What's in a name?

The village of Wicken, in Northamptonshire, was created in 1587 by the joining of two separate villages, each with their own church built 'not a flight shot asunder'. Until this time, the villages were known independently as Wick Hamon and Wick Dive.

Wick Dive took the latter part of its name from William de Dive, who came to hold the manor in 1242, while Wick Hamon derives from the de Hamon family, who held the estate in the 12th century.

The placename elements 'wick' or 'wich' – or other variations, such as 'week' or 'wyke' – can carry a number of different meanings. On the coast, particularly in the north, 'wick' is most often derived from the Norse 'vik' and means 'bay' or 'inlet'. But it also has a Saxon origin, with a range of meanings, including port (such as Ipswich or Norwich) or farm (such as Gatwick, meaning goat farm; Shapwick, sheep farm; Chiswick, cheese farm; Oxwick, Butterwick, Cowick and so on).

In many cases, 'wick' is derived from the Roman 'vicus', or settlement – often associated with an adjacent Roman garrison, farm or centre of industry. This is thought to be the case with Wicken, where the two villages developed close to the site of a former Roman villa.

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