Wigan: Difference between revisions

{{for -multi|the larger local government district|Metropolitan Borough of Wigan|other uses}}

The name of the town has been recorded variously as ''Wigan'' in 1199, ''Wygayn'' in 1240, and ''Wygan'' and in 1482 “Wiguuuuhn” in numerous historical documents.<ref name="British history">{{Harvard citation no brackets|Farrer|Brownbill|1911|pp=68–78}}</ref>

The name ''Wigan'' is probably a [[Celtic languages|Celtic]] place-name : it might be a diminutive form of Brittonic ''*wīg'' "homestead, settlement" (later Welsh ''gwig''), plus the nominal suffix ''-an'' has also been suggested (c.f. numerous places in France named [[Le Vigan (disambiguation)|Le Vigan]]); the place name may refer to a Latin ''viccus''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=James |first=Alan G. |url=http://spns.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Alan_James_Brittonic_Language_in_the_Old_North_BLITON_Volume_II_Dictionary.pdf |title=The Brittonic Language in the Old North: A Guide to the Place-Name Evidence |volume=2: Guide to the Elements |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813011121/http://spns.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Alan_James_Brittonic_Language_in_the_Old_North_BLITON_Volume_II_Dictionary.pdf |archive-date=13 August 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Newsletter 15: Wigan&nbsp;– What's in a name? |date=15 July 1998 |url=http://www.wiganarchsoc.co.uk/content/News_Letters/news015.htm |access-date=18 November 2008 |publisher=Wigan Archaeological Society}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Mills |first=A.D. |title=A Dictionary of British Place-Names |url=http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?entry=t40.e13974&srn=1&ssid=595401713#FIRSTHIT |year=2003 |place=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-852758-9}} {{Subscription required}}</ref> It has also been suggested directly a Celtic personal name ''Wigan'', a name corresponding to [[Gaulish language|Gaulish]] ''Vicanus'', [[Old Welsh]] ''Uuicant'' or [[Old Breton]] ''Uuicon''.<ref name="pnlanc">{{Cite book |last=Ekwall |first=Eilert |url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924028039588 |title=The Place Names Of Lancashire |date=1922 |publisher=Manchester University Press |page=[https://archive.org/details/cu31924028039588/page/n120 103]}}</ref> plus the nominal suffix ''-an'' has also been suggested (c.f. numerous places in France named [[Le Vigan (disambiguation)|Le Vigan]]).<ref>{{Cite book |last=James |first=Alan G. |url=http://spns.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Alan_James_Brittonic_Language_in_the_Old_North_BLITON_Volume_II_Dictionary.pdf |title=The Brittonic Language in the Old North: A Guide to the Place-Name Evidence |volume=2: Guide to the Elements |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813011121/http://spns.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Alan_James_Brittonic_Language_in_the_Old_North_BLITON_Volume_II_Dictionary.pdf |archive-date=13 August 2017}}</ref>

The EnglishSimilar place-name Wigan has nothingnames to dothe withEnglish [[Le''Wigan'' Vigan (disambiguation)|Le Vigan]]exist in the south of France, such as [[Le Vigan, Gard]] (''Avicantus'', Roman inscription ; ''Locus de Vicano'' 1050) of unknown origin<ref>Paul Fabre, ''Dictionnaire des noms de lieux des Cévennes'', éditions Bonneton, 2009, p. 155</ref> and [[Le Vigan, Lot]], from Latin ''vicanum'', derived form of ''vicus'' "town" + suffix ''-anum'',<ref>Gaston Bazalgues, ''À la découverte des noms de lieux du Quercy'' : ''Toponymie lotoise'', Éditions de la Bouriane et du Quercy, Gourdon, 2002, p. 126</ref> butand with differentthe hamlets in [[Normandy]] such as (Le) Vigan ([[L'Oudon]], Calvados) and Manoir du Vigan.. that representderive reallyfrom thea Celtic personal given-name ''*Wigan'', found as ''feodum Wigani'' in the 12th century or ''turres Wiguen'' at [[Thaon]] (Calvados) and survives in the Norman surname ''Vigan'' (still in use in Calvados).<ref>François de Beaurepaire, ''Les Noms de lieux du Calvados'' (''annoté par [[Dominique Fournier]]''), Paris, [[Éditions L'Harmattan|L'Harmattan]], 2022, p. 379.</ref>

{{further|DemographyDemographics of Greater Manchester}}

Association football initially struggled to take hold in Wigan with non-league clubs [[Wigan County F.C.|Wigan County]] (1897–1900) and [[Wigan Town A.F.C.|Wigan Town]] (1905–1908) both folding within a few years of their creation.<ref>{{Cite web |year=2015 |title=1896-1919 The Early Years |url=http://springfieldparkmemorial.weebly.com/1896-1919-the-early-years.html |website=The Springfield Park Memorial}}</ref> [[Wigan Borough F.C.|Wigan Borough]], emerged from the amateur side [[Wigan United A.F.C.|Wigan United]] (1896–1914), in 1920 and became the town's first club to play in the [[Football League]] when in 1921 they became founder members of the [[Football League Third Division|Football League Third Division North]].<ref>{{Citation |title=Wigan Borough |url=httphttps://www.fchd.info/WIGANB.HTM |access-date=7 July 2009 |publisher=Football Club History Database}}</ref> The club left the Football League and folded in 1931. They were replaced a year later by [[Wigan Athletic]], the town's current professional football club.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Wigan Borough Story |url=https://www.wiganathleticsupportersclub.co.uk/wigan-borough-story/ |access-date=17 October 2022 |website=www.wiganathleticsupportersclub.co.uk}}</ref>

Wigan Athletic was elected to the [[English Football League|Football League]] in 1978, and the club were promoted to the [[Premier League]], the top division of English football, in 2005. The club were relegated to the [[EFL Championship|Championship]] in 2013, the same season they won the [[2012–13 FA Cup|2013 FA Cup]], defeating [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]] 1–0 in the [[2013 FA Cup Final|final]].<ref>{{Citation |title=Club History |url=https://wiganathletic.com/club/club-history/ |publisher=Wigan Athletic F.C. |accessdate=17 October 2022}}</ref> In 2020, the club went into [[Administration (British football)|administration]] but was later taken over by new owners.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ben Fisher |date=13 August 2021 |title=Relief replaced by optimism at Wigan after perils of administration |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/aug/13/wigan-athletic-league-one-after-change-of-ownership}}</ref> AfterAs severalof periods inthe [[2023–24 EFL League One|League2023–24 Oneseason]], the club currently play in the[[EFL Championship.<ref>{{CitationLeague One|title=WiganLeague AthleticOne]], |url=http://www.fchd.info/WIGANA.HTMhaving |access-date=17been Octoberrelegated 2022from the [[EFL Championship|publisher=FootballChampionship]] Clubthe History[[2022–23 Database}}</ref>EFL Championship|previous season]].

The semi-professional football team [[Wigan Robin Park F.C.|Wigan Robin Park]] also played in the town between 2005 and 2015.<ref>{{Citation |title=Wigan Robin Park |url=httphttps://www.fchd.info/WIGANRP.HTM |access-date=17 October 2022 |publisher=Football Club History Database}}</ref>

Wigan has been well known for its [[popular music]] since the days of [[George Formby Sr]] and [[George Formby, Jr.|George Formby Jr]].<ref>{{Citation |last=Richards |first=Jeffrey |title=[[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]] |year=2004 |access-date=16 December 2008 |contribution=Formby, George (1904–1961) |contribution-url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/33205 |publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref> It was the birthplace of [[the Eight Lancashire Lads]], a dancing troupe who gave the young [[Charlie Chaplin]] his professional debut. One member of the troupe was John Willie Jackson, the "John Willie" to whom George Formby would often refer in his songs. Local bands that gained wider repute include [[the Verve]], [[The Railway Children (band)|the Railway Children]], [[Witness (UK band)|Witness]], [[the Tansads]], [[Limahl]] of [[Kajagoogoo]] and [[Starsailor (band)|Starsailor]]. [[The Verve]] were one of the most important British rock groups of the 1990s, finding success in the UK and abroad; they toured on the US's famous [[Lollapalooza]] alternative rock festival. The band was formed when the members met at [[Winstanley College]] in 1989. In 2021, [[the Lathums]] continued the town's popular music tradition by scoring a UK number one with their debut studio album ''[[How Beautiful Life Can Be]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How beautiful life can be &#124; full Official Chart History &#124; Official Charts Company |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/how-beautiful-life-can-be/ |website=[[Official Charts Company|Official Charts]]}}</ref>