Woolpit
Woolpit is a village in Suffolk , England . It lies between Bury St. Edmunds and Stowmarket and has about 2000 inhabitants.
history
The place is first mentioned in a document around 1005 AD as Wlfpeta , later, from around 1130, as Vulfputes ( Latin for "wolf pit"). According to one theory, W (u) lfpeta is a modified form of the word Ulfketel (with the same meaning). The place name should probably honor the Anglo-Saxon Ealdorman Ulfketel (actually Ulfkell Snillingr ; around 980 AD). He resided in Thetford and had several farms built near what is now Woolpit, probably to indulge in wolf hunting. It is more likely, however, that the place name comes from the Old English words Wlfpeta and Wulf pytt , which also mean "wolf pit".
During the Middle Ages , Woolpit was a popular place of pilgrimage . The aim of the pilgrimages was the shrine Our Lady of Woolpit ( Eng. Our Lady of Woolpit ), which was kept in the local St. Mary Church. With the dissolution of the English monasteries around 1540, the pilgrimages ended and Woolpit had to strive for independent income. A brick factory was founded around 1574 and high quality masonry bricks were burned.
Today Woolpit is best known for the medieval saga of the green children of Woolpit , which also attracts tourists.
literature
- Laurence Mitchell: Slow Norfolk and Suffolk . Bradt Travel Guides, Chalfont St. Peter 2010, ISBN 1841623210 , pages 213–215.
Web links
- The community Woolpit Homepage (English)
Coordinates: 52 ° 13 ' N , 0 ° 53' E