| Wibsey | |
|---|---|
 2004 Boundaries of Wibsey Ward[1] | |
| Population | 14,671 (ward.2011) |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| UK Parliament | |
| Councillors | |
Wibsey (population 14,530 –2001 UK census) is award within theCity of Bradford Metropolitan District Council,West Yorkshire, England.[2] The population had increased to 14,671 at the 2011 Census.[3] Wibsey is named after Wibsey village which makes up the main part of the ward. As well as the area of Wibsey, the ward includes the area of Bankfoot to the east and much of the area ofOdsal. It is located on a ridge which runs from the city centre, up toQueensbury, which has been described as one of the highest villages in England.[4]
Wibsey means "Wibba's island", from theOld English personal name Wibba (possessive -s) + ēg (island, marsh).[5] Local road-names, such as Harbour Road, support this meaning. An alternative derivation is thatwib is a corruption of Old Englishwith, meaning witheys orwillows. Wibsey would thus be "willow island".[6] The terrace of houses in Wibsey called Palm Close, wherepalm refers to willows rather than the more exoticpalm tree would seem to support this theory. Yet another theory has Wibsey as "land or hill of Wigbeort [personal name]".[6]
Under theDanelaw Wibsey was in thewapentake ofMorley. It became an independentmanor under theNormans when it was granted to thede Lacy family. The whole area had been laid waste during theHarrying of the North and it was up to fifty years before it recovered.[6]
Eventually the manor passed to the Danby family ofFarnley, Leeds and was then purchased by the Rookes family ofRoyds Hall, nearHuddersfield and subsumed into a wider estate that also included North Bierley.[7]
By the 19th century, the main development in Wibsey was centred on Holroyd Hill. Elsewhere, small farm cottages (some of which survive today) were the main residences. They formed a ring aroundWibsey Slack, an area ofmarshland,coal mines andslag heaps, whose existence is remembered today in local place names like Slackside and Slack Bottom Road. In fact, Wibsey remained an isolated, rural community until very late in its existence. It was not incorporated intoBradford until 1899.[8] As a result, themedieval system ofstrip farming was a feature of Wibsey's landscape until well into the 19th century, much longer than elsewhere inEngland. Wibsey's antiquity is still visible today, with certain houses dating back to the early 17th century.[9]
TheInclosure (Wibsey Slack and Low Moor Commons) Provisional Order Confirmation Act 1881 laid the way for the development of modern Wibsey. Wibsey Park, North Bierley Cemetery and Harold Park are all direct results of this act. Further development occurred in the 1920s and 1930s. Odsalcouncil estate dates from this period, as does the area around St. Paul's Avenue.
 | This section needs to beupdated. The reason given is: needs more recent election details. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(June 2022) |
Wibsey ward is represented onBradford Council by threeLabour councillors, Joanne Sharp, Ralph Berry and David Green.[10]
| Election | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Arthur Collins Redfearn (BNP) | Ralph David Ritchie Berry (Lab) | David Michael Adam Green (Lab) | |||
| 2006 | Lynne Eleanor Smith (Lab) | Ralph Berry (Lab) | David Green (Lab) | |||
| 2007 | Lynne Smith (Lab) | Ralph Berry (Lab) | David Green (Lab) | |||
| 2008 | Lynne Smith (Lab) | Ralph Berry (Lab) | David Green (Lab) | |||
| 2010 | Lynne Smith (Lab) | Ralph Berry (Lab) | David Green (Lab) | |||
| 2011 | Lynne Smith (Lab) | Ralph Berry (Lab) | David Green (Lab) | |||
| 2012 | Lynne Smith (Lab) | Ralph Berry (Lab) | David Green (Lab) | |||
| 2014 | Lynne Smith (Lab) | Ralph Berry (Lab) | David Green (Lab) | |||
| 2015 | Lynne Smith (Lab) | Ralph Berry (Lab) | David Green (Lab) | |||
| 2016 | Lynne Smith (Lab) | Ralph Berry (Lab) | David Green (Lab) | |||
| By-election 14 July 2017 | Joanne Lisa Sharp (Lab)[11][12] | Ralph Berry (Lab) | David Green (Lab) | |||
indicates seat up for re-election. indicates a by-election.
Wibsey was an important market village and hosts its own horse fair every year on 5 October. Fair Road has a funfair site, which has been established for many generations.
The origins of Wibsey Fair are uncertain. Some believe the monks ofKirkstall Abbey began the fair in the 12th or 13th century to provide an income, although the first documentary evidence comes with a reference in a dispute between former Lords, William Rookes and John de Lacy, to the "Revey Cross, sett up and standing at Revey Nabbe" where a fair was held.[13] This would place the fairground near modern-day Buttershaw estate, where roads entitled "Reevy" exist today. By the mid 19th century the fairground was at or near its present site, hence the local road name Fair Road.[13]
Wibsey is also notable for the number ofpubs in a small village. The WibseyWorking Men's Club (founded 1905) featured on theBBC's White series, in a film examining the decline of the working men's club, and Britishworking class society in general.[14]
Wibsey Library often holds weekly events that support the community, with it being open 6 out of the 7 days of the week.[15]
The village of Queensbury is one of the highest and largest in England
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53°46′2″N1°46′22″W / 53.76722°N 1.77278°W /53.76722; -1.77278
