Nether Whitacre
Encyclopedia
Nether Whitacre is a small village
in the North Warwickshire
district of the county of Warwickshire
in England
.
It is one of 'The Whitacres' - Nether Whitacre, Over Whitacre
and Whitacre Heath
although Whitacre Heath is actually the heath of Nether Whitacre and not a separate parish.
The village
appears in Domesday so it was already established in the Saxon period. However, objects belonging to much earlier Neolithic
and Bronze Age
times have been found in the soil. Whitacre was then known as 'Witecore', which means 'white field'.
The area has many stone built buildings of the 17th and 18th Centuries.
Whitacre Hall is a double moat
ed hall. The present structure dates from the Tudor period
. At the height of the Industrial Revolution
this was the home of the Jennens family, who were some of the early Ironmasters. John Jennens supplied Birmingham
blacksmith
s with iron
bars and then sold their products.
The Parish Church is of St Giles. It contains some 14th century glass and a 16th century West Tower but most of the church is of 1870s restoration. The Parish Register
dates from 1439, making it one of the earliest in the area.
Nether Whitacre has a cricket club which was established officially in 1887. Current players include Paul Greaves,Carl Titmus, Ian Breeze, and the mighty Mark Smith, the team can be seen in many of the local pubs including the Swan, The Railway, The Gate and The Dog, all established in the late 1800s.
The nearby hamlet
of Furnace End
probably derives its name from iron smelting furnaces owned by the Jennens.
Charles Jennens was a friend of Handel
, the composer
. The Earl of Aylesford
was a cousin to the Jennens and obtained an organ
for Handel
, which was installed at Great Packington
church.
The village today is residential and agricultural.
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...
in the North Warwickshire
North Warwickshire
North Warwickshire is a local government district and borough in Warwickshire, England. The main town in the district is Atherstone where the council is based...
district of the county of 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...
in 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...
.
It is one of 'The Whitacres' - Nether Whitacre, Over Whitacre
Over Whitacre
Over Whitacre is a hamlet in the North Warwickshire district of the county of Warwickshire in England.It is one of 'The Whitacres' – Over Whitacre, Nether Whitacre and Whitacre Heath, although Whitacre heath is actually the heath of Nether Whitacre and not a separate parish.The hamlet appears in...
and Whitacre Heath
Whitacre Heath
Whitacre Heath is a small village in the North Warwickshire district of the county of Warwickshire in England.It is one of 'The Whitacres' - Whitacre Heath, Nether Whitacre and Over Whitacre. Whitacre Heath is actually the heath of Nether Whitacre and not a separate parish.Whitacre Heath is newer...
although Whitacre Heath is actually the heath of Nether Whitacre and not a separate parish.
The village
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...
appears in Domesday so it was already established in the Saxon period. However, objects belonging to much earlier Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
and Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
times have been found in the soil. Whitacre was then known as 'Witecore', which means 'white field'.
The area has many stone built buildings of the 17th and 18th Centuries.
Whitacre Hall is a double moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
ed hall. The present structure dates from the Tudor period
Tudor period
The Tudor period usually refers to the period between 1485 and 1603, specifically in relation to the history of England. This coincides with the rule of the Tudor dynasty in England whose first monarch was Henry VII...
. At the height of the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
this was the home of the Jennens family, who were some of the early Ironmasters. John Jennens supplied Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
s with iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
bars and then sold their products.
The Parish Church is of St Giles. It contains some 14th century glass and a 16th century West Tower but most of the church is of 1870s restoration. The Parish Register
Parish register
A parish register is a handwritten volume, normally kept in a parish church or deposited within a county record office or alternative archive repository, in which details of baptisms, marriages and burials are recorded.-History:...
dates from 1439, making it one of the earliest in the area.
Nether Whitacre has a cricket club which was established officially in 1887. Current players include Paul Greaves,Carl Titmus, Ian Breeze, and the mighty Mark Smith, the team can be seen in many of the local pubs including the Swan, The Railway, The Gate and The Dog, all established in the late 1800s.
The nearby hamlet
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 Furnace End
Furnace End
Furnace End is a hamlet in the North Warwickshire district of the county of Warwickshire in England. It is located on the B4114 road where the road intersects with the B4098 about half way between the market towns of Coleshill and Atherstone. Other nearby places include Nether Whitacre, Over...
probably derives its name from iron smelting furnaces owned by the Jennens.
Charles Jennens was a friend of Handel
HANDEL
HANDEL was the code-name for the UK's National Attack Warning System in the Cold War. It consisted of a small console consisting of two microphones, lights and gauges. The reason behind this was to provide a back-up if anything failed....
, the composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
. The Earl of Aylesford
Earl of Aylesford
Earl of Aylesford, in the County of Kent, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1714 for the lawyer and politician Heneage Finch, 1st Baron Guernsey. He had already been created Baron Guernsey in the Peerage of England in 1703...
was a cousin to the Jennens and obtained an organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
for Handel
HANDEL
HANDEL was the code-name for the UK's National Attack Warning System in the Cold War. It consisted of a small console consisting of two microphones, lights and gauges. The reason behind this was to provide a back-up if anything failed....
, which was installed at Great Packington
Great Packington
Great Packington is a hamlet near Meriden, Warwickshire. It is the home of the Packington estate, including Packington Hall, Packington Old Hall and St James' Church, Great Packington.To the east of the park lies the hamlet of Outwoods....
church.
The village today is residential and agricultural.