Leamington Hastings
Encyclopedia
Leamington Hastings is a small village
and larger civil parish
in Warwickshire
, England
.
and west of the A426 road
between Rugby and Southam
. To the north of the village is the Draycote Water
reservoir. Administratively, Leamington Hastings forms part of the Borough of Rugby
.
The name of the village is due to it being just south of the River Leam
, and the 'Hastings' part is due to the 'Hastang' family, the medieval lords of the manor
.
The village contains the historic Church of All Saints and some preserved 17th-century almshouse
s.
The Christopher Saxton
map of Warwickshire (1637 edition) includes a curious transposition: Leamington Hastings appears as Lemington priors, and what is now called Leamington Spa
, or Royal Leamington Spa, appears as Lemington hastings.
The first mention of a post office
in Leamington Hastings was in September 1845, when a type of postmark
known as an undated circular handstamp was issued. The village post office closed in May 1979.
lived in Leamington Hastings.
A branch of the Sitwell
family lived at Leamington Hastings, where they had inherited their holdings from a Wheler heiress. Edward Sacheverell Wilmot was lord of the manor from 1801–19. From them the later Wilmot-Sitwell family of Horsley, Derbyshire
descended.
Rev. Degge Wilmot Sitwell, who lived at The Manor House at Leamington Hastings, served as vicar of the church. His grandson was Major General Hervey Degge Wilmot Sitwell, born in 1896, who served as General Officer commanding the British troops on Java
in 1942, when he was captured by Japan
ese forces and spent the next three years in Japanese prisoner of war
camps. He was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath
in 1946.
of the same name also covers the nearby hamlets
of Broadwell
, Hill
and Kites Hardwick
. In the 2001 census
the parish had a population of 450.
Leamington Hastings Infant School is located in Hill. The school website is http://leamingtonhastingsschool.wordpress.com
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and larger civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The village
The village is about 7 miles (11 km) south-west of RugbyRugby, Warwickshire
Rugby is a market town in Warwickshire, England, located on the River Avon. The town has a population of 61,988 making it the second largest town in the county...
and west of the A426 road
A426 road
The A426 road is a road in England which runs from the city of Leicester to the market town of Southam in Warwickshire via the towns of Lutterworth and Rugby.-History:...
between Rugby and Southam
Southam
Southam is a small market town in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire, England. The 2001 census recorded a population of 6,509 in the town.The nearest sizeable town to Southam is Leamington Spa, located roughly 7 miles to the west...
. To the north of the village is the Draycote Water
Draycote Water
Draycote Water is a reservoir and country park near the village of Dunchurch, 6 km south of Rugby in Warwickshire, England, owned and operated by Severn Trent Water...
reservoir. Administratively, Leamington Hastings forms part of the Borough of Rugby
Rugby (borough)
Rugby is a local government district with borough status in eastern Warwickshire, England.The borough comprises the town of Rugby where the council has its headquarters, and the rural areas surrounding the town....
.
The name of the village is due to it being just south of the River Leam
River Leam
The River Leam is a river which flows through eastern and southern Warwickshire. It is a small river about 25–30 miles long. The town of Leamington Spa lies on, and is named after, the River Leam....
, and the 'Hastings' part is due to the 'Hastang' family, the medieval lords of the manor
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
.
The village contains the historic Church of All Saints and some preserved 17th-century almshouse
Almshouse
Almshouses are charitable housing provided to enable people to live in a particular community...
s.
The Christopher Saxton
Christopher Saxton
Christopher Saxton was an English cartographer, probably born in the parish of Dewsbury, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England around 1540....
map of Warwickshire (1637 edition) includes a curious transposition: Leamington Hastings appears as Lemington priors, and what is now called Leamington Spa
Leamington Spa
Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or Leamington or Leam to locals, is a spa town in central Warwickshire, England. Formerly known as Leamington Priors, its expansion began following the popularisation of the medicinal qualities of its water by Dr Kerr in 1784, and by Dr Lambe...
, or Royal Leamington Spa, appears as Lemington hastings.
The first mention of a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
in Leamington Hastings was in September 1845, when a type of postmark
Postmark
thumb|USS TexasA postmark is a postal marking made on a letter, package, postcard or the like indicating the date and time that the item was delivered into the care of the postal service...
known as an undated circular handstamp was issued. The village post office closed in May 1979.
Notable residents
The renowned pathologist Bernard SpilsburyBernard Spilsbury
Sir Bernard Henry Spilsbury was an English pathologist. His cases include Hawley Harvey Crippen, the Seddon case and Major Armstrong poisonings, the "brides in the bath" murders by George Joseph Smith, Louis Voisin, Jean-Pierre Vaquier, the Crumbles murders, Norman Thorne, Donald Merrett, the...
lived in Leamington Hastings.
A branch of the Sitwell
The Sitwells
The Sitwells , from Scarborough, North Yorkshire, were three siblings, who formed an identifiable literary and artistic clique around themselves in London in the period roughly 1916 to 1930...
family lived at Leamington Hastings, where they had inherited their holdings from a Wheler heiress. Edward Sacheverell Wilmot was lord of the manor from 1801–19. From them the later Wilmot-Sitwell family of Horsley, Derbyshire
Horsley, Derbyshire
Horsley is a small village roughly 5 miles north of the City of Derby, England, with a population of circa 500.The parish church of St Clement and St John, which dates from the 13th century, was rededicated in 1450. It is noted for its fine peal of bells...
descended.
Rev. Degge Wilmot Sitwell, who lived at The Manor House at Leamington Hastings, served as vicar of the church. His grandson was Major General Hervey Degge Wilmot Sitwell, born in 1896, who served as General Officer commanding the British troops on Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
in 1942, when he was captured by Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese forces and spent the next three years in Japanese prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
camps. He was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
in 1946.
The parish
As well as the village of Leamington Hastings, the civil parishCivil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of the same name also covers the nearby hamlets
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Broadwell
Broadwell, Warwickshire
Broadwell is a village in Warwickshire, England in the civil parish of Leamington Hastings at roughly midway between Dunchurch and Southam on the A426 road.In 1086, the Domesday Book records that the chief estate of Leamington was held by Hasculf Musard....
, Hill
Hill, Warwickshire
Hill is a hamlet in the English county of Warwickshire.Administratively it is in the civil parish of Leamington Hastings that, in turn, forms part of the borough of Rugby. It lies between Leamington Hastings and the A426 road from Rugby to Southam....
and Kites Hardwick
Kites Hardwick
Kites Hardwick is a hamlet in east Warwickshire, England, in the Leam Valley ward of Rugby Borough and in the civil parish of Leamington Hastings...
. In the 2001 census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
the parish had a population of 450.
Leamington Hastings Infant School is located in Hill. The school website is http://leamingtonhastingsschool.wordpress.com
External links
Sources
- Allen, Geoff. (2000). Warwickshire Towns and Villages. Sigma Leisure. ISBN 1 85058 642 X.