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About Witney
From Witney Website - Maintained by the people of Witney
Contents |
[edit] The Witney Crest
The white and blue wavy band on a green background represents the surrounding countryside and the River Windrush on which the town stands.
For centuries Witney has been associated with blankets and in 1711 the weavers obtained a charter from Queen Anne incorporating them as a Company and Blanket Hall was built in the High Street. Here all blankets had to be taken for measuring and weighing, thus ensuring that the very high quality of the blankets was maintained.
The two leopard's faces holding shuttles are from the Blanket Makers arms, which appears beneath the one-handed clock on Blanket Hall.
The glove represents the gloving industry, for which the town is also famous. At the base is the Buttercross that stands in the heart of Witney, it is said to be the base of an ancient preaching cross - of uncertain age.
The Paschal lamb was used as a device before the arms were granted and the mount on which it stands can be seen as referring to the site (know as the Mount), where the Bishops of Winchester built a palace some time between 1047 and 1070.
[edit] Witney History
For information on Witney History, see Witney History
[edit] Witney Politics
The MP for Witney is Conservative Party Leader David Cameron
[edit] Envorins
Towns and villages in the Witney area include (in alphabetical order) Bampton, Bladon, Brize Norton, Burford, Carterton, Charlbury, Chipping Norton, Clanfield, Ducklington, Enstone, Leafield, Long Hanborough, Minster Lovell, New Yatt, North Leigh, Ramsden, Shipton-under-Wychwood, Standlake, Stanton Harcourt and Woodstock.
Pages for each of these coming soon...
[edit] Twinning
Witney is twinned with Unterhaching, Germany and Le Touquet, France.
[edit] Famous People
Famous people associated with Witney include:
David Cameron - Conservative Party Leader and Witney MP
Robert Llewellyn - (Red Dwarf actor) attended Henry Box School
Andrew Logan - English sculptor, performance artist, jewellery-maker, portraitist and painter was born in Witney in 1945 (although his website states he was born in Oxford so this needs to be confirmed).
Douglas Hurd - ex-Conservative MP for Witney
Alan Dapre - writer of Children's TV characters: Brum, Boohbah & Blips, lives in Witney
