View source for Barwick-in-Elmet

{{Short description|Village in West Yorkshire, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2015}}
{{Infobox UK place
| country                  = England
| coordinates              = {{coord|53.831152|-1.394488|display=inline,title}}
| label_position           = left
| official_name            = Barwick-in-Elmet
| pushpin_map              = United Kingdom Leeds
| population               =
| civil_parish             = [[Barwick in Elmet and Scholes]]
| metropolitan_borough     = [[City of Leeds]]
| metropolitan_county      = [[West Yorkshire]]
| region                   = Yorkshire and the Humber
| constituency_westminster = [[Wetherby and Easingwold (UK Parliament constituency)|Wetherby and Easingwold]]
| post_town                = LEEDS
| postcode_district        = LS15
| postcode_area            = LS
| dial_code                = 0113
| os_grid_reference        = SE399373
| static_image_name        = Barwick Maypole cross pubs 14 June 2017.jpg
| static_image_caption     = Barwick Maypole, village cross, The Gascoigne Arms and The Black Swan 
}}

'''Barwick-in-Elmet''' (pronounced ''Barrick-in-Elmet'') is a village in [[West Yorkshire]], {{convert|7|mi|km|0}} east of [[Leeds]] city centre. It is one of only three places in the area to be explicitly associated with the ancient Romano-British kingdom of [[Elmet]], the others being [[Scholes-in-Elmet]] and [[Sherburn-in-Elmet]].

The village is part of the [[civil parish]] of [[Barwick in Elmet and Scholes]] and sits in the [[Harewood (ward)|Harewood]] [[electoral ward|ward]] of [[Leeds City Council]].

==Etymology==
The name ''Barwick'' comes from the Old English words ''bere'' ('barley') and ''wīc'' ('settlement, specialised farm'), thus meaning 'a barley farm' or 'an outlying grange or part on an estate reserved for the lord's use, producing [[barley]]'. The name is first attested in the [[Domesday Book]] of 1086 as ''Bereuuith'' and ''Bereuuit''.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Hanks, Patrick|author2=Hodges, Flavia|author3=Mills, A. D.|author4=Room, Adrian|title=The Oxford Names Companion|date=2002|location=Oxford|publisher=the University Press|isbn=0198605617|page=937}}</ref><ref>''The Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names'', ed. by Victor Watts (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004), s.v. ''Barwick in Elmet''.</ref> The appellation 'in Elmet' serves to distinguish the settlement from the [[Barwick (disambiguation)|various others of the same name]]. The first attested appellation of this kind for Barwick-in-Elmet is in fact the Latin ''Berewyke juxta Abberford'' ('Barwick-by-Aberford') from 1301. The combination ''Berewyke in Elmet'' is first attested in 1329.<ref>Harry Parkin, ''Your City's Place-Names: Leeds'', English Place-Name Society City-Names Series, 3 (Nottingham: English Place-Names Society, 2017), p. 22.</ref>

==History==
[[File:Barwick Hall Tower Earthworks 14 June 2017.jpg|thumb|left|Hall Tower Hill.]]
Earthworks, including a mound and ditch, comprise part of a large [[British Iron Age|Iron Age]] fort centred on Wendel Hill,<ref name=Mee>{{cite book |last=Mee |first=Arthur |year=1941 |title=The King's England: Yorkshire West Riding|edition=1st|publisher=Hodder and Stoughton |page=47 }}</ref> near the village. The site was used later for a [[Norman dynasty|Norman]] [[motte-and-bailey castle]] and a [[Second World War]] observation post.<ref>{{PastScape | mnumber=52862 | mname= Barwick in Elmet hillfort and motte and bailey castle |accessdate=6 October 2016}}</ref> The land is currently owned by the Barwick and Scholes Parish Council for the benefit of the community.<ref>Ex-local MP [[Colin Burgon]] made it the subject of an Adjournment Debate in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] on 10 July 2007 and Minister of State for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, [[Margaret Hodge]], made a speech in reply. {{cite web|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmhansrd/cm070710/debtext/70710-0019.htm|title=Hansard|date=10 July 2007|pages=col.1421–1424|access-date=29 June 2008}}  {{cite web|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmhansrd/cm070710/debtext/70710-0020.htm|title=Hansard|date=10 July 2007|pages=col. 1424–1425|access-date=29 June 2008}}</ref>

An [[Ancient Britons|ancient British]] kingdom named [[Elmet]] (Welsh ''Elfed'') included the area. Some scholars {{who|date=January 2020}} believe that the capital of the kingdom was at or close to Barwick.

There is reference to an agricultural settlement in the [[Domesday Book]] of 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 of Barwick and Scholes was in the ownership of the Gascoigne family of Parlington and Lotherton.

In 1720, the first known school in Barwick in Elmet opened. Morwick Hall was built in the mid to late 18th century for Edward Gray, who was Lord Mayor of Leeds in 1749 and 1768.<ref>[https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101065993-morwick-hall-barwick-in-elmet-and-scholes#.XBSZd-m7LIU Morwick Hall: a Grade II Listed Building in Barwick in Elmet and Scholes, Leeds], accessed 15 December 2018</ref>

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, Leeds|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.

For much of its history, the village supported a mainly agricultural community. From the late 17th century until the early 20th century many residents were employed in the local mining industry in Garforth, Cross Gates and Whitkirk. Today, whilst still having a rural agricultural feel, the village supports many trades as well as housing for people who work in Leeds and York.

==Governance==
Barwick-in-Elmet comes under the [[civil parish]] of Barwick and Scholes. This comes under the governance of [[Leeds City Council]]. Barwick is part of the Leeds City Council ward of Harewood. Barwick lies within the [[parliamentary constituency]] of [[Wetherby and Easingwold (UK Parliament constituency)|Wetherby and Easingwold]] following the [[2023 review of Westminster constituencies]]. Prior to this, Barwick lay within the constituency of [[Elmet and Rothwell (UK Parliament constituency)|Elmet and Rothwell]]. Since May 2010, the constituency has been held by the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] MP, [[Alec Shelbrooke]].


==Maypole==
One of the most notable village landmarks is the wooden [[maypole]] {{convert|86|ft|m}} high that stands at the junction of Main Street and the Cross, this means that the maypole in Barwick is the second tallest in the UK. The {{Wikt-lang|en|triennial}} 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, the raising of the maypole ceremony and the maypole queen. Traditionally the maypole was lowered and raised manually using an intricate system of ropes and ladders.<ref>{{cite web|title=Raising and Lowering the Maypole|url=http://www.barwickinelmethistoricalsociety.com/0515.html|website=Barwick-In-Elmet Historical Society|access-date=7 December 2015|date=March 1987}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Leeds Cine Club |title=Leeds Movie Makers present the fall and rise of the barwick maypole (film no: 1485) |url=http://www.yorkshirefilmarchive.com/film/fall-and-rise-barwick-maypole-1978 |publisher=Yorkshire Film Archive |access-date=24 November 2016}}</ref> 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 halfway 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 festival takes place every 3 years, the most recent one being 29 May 2017.<ref name=Maypole2017>{{cite news|url=http://www.wetherbynews.co.uk/news/maypole-festival-fun-in-barwick-in-elmet-1-6643346 |work=Wetherby News|date=29 May 2017 |title=Maypole festival fun in Barwick-in-Elmet|access-date=15 June 2017}}</ref>  The date of the next rise was going to be 25 May 2020 but had to be postponed twice due to coronavirus and will now be taking place on 2 June 2022.<ref>{{cite web|title=Facebook|url=https://www.facebook.com/barwickmaypoletrust/photos/a.145352115534981/5034949226575221/?type=3&theater |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/125712854165574/5034949226575221 |archive-date=2022-02-26 |url-access=limited|access-date=9 August 2021|website=www.facebook.com}}{{cbignore}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=August 2021}}

Beside the maypole is what appears to be an old village cross, which is actually a memorial to the dead of the [[First World War]], carved in the old fashioned style.<ref name=Mee/>

==Amenities==
[[File:The New Inn, Barwick.jpg|thumb|right|New Inn]]
Barwick has three [[public house]]s, the ''New Inn'', the ''Black Swan'' and the ''Gascoigne Arms''. There are two general stores (the larger one with a [[post office]]); a [[fish and chip shop]]; an Italian takeaway; a bicycle store; a florist's, baker's, hair and beauty salon and a car mechanics. 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]].

==Places of worship==
[[File:All Saints' Church, Barwick-in-Elmet-geograph.org.uk-2582052.jpg|thumb|left|[[All Saints' Church, Barwick-in-Elmet|All Saints' Parish Church]]]]
[[File:Barwick Methodist Church 14 June 2017.jpg|thumb|right|Methodist Church]]
There are two small churches, one [[Church of England]] and one [[Methodist]]. 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.<ref>{{NHLE |num=1357161 |desc=Church of All Saints, Barwick |accessdate=24 March 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Note on the Parish Church etc|url=http://www.barwickinelmethistoricalsociety.com/kirk.html|work=Barwick Historical Society|access-date=24 March 2011}}</ref> The [[Unitarianism|Unitarian]] minister [[Newcome Cappe]] was married here on 19 February 1788 on his second marriage to [[Catherine Cappe]].<ref name=Cappe>{{cite book |last=Cappe |first=Catharine |date=1822 |title=Memoirs of the Life of the Late Mrs Catherine Cappe |url=https://archive.org/stream/memoirslifelate01cappgoog#page/n270/mode/2up |location=London |publisher=Longman, Hurst, Rees, Grace and Brown |page=246 }}</ref>

The [[Methodist Church of Great Britain|Methodist]] church is a 1900 [[Wesleyan Methodist Church (Great Britain)|Wesleyan]] chapel close to the maypole and a street called the Boyle. It replaced an earlier 1804 building on Chapel Lane, which became the Miners' Welfare Institute, and is now used for communal activities.<ref name=WI>{{cite book |last=South & West Yorkshire Federations of Women's Institutes |title=The South and West Yorkshire Village Book |year=1991 |location=Newbury |publisher=Countryside Books |page=28 |isbn=1-85306-1360 }}</ref>

==Local media==
The local newspaper is the ''[[Wetherby News]]'' whilst the regional newspaper is the ''[[Yorkshire Evening Post]]''. Local news and television programmes are provided by [[BBC Yorkshire]] and [[ITV Yorkshire]]. Television signals are received from the [[Emley Moor transmitting station|Emley Moor]] TV transmitter.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Emley_Moor|title=Emley Moor (Kirklees, England) Full Freeview transmitter|date=1 May 2004|website=UK Free TV|accessdate=6 January 2024}}</ref> Local radio stations [[BBC Radio Leeds]], [[Greatest Hits Radio West Yorkshire]], [[Hits Radio West Yorkshire]], [[Heart Yorkshire]], and [[Capital Yorkshire]]. There are cinemas nearby in [[Leeds]], [[Wetherby]] and [[Castleford]].

==Barwick in popular culture==
The theme tune to ''[[The Archers]]'' is called "[[Barwick Green]]". It was written by Yorkshire composer [[Arthur Wood (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".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.musicweb-international.com/garlands/wood.htm|title=A Yorkshire Musician – Arthur Wood (1875–1953)|last=Scowcroft|first=Philip L.|access-date=26 June 2008}}</ref>

Widge, the [[protagonist]] in ''[[The Shakespeare Stealer]]'', a 1998 young adult novel by [[Gary Blackwood (author)|Gary Blackwood]], is from Barwick-in-Elmet.

==Other Barwicks==
There are other villages in England called Barwick in [[Barwick, Norfolk|Norfolk]] and [[Barwick, Somerset|Somerset]], and a suburb of [[Stockton-on-Tees]] is called [[Ingleby Barwick]]. There is a town called Barwick in [[Barwick, Georgia|Georgia]] 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.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! 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%
|-
|}

==Location grid==
{{NSEW|[[Potterton, West Yorkshire|Potterton]]|[[Garforth]]|[[Aberford]]|[[Scholes, Leeds|Scholes]]|||||}}

==See also==
*[[Listed buildings in Barwick in Elmet and Scholes]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book| title=A Greater Wonder: a History of Methodism in Barwick | first=Arthur |last=Bantoft |isbn= 0-9520572-0-4 | publisher=Wendel Books | year=1992}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline|Barwick in Elmet|Barwick-in-Elmet}}
* [http://www.leeds.gov.uk/ Leeds City Council]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20180809214945/http://barwickandscholespc.org/ Barwick-in-Elmet and Scholes Parish Council]
* [http://www.barwickinelmethistoricalsociety.com/ Barwick-in-Elmet Historical Society]
* [https://www.barwick-in-elmetschool.com/]
* [http://www.barwickmaypole.co.uk/ Barwick-in-Elmet Maypole Trust]
* {{Genuki|county=WRY|Barwick in Elmet|Barwickinelmet|}}
* {{OpenDomesday|SE3937|barwick-in-elmet|Barwick &#91;in Elmet&#93;}}

{{Portalbar|Yorkshire|England|United Kingdom}}
{{West Yorkshire|state=collapsed}}
{{City of Leeds|state=collapsed}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Barwick in Elmet| ]]
[[Category:Villages in West Yorkshire]]
[[Category:City of Leeds]]
[[Category:Elmet]]