Thursday 14 June 2012

Ivegate in Colne


Ivegate is now a small lane leading along one side of St Bartholemew's churchyard. Nowadays it runs roughly north and becomes Argyle Street at some indeterminate point...the older maps show that it led towards the 'church well', downhill from the churchyard (lovely).

Why's this of any importance? - it's in the name, Ive-gate. 'Gate' we're well used to in northern England, a good old Viking linguistic heirloom meaning a lane or street. But 'Ive'?

So, go to Bing maps and search for Ivegate - you'll find that there are four. Colne, Foulridge (very nearby), Bradford and Leeds. It seems locally significant to this Lancashire - Yorkshire upland. One antiquarian writer was convinced of the reason for this:



“Ivegate was possibly called from a small chapel dedicated to the famous Saxon Saint Hiev, to whose immortal memory many such chapels or cells were erected in various places and parts of England bearing her august name”
Harry Speight, from Airedale through Goole to Malham, early 20th century

Saint who? 
St Hieu or Hiev, a 7th century abbess at Tadcaster….. or St Ive (as in St) Ives … or the 4th century Irish ‘Ia’…or Greek slave ‘Ia’....all are contenders for the name Ive where it occurs across the UK.

It seems from this name that Colne was one of several locations where a pre-Norman English saint was venerated....and this supports a hypothesis that Colne had a focus for Christian religious practice before the building of the Norman church. 


And probably some kind of village or settlement to go with it.

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