Haxby | |
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Haxby centre |
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Haxby shown within North Yorkshire | |
Population | 8,428 (2011) |
OS grid reference | SE607582 |
Civil parish |
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Unitary authority | |
Ceremonial county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | YORK |
Postcode district | YO32 |
Dialling code | 01904 |
Police | North Yorkshire |
Fire | North Yorkshire |
Ambulance | Yorkshire |
EU Parliament | Yorkshire and the Humber |
UK Parliament | |
Haxby is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of City of York, on the River Foss, five miles (8 km) north of York and south of Strensall, in North Yorkshire, England. Haxby is bordered on the east by the River Foss, and to the west by the village of Wigginton, whose expansion has caused the two settlements to form a continuous urban environment. To the south is the garden village of New Earswick and the York Outer Ring Road (A1237) with the open farmland to the north as far as the villages of Sutton-on-the-Forest and Strensall.
According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 8,754, reducing to 8,428 at the 2011 Census. Before 1996 it was part of the Ryedale district. The centre of the town was made a Conservation Area by the local council in 1976.
"Haxby" is a Norse place-name and translates as "Farmstead or village of a man called Hákr". It is formed from a Norse personal name and the Old Scandinavian word bý, meaning "farmstead, village or settlement". Haxby was recorded as Haxebi in the Domesday Book of 1086. The town is primarily a dormitory for commuters to nearby towns and cities, though local service industries provide employment opportunities.
A settlement on the site of the modern town named by the Vikings as Haxebi was established around the 9th century. The Norse word "BY" meant a township or farm and was usually appended to the name of the holder of the lands, in this case a man called Hakr. A Grade III listed Viking cross base in the churchyard of St Mary's Church, and the discovery of a Viking cross shaft in a nearby garden in 1978 support this date. There is evidence of Roman occupation with the 1966 discovery of a site of a Roman villa on Haxby Moor. Roman pottery was found in 2003 on Station Road along with a silver Roman signet ring.