Wantage
| Wantage | |
|---|---|
 Wantage Market Place and statue of King Alfred the Great |
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 Wantage
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| Wantage shown within Oxfordshire | |
| Population | 11,327 (2011 census) |
| OS grid reference | SU3987 |
| • London | 57 miles (92 km) |
| Civil parish |
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| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Wantage |
| Postcode district | OX12 |
| Dialling code | 01235 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Oxfordshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | Wantage.com Gateway to Wantage |
Wantage (/ˈwɒntɪdʒ/) is a market town and civil parish in the Vale of the White Horse, Oxfordshire, England. The town is on Letcombe Brook, about 8 miles (13 km) south-west of Abingdon, 10 miles (16 km) west of Didcot, 15 miles (24 km) south-west of Oxford and 14 miles (23 km) north north-west of Newbury.
Historically part of Berkshire, it is notable as the birthplace of King Alfred the Great in 849. In 1974 the area administered by Berkshire County Council was greatly reduced, and Wantage, in common with other territories South of the River Thames, became part of a considerably enlarged Oxfordshire.
Wantage was a small Roman settlement but the origin of the toponym is somewhat uncertain. It is generally thought to be from an Old English phrase meaning "decreasing river". King Alfred the Great was born at the royal palace there in the 9th century. Wantage appears in the Domesday Book of 1086. Its value was £61 and it was in the king's ownership until Richard I passed it to the Earl of Albemarle in 1190. Weekly trading rights were first granted to the town by Henry III in 1246 Markets are now held twice weekly on Wednesdays and Saturdays.Royalist troops were stationed in Wantage during the English Civil War.
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Wikipedia