Editing Wetherby (section)

== History ==
{{main|History of Wetherby}}
[[Historic counties of England|Historically]], Wetherby was a part of the [[Claro Wapentake]], as part of the parish of [[Spofforth, North Yorkshire|Spofforth]], within the [[West Riding of Yorkshire]].

In the 12th and 13th centuries, the [[Knights Templar]], and later the [[Knights Hospitallers]], were granted land and properties in [[Yorkshire]]. The local preceptory founded in 1217 was at Ribston Park. In 1240, the Knights Templar were granted by Royal Charter of [[Henry III of England|Henry III]] the right to hold a market in Wetherby<ref name="weth-aps">Wetherby & District Historical Society (1995). ''Wetherby. The Archive Photographs Series''. Stroud: The Chalfont Publishing Company.</ref> (known then as Werreby) on Thursdays and a yearly fair was permitted lasting three days over the day of [[Saint James the Great|St James the Apostle]].

From 1318 to 1319, the North of England suffered many raids from the Scots. After the [[Battle of Bannockburn]], Wetherby was burned and many people were taken and killed. According to the blue plaque at the entrance to the lane, ''Scott Lane'' could be named after the Scottish raiders in 1318 or the 18th-century drovers who used Wetherby as a watering place.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wetherbycivicsociety.org.uk/wcs/bin/view/WCS/BluePlaqueScottLane |title=Wetherby Blue Plaques – Scott Lane |publisher=Wetherby Civic Society |access-date=27 February 2017}}</ref>

In the [[English Civil War]] in 1644, before marching to [[Tadcaster]] and on to [[Marston Moor]], the Parliamentarians spent two days in Wetherby joining forces with the Scots.<ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/rushworth-papers/vol5/pp603-653 |author=John Rushworth |chapter=Historical Collections: Proceedings in the North, 1644 |title=Historical Collections of Private Passages of State |volume=5, 1642–45 |location=London |publisher=D. Browne |year=1721 |pages=603–653 |access-date=27 February 2017}}</ref>

In the heyday of the coaching era, Wetherby had up to forty inns and [[alehouse]]s. The first recorded mail coach arrived in Wetherby in 1786.<ref name="wyaas" />

In 1824, [[William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire]] sold the town of Wetherby (except one house) to finance work at [[Chatsworth House|Chatsworth]].<ref name="weth-aps" /> Wetherby provides the setting for the novel ''Oldbury'' (1869) by [[Annie Keary]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9mOuBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT418 |author=John Sutherland |title=The Longman Companion to Victorian Fiction |publisher=Routledge |year=2014 |page=418|isbn=9781317863328}}</ref>

===20th century===
[[File:Wetherby War Memorial (1).jpg|thumb|The War Memorial, situated on the bridge in Wetherby]]
During the [[First World War]], many Wetherby men served with either the 5th or 9th Battalion, [[West Yorkshire Regiment]], which had great losses in [[Flanders]]. A war memorial designed by E.&nbsp;F. Roslyn was dedicated on 22 April 1922.<ref name="wol" />

In 1918, residents contributed to support the crew of the {{sclass2|Racecourse|minesweeper|1}} [[Racecourse-class minesweeper#Improved Racecourse type|HMS ''Wetherby'']] despite hardship and shortages caused by the war.<ref name="wol" />

During the [[World War II|Second World War]], nearby [[RAF Tockwith]] was renamed [[RAF Marston Moor]] to avoid confusion with [[RAF Topcliffe]]. Part of the airfield is now a driver training centre and the old control tower is used as the offices. Parts of the runways can still be seen.<ref name="wol" /> [[Clark Gable]] was stationed at Marston Moor, during the Second World War, as a member of the [[United States Army Air Forces|USAAF]] ground staff, with the rank of captain. He was transferred to [[RAF Polebrook]] in Northamptonshire. [[Adolf Hitler]] offered a reward to anyone who was able to catch the airman.<ref name="wol" /> [[Group Captain]] [[Leonard Cheshire]] was stationed at Marston Moor for a short while before leaving to become commander of the [[617 Squadron|617 Dam Buster squadron]].<ref name="wol" />

Wetherby had the only [[stone frigate]] north of London, built on ''Hallfield Lane'' in 1942 (it later became the local secondary school), named in turn; HMS ''Cabot'', ''Demetrius'', ''Rodney'' and ''Ceres''. The base was closed in 1958 and transferred to [[Chatham, Medway|Chatham]].<ref name="wol" />

Throughout the 1960s, the town council deliberated over how best to enlarge the town centre to cope with the needs of a growing population and to provide the town with a purpose built supermarket. Plans were put forward to enlarge the town over the [[ings]], or to develop the town centre into a pedestrian precinct. In the end, it was decided to build a purpose built [[Shopping mall|shopping precinct]], which was built in the 1970s and underwent a significant redevelopment throughout 2003. By 2006, the remaining open parts of the Horsefair Centre were enclosed under a glass canopy roof.{{citation needed|date=June 2013|reason=see Leeds City Library}}