Coordinates: 54°00′58″N 1°04′30″W / 54.016°N 1.075°W / 54.016; -1.075

Haxby
Haxby centre
Haxby  Haxby shown within North Yorkshire
Population	8,754
OS grid reference	SE607582
Civil parish	Haxby
Unitary authority	City of York
Ceremonial county	North Yorkshire
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	YORK
Postcode district	YO32
Dialling code	01904
Police	North Yorkshire
Fire	North Yorkshire
Ambulance	Yorkshire
EU Parliament	Yorkshire and the Humber
UK Parliament	York Outer
List of places: UK • England • Yorkshire

Haxby is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of City of York, on the River Foss, five miles (8 km) north of York and south of Strensall, in North Yorkshire, England. Haxby is bordered on the east by the River Foss, and to the west by the village of Wigginton, whose expansion has caused the two settlements to form a continuous urban environment. To the south is the garden village of New Earswick and the York Outer Ring Road (A1237) with the open farmland to the north as far as the villages of Sutton-on-the-Forest and Strensall.

According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 8,754. Before 1996 it was part of the Ryedale district. The centre of the town was made a Conservation Area by the local authority in 1976.^[1]

"Haxby" is a Norse place-name and translates as "Farmstead or village of a man called Hákr". It is formed from a Norse personal name and the Old Scandinavian word bý, meaning "farmstead, village or settlement". Haxby was recorded as Haxebi in the Domesday Book of 1086. The town is primarily a dormitory for commuters to nearby towns and cities, though local service industries provide employment opportunities proportionate to the size of its population.^[2]

History[link]

A settlement on the site of the modern town named by the Vikings as Haxebi was established around the 9th century. The Norse word "BY" meant a township or farm and was usually appended to the name of the holder of the lands, in this case a man called Hakr. A Grade III listed Viking cross base in the churchyard of St Mary's Church, and the discovery of a Viking cross shaft in a nearby garden in 1978 support this date. There is evidence of Roman occupation with the 1966 discovery of a site of a Roman villa on Haxby Moor. Roman pottery was found in 2003 on Station Road along with a silver Roman signet ring.^[3]

In the Middle Ages, because the village was in the Royal Forest of Galtres, its inhabitants were subject to forest law and took part in the occasional courts that devised and enforced it. Charles I divested himself of the forest in 1629 and the village acquired the land to increase its size, resulting in the parish of some 2,100 acres (8.5 km²) of today. Haxby was not a separate parish. Initially it was divided between the parishes of Strensall and Driffield. Once St Mary's Church was built in the 16th century it became a chapelry to the parish of Strensall and in 1862 became a parish in its own right.^[4]

Governance[link]

Haxby was in the Vale of York parliamentary constituency until the 2010 general election when it was transferred to the newly created constituency of York Outer. In that election the Conservative Party candidate, Julian Sturdy, was elected with 43% of the vote and a majority of 3,688 over the Liberal Democrat candidate.^[5]

The town lies within the Haxby and Wigginton Ward of the York Unitary Authority. As of 2010 it was represented by Councillors Paul Firth, Christopher Hogg and Richard Watson, all of whom are part of the local Liberal Democrat Party.^[6]

Haxby has its own Town Council, which is represented by 14 councillors from four wards.^[7]

Demographics[link]

The 1881 census records the population as 559.^[8] According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 8,754.

Geography[link]

The town sits on flat ground consisting mostly of clay with soil that is sand and alluvium, near the old Forest of Galtres. To the north is a small tributary of the River Foss called Golland Dike, and to the east is the River Foss which flows southward.^[9] The nearby village of Wigginton now merges with Haxby though the old Parish Boundary map still shows the dividing line. This runs east to west along the back of the houses on Wheatfield Drive on its southern edge as far as Barley Drive. Here it turns northward cutting across Greenshaw Drive until it reaches the road known The Village. The boundary follows this road until it turns west. The boundary at this point continues northward cutting across Windsor Drive near Ripley Grove and then out into the countryside.

Transport[link]

As of 2010 First transport group operate two bus services in the town as part of the Chapelfields to Wigginton and the Acomb Park to Haxby routes.^[10] Transdev operate the Askham Bar to Monks Cross bus services which stops in the town.^[11]

Between 1845 and 1930, Haxby was served by a railway station on the York to Scarborough Line.^[12] A new station is due to be built and operational by 2013, but the plans were put on hold in June 2010 until the amount of public money necessary for the works can be clarified.^[13]

Education[link]

Primary School education is provided at Headlands Primary School in Oak Tree Lane^[14] and Ralph Butterfield School in Station road.^[15]

As of 2010 the town is within the catchment area of Joseph Rowntree Secondary School.^[16]

Sports[link]

Haxby United Football Club play at the Ethel Ward Playing Fields. As of 2010, the 1st XI play in the York League Premier Division, having won the League title in the 2009/10 season.^[17] The 2nd XI play in the Reserve Division A.

As of 2010 Haxby Netball Club play in the York and District Netball League, fielding two sides in Division One, two in Division Two, one in Division Three and one in Division Four.^[18]

Religion[link]

St Mary's Church was rebuilt in 1878 on the site of the former 16th century building with Parish Registers dating back to 1678 and is located on the road known as The Village near the centre of the town.^[19] In the 19th century there was both a Wesleyan Methodist Chapel and a Primitive Methodist Chapel. As of 2010 only the Weslyian Chapel remains as home to Haxby & Wigginton Methodist Church on the road known as The Village opposite Sandy Lane.^[20][21]

St Margaret Clitherow is a Roman Catholic church located in Holly Tree Lane.^[22]

See also[link]

• Haxby Hall

Sources[link]

• Tom Smith, A History of Haxby (Revised and Expanded), ISBN 1-85072-298-6 [1].

References[link]