Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate

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Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate, beginning
Location of Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate in the old town of York (red marking)
Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate
Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate, end

Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate is one of the shortest streets in the medieval center of the northern English city of York . It is between Colliergate and Fossgate and crosses The Pavement and The Stonebow . Down the street is the St Crux Parish Room in place of the medieval church that stood there until 1887.

It is unclear how the name Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate came about. According to a plaque attached to the alley, the name is derived from the phrase Whitnourwhatnourgate , which means “What a street!”. However, according to recent explanations, the name means "neither this nor that" and comes from Old English .

In the Middle Ages there were blocks at this point in which criminals were publicly locked up and a pillory where flogging also took place. This has led to the folk etymological interpretation (because of English to whip for whip ) that the street is named after the pillory, which may also be the reason for the modern spelling.

Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma inspired the book title of a novel by Martyn Clayton .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Pevsner, Nikolaus / Neave, David: Yorkshire: York and the East Riding . 2nd edition, 1995, p. 164
  2. http ://www. britia.com/tours/york/york42.html accessed April 9, 2013
  3. http://openplaques.org/plaques/9204, accessed April 9, 2013
  4. Inside York . Retrieved April 9, 2013.
  5. ^ Britannia Tours . Retrieved April 9, 2013.

Coordinates: 53 ° 57 ′ 32.7 "  N , 1 ° 4 ′ 46.4"  W.