Barwick-in-Elmet
Encyclopedia
Barwick-in-Elmet is a village
7 miles (11 km) east of the centre of but still part of the City of Leeds
, West Yorkshire
, England
. It is one of only three places in the area to be explicitly associated with the ancient Celt
ic kingdom of Elmet
, the others being Scholes-in-Elmet and Sherburn-in-Elmet
. It is part of the civil parish
of Barwick in Elmet and Scholes
and lies in the LS15 postcode district. Barwick-in-Elmet is referred to locally as simply Barwick, with a silent 'w' pronounced "Bar-rick". In the Domesday Book
of 1086 the area was known as Berewit and Berewith.
. From a taxation survey, it is known that in 1379 there were 197 adults living in about 100 households.
For some time the Manor was in the ownership of the Gascoigne family. In the seventeenth century and there are records indicating that in the following century there were around 240 families living in the parish. In 1720 the first known school in Barwick in Elmet opened. By 1821 the parish had a population of 1,481.
The Cross Gates to Wetherby
railway line opened in 1874, with a station in nearby Scholes
, enabling residents to commute to Leeds city centre
. This service remained running until 1965, when the line closed under the Beeching Axe
.
Throughout the 20th century the village grew with many modern houses being built in and around the village by both private developers and the local corporations. During this period many of the older cottages in the village centre were converted into shops and other small business premises.
fort, and used later as the site of a Norman
castle and a World War II
observation post. The land is currently under multiple ownership, which causes problems for its conservation. Local MP Colin Burgon
made it the subject of an Adjournment Debate in the House of Commons on 10 July 2007, and Minister of State for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Margaret Hodge
, replied.
of Barwick and Scholes. This comes under the governance of Leeds City Council
, who currently have an assembly with 'no overall control' by any one political party. Barwick lies within the parliamentary constituency of Elmet and Rothwell
which since May 2010 has been held by the Conservative
MP, Alec Shelbrooke
.
(86 feet) that stands at the junction of Main Street and The Cross. The trienniel maypole festival (held on Spring Bank Holiday
) typically brings large crowds to the area. Every three years, the maypole is lowered, inspected, maintained and re-erected. The festival celebrations include a procession (involving floats decorated by local organisations), children's maypole dancing, morris dancing, a street craft market, and the raising of the maypole ceremony. Traditionally the maypole was lowered and raised manually using an intricate system of ropes and ladders. Although methods have changed in recent years, the maypole is still carried by hand from Hall Tower Hill to the heart of the village. During the raising ceremony, it is tradition for a local villager to climb half way up the pole to disconnect the guide ropes. The climber is then spurred on by a large crowd to climb all the way to the top of the pole, to spin 'the fox' weather vane
(a custom thought to bring good luck to the village). The last maypole festival took place on 30 May 2011, and the next festival is scheduled to take place on 26 May 2014.
, a fish and chip shop, Italian takeaway, Bicycle store, florists, bakers, hair and beauty salon and car mechanics. There are two small churches, one Church of England
and one Methodist. There are further amenities in nearby Garforth
, Cross Gates, Seacroft
and Wetherby
, all of which have supermarkets. There are nearby secondary schools in Pendas Fields
, Garforth
, Seacroft
, Boston Spa
and Wetherby
.
. The local BBC
radio station is BBC Radio Leeds
, whilst there are many other independent local radio stations in the area. There are cinemas nearby in Leeds
, Wetherby
and Castleford
.
is called "Barwick Green
". It was written by Yorkshire composer Arthur Wood
in 1924, as a "maypole dance
" in his suite My native heath. The other items in this suite are "Ilkley Tarn", "Bolton Abbey" and "Knaresborough Status".
Widge, the protagonist
in The Shakespeare Stealer
, a 1998 young adult novel by Gary Blackwood
, is from Barwick-in-Elmet.
and Somerset
, and a suburb of Stockton-on-Tees
is called Ingleby Barwick
. There is a town called Barwick in Georgia
in the USA.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
7 miles (11 km) east of the centre of but still part of the City of Leeds
City of Leeds
The City of Leeds is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, governed by Leeds City Council, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. The metropolitan district includes Leeds and the towns of Farsley, Garforth, Guiseley, Horsforth, Morley, Otley, Pudsey, Rothwell,...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is one of only three places in the area to be explicitly associated with the ancient Celt
Celt
The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....
ic kingdom of Elmet
Elmet
Elmet was an independent Brythonic kingdom covering a broad area of what later became the West Riding of Yorkshire during the Early Middle Ages, between approximately the 5th century and early 7th century. Although its precise boundaries are unclear, it appears to have been bordered by the River...
, the others being Scholes-in-Elmet and Sherburn-in-Elmet
Sherburn-in-Elmet
Sherburn-in-Elmet is a town and civil parish in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England, situated close to Selby. It is one of only three places in the area to be explicitly associated with the ancient Celtic kingdom of Elmet via featuring the kingdom's title in its name, the others being...
. It is part of the civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of Barwick in Elmet and Scholes
Barwick in Elmet and Scholes
Barwick in Elmet and Scholes is a civil parish in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 5,120. The parish includes Barwick-in-Elmet and Scholes, situated in the north-eastern part of the borough....
and lies in the LS15 postcode district. Barwick-in-Elmet is referred to locally as simply Barwick, with a silent 'w' pronounced "Bar-rick". In the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086 the area was known as Berewit and Berewith.
History
Barwick-in-Elmet dates back to between 200-600 BC. The earthworks at Wendel Hill and Hall Tower Hill are perhaps the oldest settlements in the area. There is reference to an agricultural settlement in the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
. From a taxation survey, it is known that in 1379 there were 197 adults living in about 100 households.
For some time the Manor was in the ownership of the Gascoigne family. In the seventeenth century and there are records indicating that in the following century there were around 240 families living in the parish. In 1720 the first known school in Barwick in Elmet opened. By 1821 the parish had a population of 1,481.
The Cross Gates to Wetherby
Wetherby
Wetherby is a market town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Wharfe, and has been for centuries a crossing place and staging post on the Great North Road, being mid-way between London and Edinburgh...
railway line opened in 1874, with a station in nearby Scholes
Scholes, Leeds
Scholes is a village between Leeds and Barwick-in-Elmet, West Yorkshire, England. It is part of the civil parish of Barwick in Elmet and Scholes in the City of Leeds. It is sometimes known as Scholes-in-Elmet to distinguish it from the Scholes, Holme Valley and Scholes, Cleckheaton in Kirklees,...
, enabling residents to commute to Leeds city centre
Leeds City Centre
Leeds city centre is the central business district of Leeds, England. It is within the Leeds Central parliamentary constituency, represented by Hilary Benn as MP since a by-election in 1999...
. This service remained running until 1965, when the line closed under the Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
.
Throughout the 20th century the village grew with many modern houses being built in and around the village by both private developers and the local corporations. During this period many of the older cottages in the village centre were converted into shops and other small business premises.
Barwick iron age fort
The village includes earthworks created as an Iron AgeIron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
fort, and used later as the site of a Norman
Norman dynasty
Norman dynasty is the usual designation for the family that were the Dukes of Normandy and the English monarchs which immediately followed the Norman conquest and lasted until the Plantagenet dynasty came to power in 1154. It included Rollo and his descendants, and from William the Conqueror and...
castle and a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
observation post. The land is currently under multiple ownership, which causes problems for its conservation. Local MP Colin Burgon
Colin Burgon
Colin Burgon is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Elmet from 1997 until he stood down at the 2010 general election.-Early life:...
made it the subject of an Adjournment Debate in the House of Commons on 10 July 2007, and Minister of State for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Margaret Hodge
Margaret Hodge
Margaret Hodge MBE MP, also known as Lady Hodge by virtue of her husband's knighthood, is a British Labour politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Barking since 1994. She was the first Minister for Children in 2003 and was Minister of State for Culture and Tourism at the Department...
, replied.
Governance
Barwick-in-Elmet comes under the civil parishCivil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of Barwick and Scholes. This comes under the governance of Leeds City Council
Leeds City Council
Leeds City Council is the local authority for the City of Leeds metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England.-History:The city council was established in 1974, with the first elections being held in advance in 1973...
, who currently have an assembly with 'no overall control' by any one political party. Barwick lies within the parliamentary constituency of Elmet and Rothwell
Elmet and Rothwell (UK Parliament constituency)
Elmet and Rothwell is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
which since May 2010 has been held by the Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
MP, Alec Shelbrooke
Alec Shelbrooke
Alec Edward Shelbrooke is a British Conservative Party politician, who was elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament for Elmet and Rothwell, a new constituency created as a result of changes made by the Boundary Commission for England...
.
Maypole
One of the most notable village landmarks is the wooden maypoleMaypole
A maypole is a tall wooden pole erected as a part of various European folk festivals, particularly on May Day, or Pentecost although in some countries it is instead erected at Midsummer...
(86 feet) that stands at the junction of Main Street and The Cross. The trienniel maypole festival (held on Spring Bank Holiday
Bank Holiday
A bank holiday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom or a colloquialism for public holiday in Ireland. There is no automatic right to time off on these days, although the majority of the population is granted time off work or extra pay for working on these days, depending on their contract...
) typically brings large crowds to the area. Every three years, the maypole is lowered, inspected, maintained and re-erected. The festival celebrations include a procession (involving floats decorated by local organisations), children's maypole dancing, morris dancing, a street craft market, and the raising of the maypole ceremony. Traditionally the maypole was lowered and raised manually using an intricate system of ropes and ladders. Although methods have changed in recent years, the maypole is still carried by hand from Hall Tower Hill to the heart of the village. During the raising ceremony, it is tradition for a local villager to climb half way up the pole to disconnect the guide ropes. The climber is then spurred on by a large crowd to climb all the way to the top of the pole, to spin 'the fox' weather vane
Weather vane
A weather vane is an instrument for showing the direction of the wind. They are typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building....
(a custom thought to bring good luck to the village). The last maypole festival took place on 30 May 2011, and the next festival is scheduled to take place on 26 May 2014.
Amenities
Barwick has three public houses, The New Inn, The Black Swan and The Gascoigne Arms. There are two general stores, the larger one with a post officePost office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, a fish and chip shop, Italian takeaway, Bicycle store, florists, bakers, hair and beauty salon and car mechanics. There are two small churches, one Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
and one Methodist. There are further amenities in nearby Garforth
Garforth
Garforth is a town within the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, in West Yorkshire, England. The 2001 Census lists 23,892 residents in the Garforth and Swillington ward - 80.57% of which are homeowners, 20% more than the average for Leeds. Garforth itself has 15,394 of those people...
, Cross Gates, Seacroft
Seacroft
Seacroft is an outer-city suburb consisting mainly of council estate housing covering an extensive area of east Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is east of Leeds city centre and lies in the LS14 Leeds postcode area....
and Wetherby
Wetherby
Wetherby is a market town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Wharfe, and has been for centuries a crossing place and staging post on the Great North Road, being mid-way between London and Edinburgh...
, all of which have supermarkets. There are nearby secondary schools in Pendas Fields
Pendas Fields
Pendas Fields is a private, suburban housing estate in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is considered part of Cross Gates, as is Manston. Swarcliffe is close, and Cock Beck runs nearby....
, Garforth
Garforth
Garforth is a town within the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, in West Yorkshire, England. The 2001 Census lists 23,892 residents in the Garforth and Swillington ward - 80.57% of which are homeowners, 20% more than the average for Leeds. Garforth itself has 15,394 of those people...
, Seacroft
Seacroft
Seacroft is an outer-city suburb consisting mainly of council estate housing covering an extensive area of east Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is east of Leeds city centre and lies in the LS14 Leeds postcode area....
, Boston Spa
Boston Spa
Boston Spa is a village and civil parish in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England, south of Wetherby, on the banks of the River Wharfe...
and Wetherby
Wetherby
Wetherby is a market town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Wharfe, and has been for centuries a crossing place and staging post on the Great North Road, being mid-way between London and Edinburgh...
.
Places of worship
Barwick parish church is a grade II* listed building. It includes Anglo-Saxon and Norman stonework, with a 14th century chancel and various later additions and alterations.Local media
The local newspaper is the Wetherby News whilst the regional newspaper is the Yorkshire Evening PostYorkshire Evening Post
The Yorkshire Evening Post is a daily evening publication published by Yorkshire Post Newspapers Ltd in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
. The local BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
radio station is BBC Radio Leeds
BBC Radio Leeds
BBC Radio Leeds is the BBC Local Radio service for the English metropolitan county of West Yorkshire.- Frequencies :It broadcasts from its studios at St...
, whilst there are many other independent local radio stations in the area. There are cinemas nearby in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, Wetherby
Wetherby
Wetherby is a market town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Wharfe, and has been for centuries a crossing place and staging post on the Great North Road, being mid-way between London and Edinburgh...
and Castleford
Castleford
Castleford is the largest of the "five towns" district in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England. It is near Pontefract, and has a population of 37,525 according to the 2001 Census, but has seen a rise in recent years and is now around 45-50,000. To the north...
.
Barwick in popular culture
The theme tune to The ArchersThe Archers
The Archers is a long-running British soap opera broadcast on the BBC's main spoken-word channel, Radio 4. It was originally billed as "an everyday story of country folk", but is now described on its Radio 4 web site as "contemporary drama in a rural setting"...
is called "Barwick Green
Barwick Green
"Barwick Green" is the theme music to the long-running BBC Radio 4 soap opera The Archers. It is a "maypole dance" from the suite My Native Heath, written in 1924 by the Yorkshire composer Arthur Wood, and named after Barwick-in-Elmet....
". It was written by Yorkshire composer Arthur Wood
Arthur Wood (composer)
Arthur Wood was an English composer and conductor, particularly famous for "Barwick Green", the signature theme for the BBC Radio 4 series The Archers.-Life:...
in 1924, as a "maypole dance
Maypole dance
Maypole dancing is a form of folk dance from western Europe, especially England, Basque Country, Sweden, Galicia, Portugal and Germany,- History :...
" in his suite My native heath. The other items in this suite are "Ilkley Tarn", "Bolton Abbey" and "Knaresborough Status".
Widge, the protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
in The Shakespeare Stealer
The Shakespeare Stealer
The Shakespeare Stealer is a 1998 young adult novel, written by Gary Blackwood. The novel is a historical fiction novel, and takes place in Elizabethan England. It was an ALA Notable Children's Book in 1999.-Plot summary:...
, a 1998 young adult novel by Gary Blackwood
Gary Blackwood
Gary Blackwood, born on October 23, 1945 in Meadville, Pennsylvania, is an American author of popular books for young readers including The Shakespeare Stealer, Shakespeare's Scribe, and Shakespeare's Spy.-Works:...
, is from Barwick-in-Elmet.
Other Barwicks
There are other villages in England called Barwick in NorfolkBarwick, Norfolk
Barwick is a hamlet and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated adjacent to the slightly larger village of Stanhoe, some 30 km north-east of the town of King's Lynn and 60 km north-west of the city of Norwich....
and Somerset
Barwick, Somerset
Barwick is a village and parish in Somerset, England, situated south of Yeovil in the South Somerset district and on the border with Dorset. The parish, which includes the village of Stoford has a population of 1,289.-History:...
, and a suburb of Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in north east England. It is the major settlement in the unitary authority and borough of Stockton-on-Tees. For ceremonial purposes, the borough is split between County Durham and North Yorkshire as it also incorporates a number of smaller towns including...
is called Ingleby Barwick
Ingleby Barwick
Ingleby Barwick is a large private residential estate and civil parish built on what was the southern perimeter of Thornaby airfield in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees and ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. The estate is enclosed by water to the west, north and east...
. There is a town called Barwick in Georgia
Barwick, Georgia
Barwick is a town divided by the county line between Brooks County and Thomas County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Valdosta, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area.The population was 444 at the 2000 census – 328 of the town's 444 residents lived in Thomas County and 116 in...
in the USA.
Comparison
Barwick lies in the LS15 postcode area. Here is a population breakdown of the postcode area in comparison with the UK population.| Category | LS15 | UK average |
|---|---|---|
| Population density (people / sq mi) | 43.2 | 24.9 |
| Gender split (females / male) | 1.05 | 1.05 |
| Average commute | 6.1 miles | 8.73 miles |
| Average age | 38 | 39 |
| Home ownership | 16% | 16.9% |
| Student population | 2.4% | 4.4% |
| People in good health | 69% | 69% |