Wooler
Encyclopedia
Wooler is a small town
in Northumberland
, England
. It lies on the edge of the Northumberland National Park
, by the Cheviot Hills
and so is a popular base for walkers
and is referred to as the "Gateway to the Cheviots". As well as many shops and pubs, the town boasts a youth hostel, many hotels and campsites.
The main A697
runs by the town linking Morpeth
to Coldstream
on the Scottish Border
. Wooler contains two schools; Wooler First School and Glendale Middle School. Noel Hodgson, the author of Below Flodden and Dancing Over Cheviot, two Northumbrian poem books, lived and taught at Glendale Middle School.
Close by is Yeavering Bell
crowned by a large iron-age fort, a stronghold of the Votadini
.
, probably because when the Book was written in 1086, northern Northumbria
was not fully under Norman control. However, by 1107, at the time of the creation of the 1st Baron of Wooler, the settlement was described as "situated in an ill-cultivated country under the influence of vast mountains, from whence it is subject to impetuous rains". Wooler subsequently enjoyed a period of prosperity and with its expansion it was granted a licence in 1199 to hold a market every Thursday. The Saint Mary Magdalene hospital was established around 1288.
Wooler is close to Humbleton Hill the site of a severe Scottish defeat at the hands of Harry Hotspur in 1402. This battle is referred to at the beginning of Shakespeare's play Henry IV, Part 1
– of which Hotspur is the dashing hero.
Wooler also used to have a Drill Hall that used to be the local "Picture House" that children were evacuated to in World War Two. There also used to be a fountain situated at the top of Church Street in the town.
Alexander Dalziel of Wooler (1781–1832) was the father of the celebrated Dalziel Brothers
. Seven of his eight sons became artists, and as engravers in London there was no one to touch them. Their sister Margaret was also an engraver.
Between 1887 and 1965 the town was served by Wooler railway station
on the Alnwick to Cornhill Branch
.
, hill). A record of the name as Welnfver in 1186 seems to suggest this origin. The well or spring referred to is the River Till
). The Wooler Water, (part of which is also known as `Happy Valley'), is a tributary of the River Till and is formed by a confluence of the Harthope and Carey Burns which rise in the Cheviot Hills, to the south of Wooler.
The other origin may be "Wulfa's hillside", from the Old English personal name Wulfa "wolf" and őra "hillside, slope", although this word in place-names usually means "river mouth, shore". A record of the name as Wulloir in 1232 may suggest this origin.
It is not certain which is the 'proper' origin.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, 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 lies on the edge of the Northumberland National Park
Northumberland National Park
Northumberland National Park is the northernmost national park in England. It covers an area of more than 1030 km² between the Scottish Border in the north to just south of Hadrian's Wall. It is one of the least populated and least visited of the National Parks...
, by the Cheviot Hills
Cheviot Hills
The Cheviot Hills is a range of rolling hills straddling the England–Scotland border between Northumberland and the Scottish Borders.There is a broad split between the northern and the southern Cheviots...
and so is a popular base for walkers
Walking
Walking is one of the main gaits of locomotion among legged animals, and is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an 'inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults over the stiff limb or limbs with each step...
and is referred to as the "Gateway to the Cheviots". As well as many shops and pubs, the town boasts a youth hostel, many hotels and campsites.
The main A697
A697 road
The A697 is a road that can be used an alternative to the A1 for those travelling between Scotland and England via the North East.It connects Morpeth on the A1 to the A68 at Oxton, near Edinburgh...
runs by the town linking Morpeth
Morpeth, Northumberland
Morpeth is the county town of Northumberland, England. It is situated on the River Wansbeck which flows east through the town. The town is from the A1, which bypasses it. Since 1981, it has been the administrative centre of the County of Northumberland. In the 2001 census the town had a population...
to Coldstream
Coldstream
Coldstream is a small town in the Borders district of Scotland. It lies on the north bank of the River Tweed in Berwickshire, while Northumberland in England lies to the south bank, with Cornhill-on-Tweed the nearest village...
on the Scottish Border
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...
. Wooler contains two schools; Wooler First School and Glendale Middle School. Noel Hodgson, the author of Below Flodden and Dancing Over Cheviot, two Northumbrian poem books, lived and taught at Glendale Middle School.
Close by is Yeavering Bell
Yeavering Bell
The Yeavering Bell is a twin-peaked hill near the River Glen in Northumberland, England. The hill, 361 metres above sea level, is encircled by the wall of a late-prehistoric hillfort, a tribal centre of the Votadini called in Brythonic and Old Welsh Din Gefron, from which the name stems The...
crowned by a large iron-age fort, a stronghold of the Votadini
Votadini
The Votadini were a people of the Iron Age in Great Britain, and their territory was briefly part of the Roman province Britannia...
.
History
Wooler was not recorded 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...
, probably because when the Book was written in 1086, northern Northumbria
Northumbria
Northumbria was a medieval kingdom of the Angles, in what is now Northern England and South-East Scotland, becoming subsequently an earldom in a united Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England. The name reflects the approximate southern limit to the kingdom's territory, the Humber Estuary.Northumbria was...
was not fully under Norman control. However, by 1107, at the time of the creation of the 1st Baron of Wooler, the settlement was described as "situated in an ill-cultivated country under the influence of vast mountains, from whence it is subject to impetuous rains". Wooler subsequently enjoyed a period of prosperity and with its expansion it was granted a licence in 1199 to hold a market every Thursday. The Saint Mary Magdalene hospital was established around 1288.
Wooler is close to Humbleton Hill the site of a severe Scottish defeat at the hands of Harry Hotspur in 1402. This battle is referred to at the beginning of Shakespeare's play Henry IV, Part 1
Henry IV, Part 1
Henry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. It is the second play in Shakespeare's tetralogy dealing with the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV , and Henry V...
– of which Hotspur is the dashing hero.
Wooler also used to have a Drill Hall that used to be the local "Picture House" that children were evacuated to in World War Two. There also used to be a fountain situated at the top of Church Street in the town.
Alexander Dalziel of Wooler (1781–1832) was the father of the celebrated Dalziel Brothers
Dalziel Brothers
The Brothers Dalziel were a highly productive firm of Victorian engravers founded in 1839 by George Dalziel and his brother Edward Dalziel . They were later joined by John Dalziel and Thomas Dalziel . All were sons of the artist, Alexander Dalziel of Wooler in Northumberland...
. Seven of his eight sons became artists, and as engravers in London there was no one to touch them. Their sister Margaret was also an engraver.
Between 1887 and 1965 the town was served by Wooler railway station
Wooler railway station
Wooler railway station was a stone built railway station serving the town of Wooler in Northumberland. It was on the Alnwick to Cornhill Branch which ran from Alnwick to Cornhill Junction on the Kelso line near Coldstream.-History:...
on the Alnwick to Cornhill Branch
Cornhill Branch
The Cornhill Branch was a single track branch railway line in Northumberland, England, that ran from on the terminus of the three mile long Alnmouth to Alnwick line via ten intermediate stations to a junction on the to line at Cornhill-on-Tweed.-History:...
.
Meaning of place-name
Wooler may be from Old English wella "well, spring" and ofer (ridgeRidge
A ridge is a geological feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for some distance. Ridges are usually termed hills or mountains as well, depending on size. There are several main types of ridges:...
, hill). A record of the name as Welnfver in 1186 seems to suggest this origin. The well or spring referred to is the River Till
River Till
The River Till in Northumberland is the only tributary of the River Tweed which flows wholly in England. . The upper part of the Till, which rises on Comb Fell, is known as the River Breamish...
). The Wooler Water, (part of which is also known as `Happy Valley'), is a tributary of the River Till and is formed by a confluence of the Harthope and Carey Burns which rise in the Cheviot Hills, to the south of Wooler.
The other origin may be "Wulfa's hillside", from the Old English personal name Wulfa "wolf" and őra "hillside, slope", although this word in place-names usually means "river mouth, shore". A record of the name as Wulloir in 1232 may suggest this origin.
It is not certain which is the 'proper' origin.
Notable people
- John AlexanderJohn Alexander (chief clerk)John Alexander was Chief Clerk to Bow Street Magistrates' Court, then called Bow Street Police Court , and simultaneously, as was then the custom, Editor of the Police Gazette in England from 1877 until his retirement in 1895.John Alexander was born in Wooler, Northumberland, son of country...
(1830–1916) was Chief Clerk to Bow Street Magistrates' CourtBow Street Magistrates' CourtBow Street Magistrates' Court was the most famous magistrates' court in England for much of its existence, and was located in various buildings on Bow Street in central London close to Covent Garden throughout its history.-History:...
from 1877 to 1895.
- Josephine ButlerJosephine ButlerJosephine Elizabeth Butler was a Victorian era British feminist who was especially concerned with the welfare of prostitutes...
(1828–1906) was a feminist campaigner who led the repeal of the Contagious Diseases Act was born in Milfield not far from Wooler, and retired to a house in Wooler in her final years.
- Grace DarlingGrace DarlingGrace Horsley Darling was an English Victorian heroine who in 1838, along with her father, saved 13 people from the wreck of the SS Forfarshire.-Biography:...
(1815–1842) was a shipwreck heroine who came to Wooler in the last stages of her fatal illness.