Wibtoft
Encyclopedia
Wibtoft is a small village
and civil parish in the Rugby borough
of Warwickshire
, England
. The village was originally within the civil parish of Claybrooke Magna
in Leicestershire
and, according to the 2001 census
, had a population of 50. It is mostly an agricultural
community.
The village is next to the A5 road (Watling Street
), which here defines the border between Warwickshire and Leicestershire
.
Wibtoft is about 10 miles (16 km) north of Rugby
; about half a mile north of Wibtoft is High Cross
(Veronae), the point at which the old Roman road
s of Watling Street and Fosse Way
cross.
Due to its location in a sheltered valley just south of High Cross, and local finds of Roman coins and stonework, some historians have speculated that it sits upon the site of a Roman settlement, but there has been no archaeological excavation to confirm this.
Due to its small size Wibtoft has no shops or pubs, but it does have a small church.
The name of the village has its origins in the Old Norse
word vibbatoft, meaning "Vibbi's homestead" .
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...
and civil parish in the Rugby borough
Rugby (borough)
Rugby is a local government district with borough status in eastern Warwickshire, England.The borough comprises the town of Rugby where the council has its headquarters, and the rural areas surrounding the town....
of Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, 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...
. The village was originally within the civil parish of Claybrooke Magna
Claybrooke Magna
Claybrooke Magna is a village in South West Leicestershire, England, close to the A5 trunk road.-External links:*...
in Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
and, according to the 2001 census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
, had a population of 50. It is mostly an agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
community.
The village is next to the A5 road (Watling Street
Watling Street
Watling Street is the name given to an ancient trackway in England and Wales that was first used by the Britons mainly between the modern cities of Canterbury and St Albans. The Romans later paved the route, part of which is identified on the Antonine Itinerary as Iter III: "Item a Londinio ad...
), which here defines the border between Warwickshire and Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
.
Wibtoft is about 10 miles (16 km) north of Rugby
Rugby, Warwickshire
Rugby is a market town in Warwickshire, England, located on the River Avon. The town has a population of 61,988 making it the second largest town in the county...
; about half a mile north of Wibtoft is High Cross
High Cross, Leicestershire
High Cross is the name given to the former crossroads of the Roman roads of Watling Street and Fosse Way in Leicestershire, England. It is located about a mile west of the village of Claybrooke Magna and was located in the hundred of Guthlaxton...
(Veronae), the point at which the old Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
s of Watling Street and Fosse Way
Fosse Way
The Fosse Way was a Roman road in England that linked Exeter in South West England to Lincoln in Lincolnshire, via Ilchester , Bath , Cirencester and Leicester .It joined Akeman Street and Ermin Way at Cirencester, crossed Watling Street at Venonis south...
cross.
Due to its location in a sheltered valley just south of High Cross, and local finds of Roman coins and stonework, some historians have speculated that it sits upon the site of a Roman settlement, but there has been no archaeological excavation to confirm this.
Due to its small size Wibtoft has no shops or pubs, but it does have a small church.
The name of the village has its origins in the Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
word vibbatoft, meaning "Vibbi's homestead" .