Wich Town

Wich Town

In Anglo-Saxon England the "-wich towns" designated by the suffix -wic identified coastal trading settlements, equivalents of emporia, provisioned from outside the protected community and characterised by extensive artisanal activity and imports, which have left material traces in excavations. The Anglo-Saxon wic signifies a dwelling place or fortified place. The wic form appears to give two endings, wich and wick (for example Papplewick in Nottinghamshire). Four are known through archaeological excavation, two on waterfront sites outside London (see Lundenwic) and York (see Jorvik) the others at Hamwic (Southampton), occupied from the end of the seventh century to the mid-ninth century, and Ipswich. By the mid-ninth century there is a hiatus in seaport occupation at many sites, in consequence of Viking depredations.

Wich and wych are names also used to denote brine springs or wells. By the eleventh century use of the 'wich' suffix was extended to town placenames associated with salt production; at least nine English towns/cities carry the suffix, although only five are commonly connected to salt, Droitwich in Worcestershire and the four Cheshire 'wiches' of Middlewich, Nantwich, Northwich and Leftwich.