local rumour has it that when heavy snow storms hit the country, Wetherby does not get as much because the 'Weather Goes By', however, this is not to be relied upon.

[edit] Interesting local facts about Wetherby

Local heroes of Wetherby are Flight Lieutenant 'Ginger' Lacey, a Battle of Britain flying ace, born in Wetherby. Lacey Grove is named after him.

Hayton Drive is named after schoolboy David John Hayton, who drowned in the River Wharfe while trying to save a friend.

Many Wetherby men served with either the 5th or 9th West Yorkshire Regiments, who had great losses at Flanders. A war memorial designed by E. F. Roslyn was dedicated on April 22nd 1922.

In 1918 the locals of Wetherby, contributed greatly to support the crew of the minesweeper Wetherby despite hardship and shortages caused by the war.

During the War, Tockwith airfield was renamed 'Marston Moor Airfield' to avoid confusion with Topcliffe Airfield. Part of the airfield is now used as a driver training centre and the old control tower is used as the offices. Parts of the runways can still be seen.

Heart-throb of the American silver screen, Clark Gable was stationed during the war at Marston Moor Airfield. USAAF Captain Gable was a member of the ground staff. Group Captain Leonard Cheshire was also stationed at Marston Moor for a short while before leaving to become Commander of the famous 617 Dam Buster squadron.

Wetherby also had the only landship north of London, based on Hallfield Lane (It later become the local high school), named in turn; HMS Cabot, Demetrius, Rodney and Ceres. The base was closed in 1958 and transferred to Chatham.

The Forensic Science Service have a base in Wetherby on Sandbeck Way.

[edit] News items

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Categories: Leeds environs | Towns in West Yorkshire | English market towns

Wetherby

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[edit] History of Wetherby

[edit] Origins of the name "Wetherby"

[edit] Interesting local facts about Wetherby

[edit] External links

[edit] News items

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