Wixford
Encyclopedia
Wixford is a hamlet
and civil parish
in the Stratford district
of Warwickshire
, England
, situated 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south of Alcester
. The name derives from a compound of the Old English personal name Whitlac with the noun for a river crossing "ford". William Shakespeare
is said to have joined a party of Stratford folk which set itself to outdrink a drinking club at Bidford-on-Avon
, and as a result of his labours in that regard to have fallen asleep under the crab tree of which a descendant is still called Shakespeares tree. When morning dawned his friends wished to renew the encounter but he wisely said "No I have drunk with “Piping Pebworth
, Dancing Marston
, Haunted Hillboro’, Hungry Grafton
, Dodging Exhall
, Papist Wixford, Beggarly Broom and Drunken Bidford” and so, presumably, I will drink no more. The story is said to date from the 17th century but of its truth or of any connection of the story or the verse to Shakespeare there is no evidence. The reasons for the village being described as papist remain unclear but may be a reference to the Catholic Throckmorton
family as in 1541 it passed to Sir George Throckmorton, in whose family it remained until 1919, when the estate was sold and the manorial rights extinguished.
in 974. However, Godwine a powerful man who had purchased the inheritance of that abbey from King Ethelred, granted it to Wulfgeat, son and heir to Ufa, for life, upon condition it was returned. Notwithstanding this agreement, Wulfgeat's heirs retained the land until, the time of King Edward the Confessor when Abbot Agelwyne
purchased it from Wygod, a potent baron and heir to Wulfgeat, for a valuable price and regained it for the monks. It is recorded in the Domesday Book
"In Ferncombe Hundred, Evesham Abbey holds 5 hides
in Witelavesford. Land for 6 ploughs. In lordship 2; 3 male and 2 female slaves; 4 villagers and 6 smallholders with 2 ploughs. A mill at 10s and 20 sticks of eels; meadow, 24 acres; woodland 1 furlong long and 1/2 wide. Value before 1066, 40s; later 30s; now 50s. Wigot held this land before 1066."
, whose current Member of Parliament is Nadhim Zahawi
of the Conservative Party
. It is included in the West Midlands
electoral region of the European Parliament and the six members are; Mike Nattrass
(UK Independence), Liz Lynne
,(Liberal Democrat), Malcolm Harbour
(Conservative), Michael Cashman
(Labour), Philip Bradbourn
OBE (Conservative) and Nicole Sinclaire
(UK Independence).
dedicated to Saint Milburga of Wenlock
, was founded in the 12th century. Domesday makes no mention of a priest at Wixford, though the dedication of the church to the Saxon saint St. Milburg seems to be evidence of its antiquity; but not necessarily of a pre-Conquest foundation, for the cult of St. Milburg was revived, after a long neglect, by the translation of her relics at Wenlock in 1101.
It comprises a nave
and chancel
under one roof, south chantry chapel, south porch, and a bell turret There is one ancient uninscribed bell, and another by John Martin of Worcester, 1672, which was recast in 1937, retaining the old inscription. The church was restored in 1881 and probably the south porch and the western bell turret are of that date. There are two Norman
doorways that on the south having columns. The southern chapel dedicated to St John the Baptist was built early in the 15th century by Thomas de Cruwe who was legal advisor to Margaret Beauchamp Countess of Warwick. In the south chapel is the fine table tomb to Thomas de Cruwe and his wife, Juliana (1400–11) with fine canopied brasses.
The church is approached by a churchyard shaded by an old yew. In 1660 six parishioners accused the rector of wishing to cut down a yew tree in the churchyard 'the like whereof is not to be found in all the diocese'. In 1730 Dr. Thomas, rector here, gave its height as 53 ft. and circumference as 18 ft. 3 in. But according to a rhyme in a volume of cuttings relating to Ragley, at the Shire Hall— 'In 1763 In Wixford churchyard there was felled a yew tree, In 1765 There was planted another that never will thrive.'
The churchyard also contains a grade II listed horsehouse of hurdle and gorse with a thatched roof dating from the 18th century. Wixford never having a separate living, being a chapel of Exhall since the reformation
so it was provided for the mounts of the visiting clergy from other parishes. There is also a fine large base of a churchyard cross with a moulded top edge, the stump of a shaft, and three steps to the platform dating from the 15th century.
For much of the late 19th and early 20th century people travelled from Alcester to the Sunday evening services in St Milburga's.
The remains of Oversley Castle are half a mile north of the village and the Roman
road Icknield Street
runs very close by.
& Redditch
Railway Company in September 1866 as part of the Gloucester Loop line. At the time of its closure in January 1950 it belonged to British Rail
. The line, the station, and the associated railway bridge no longer exist however, the Heart of England Way
, popular with hikers, runs along part of the old line. The River Arrow also runs through the village.
, the Fish Inn and the Three Horse Shoes.
Because of its proximity to the border of Worcestershire
, the Exhall & Wixford cricket
club, which plays in the Cotswold Hills League
, is affiliated to both the Warwickshire and Worcestershire County Cricket Boards. The small village hall
, with a capacity of 70, is available for hire by members of the public.
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...
and 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 the Stratford district
Stratford-on-Avon (district)
Stratford-on-Avon is a local government district of southern Warwickshire in England.The district is named "Stratford-on-Avon" to distinguish it from its main town of Stratford-upon-Avon where the district council is based, although this name often causes confusion .The district is mostly rural and...
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...
, 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...
, situated 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south of Alcester
Alcester
Alcester is an old market town of Roman origin at the junction of the River Alne and River Arrow in Warwickshire, England. It is situated approximately west of Stratford-upon-Avon, and 8 miles south of Redditch, close to the Worcestershire border...
. The name derives from a compound of the Old English personal name Whitlac with the noun for a river crossing "ford". William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
is said to have joined a party of Stratford folk which set itself to outdrink a drinking club at Bidford-on-Avon
Bidford-on-Avon
Bidford-on-Avon is a large village and civil parish in the English county of Warwickshire. In the 2001 census it had a population of 4,830.-Location:...
, and as a result of his labours in that regard to have fallen asleep under the crab tree of which a descendant is still called Shakespeares tree. When morning dawned his friends wished to renew the encounter but he wisely said "No I have drunk with “Piping Pebworth
Pebworth
Pebworth is a village and civil parish in the county of Worcestershire, lying about 8 km north-north-west of the town of Chipping Campden in Gloucestershire. Until 1931, the parish – which includes the hamlet of Broad Marston – was itself in Gloucestershire, as part of Pebworth Rural District...
, Dancing Marston
Long Marston, Warwickshire
Long Marston is a village about southwest of Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, England. The southern and western boundaries of the parish also form part of the county boundary with Worcestershire.-History:...
, Haunted Hillboro’, Hungry Grafton
Temple Grafton
Temple Grafton is a village and civil parish in the Stratford district of Warwickshire, England, situated about east of Alcester and West of the county town of Warwick. The place name is misleading, the Knights Templar never having any association with the place but owing to a naming error made...
, Dodging Exhall
Exhall, Stratford-on-Avon
Exhall is a small village located approximately 1.7 miles south-south-east of the Roman town of Alcester, and approximately 6 miles west of Stratford-upon-Avon in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire, England...
, Papist Wixford, Beggarly Broom and Drunken Bidford” and so, presumably, I will drink no more. The story is said to date from the 17th century but of its truth or of any connection of the story or the verse to Shakespeare there is no evidence. The reasons for the village being described as papist remain unclear but may be a reference to the Catholic Throckmorton
Throckmorton Baronets
There have been two Baronetcies created for different branches of the Throckmorton family, 6th. cousins, both descended from Sir John Throckmorton, Under-Treasurer of England temp. King Henry VI. Both titles, which were in the Baronetage of England, are now extinct...
family as in 1541 it passed to Sir George Throckmorton, in whose family it remained until 1919, when the estate was sold and the manorial rights extinguished.
History
The village is first mentioned when Ufa, a Saxon Earl of Warwick, gave the land at Wixford and his body to be buried to the monastery of Evesham AbbeyEvesham Abbey
Evesham Abbey was founded by Saint Egwin at Evesham in England between 700 and 710 A.D. following a vision of the Virgin Mary by Eof.According to the monastic history, Evesham came through the Norman Conquest unusually well, because of a quick approach by Abbot Æthelwig to William the Conqueror...
in 974. However, Godwine a powerful man who had purchased the inheritance of that abbey from King Ethelred, granted it to Wulfgeat, son and heir to Ufa, for life, upon condition it was returned. Notwithstanding this agreement, Wulfgeat's heirs retained the land until, the time of King Edward the Confessor when Abbot Agelwyne
Æthelwig
Æthelwig was an Abbot of Evesham before and during the Norman Conquest of England. Born sometime around 1010 or 1015, he was elected abbot in 1058. Known for his legal expertise, he administered estates for Ealdred, the Bishop of Worcester prior to his election as abbot...
purchased it from Wygod, a potent baron and heir to Wulfgeat, for a valuable price and regained it for the monks. It is recorded in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
"In Ferncombe Hundred, Evesham Abbey holds 5 hides
Hide (unit)
The hide was originally an amount of land sufficient to support a household, but later in Anglo-Saxon England became a unit used in assessing land for liability to "geld", or land tax. The geld would be collected at a stated rate per hide...
in Witelavesford. Land for 6 ploughs. In lordship 2; 3 male and 2 female slaves; 4 villagers and 6 smallholders with 2 ploughs. A mill at 10s and 20 sticks of eels; meadow, 24 acres; woodland 1 furlong long and 1/2 wide. Value before 1066, 40s; later 30s; now 50s. Wigot held this land before 1066."
Economy
The area is largely agricultural with no large employers in the area, most residents commuting to larger towns nearby.Governance
Wixford is part of the Bidford and Salford ward of Stratford on Avon District Council and represented by Councillors Daren Pemberton, Liberal Democrate, Brian Slaughter, Conservative and Kim James, Independent. http://democracy.stratford.gov.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx?bcr=1 Nationally it is part of Stratford-on-Avon (UK Parliament constituency)Stratford-on-Avon (UK Parliament constituency)
-By-elections:-Notes and references:...
, whose current Member of Parliament is Nadhim Zahawi
Nadhim Zahawi
Nadhim Zahawi is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Stratford-on-Avon since 2010, after the retirement of previous MP John Maples....
of the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
. It is included in the West Midlands
West Midlands (European Parliament constituency)
West Midlands is a constituency of the European Parliament. For 2009 it elected 6 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation. The constituency will also elect a "virtual MEP" who will be able to sit in the Parliament if the Treaty of Lisbon comes into effect...
electoral region of the European Parliament and the six members are; Mike Nattrass
Mike Nattrass
Mike Nattrass is an English politician and Member of the European Parliament, representing the West Midlands constituency for the UK Independence Party , elected for the first time in June 2004 and re-elected in June 2009....
(UK Independence), Liz Lynne
Liz Lynne
Elizabeth Lynne, known as Liz Lynne, is a British politician, and has been a Member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands for the Liberal Democrats since her election at the 1999 European election...
,(Liberal Democrat), Malcolm Harbour
Malcolm Harbour
Malcolm Harbour is a British politician. He is a Conservative Member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands. He is a member of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group and the Chairman of the Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection.-Motor industry:Malcolm Harbour was...
(Conservative), Michael Cashman
Michael Cashman
Michael Maurice Cashman is a British former actor, now a Labour politician. He has been a Member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands constituency since 1999.- Acting :...
(Labour), Philip Bradbourn
Philip Bradbourn
Philip Bradbourn OBE MEP is a British politician, and Member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands, for the Conservative Party...
OBE (Conservative) and Nicole Sinclaire
Nikki Sinclaire
Nicole Sinclaire is a European politician from the United Kingdom and is a current MEP.Educated at the University of Canterbury graduating with a Bachelor of Laws qualification. Sinclaire has worked for Lloyds as a 'problem troubleshooter' was employed as a Gateway store manager and worked in...
(UK Independence).
Geography
Notable buildings
The parish churchParish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
dedicated to Saint Milburga of Wenlock
Milburga of Wenlock
Saint Mildburh was the Benedictine abbess of Wenlock Abbey.She was a daughter of Merewalh, King of the Mercian sub-kingdom of Magonsaete, and Saint Ermenburga. Saint Mildrith and Saint Mildgytha were her sisters. She had a mysterious power over birds; they would avoid damaging the local crops...
, was founded in the 12th century. Domesday makes no mention of a priest at Wixford, though the dedication of the church to the Saxon saint St. Milburg seems to be evidence of its antiquity; but not necessarily of a pre-Conquest foundation, for the cult of St. Milburg was revived, after a long neglect, by the translation of her relics at Wenlock in 1101.
It comprises a nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
and chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
under one roof, south chantry chapel, south porch, and a bell turret There is one ancient uninscribed bell, and another by John Martin of Worcester, 1672, which was recast in 1937, retaining the old inscription. The church was restored in 1881 and probably the south porch and the western bell turret are of that date. There are two Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
doorways that on the south having columns. The southern chapel dedicated to St John the Baptist was built early in the 15th century by Thomas de Cruwe who was legal advisor to Margaret Beauchamp Countess of Warwick. In the south chapel is the fine table tomb to Thomas de Cruwe and his wife, Juliana (1400–11) with fine canopied brasses.
The church is approached by a churchyard shaded by an old yew. In 1660 six parishioners accused the rector of wishing to cut down a yew tree in the churchyard 'the like whereof is not to be found in all the diocese'. In 1730 Dr. Thomas, rector here, gave its height as 53 ft. and circumference as 18 ft. 3 in. But according to a rhyme in a volume of cuttings relating to Ragley, at the Shire Hall— 'In 1763 In Wixford churchyard there was felled a yew tree, In 1765 There was planted another that never will thrive.'
The churchyard also contains a grade II listed horsehouse of hurdle and gorse with a thatched roof dating from the 18th century. Wixford never having a separate living, being a chapel of Exhall since the reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
so it was provided for the mounts of the visiting clergy from other parishes. There is also a fine large base of a churchyard cross with a moulded top edge, the stump of a shaft, and three steps to the platform dating from the 15th century.
For much of the late 19th and early 20th century people travelled from Alcester to the Sunday evening services in St Milburga's.
The remains of Oversley Castle are half a mile north of the village and the Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
road Icknield Street
Icknield Street
Icknield Street or Ryknild Street is a Roman road in Britain that runs from the Fosse Way at Bourton on the Water in Gloucestershire to Templeborough in South Yorkshire...
runs very close by.
Transport links
The village formerly had a railway station, built by the EveshamEvesham
Evesham is a market town and a civil parish in the Local Authority District of Wychavon in the county of Worcestershire, England with a population of 22,000. It is located roughly equidistant between Worcester, Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon...
& Redditch
Redditch
Redditch is a town and local government district in north-east Worcestershire, England, approximately south of Birmingham. The district had a population of 79,216 in 2005. In the 19th century it became the international centre for the needle and fishing tackle industry...
Railway Company in September 1866 as part of the Gloucester Loop line. At the time of its closure in January 1950 it belonged to British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
. The line, the station, and the associated railway bridge no longer exist however, the Heart of England Way
Heart of England Way
The Heart of England Way is a long distance walk of around through the Midlands of England. The walk starts from Milford Common on Cannock Chase and ends at Bourton on the Water in the Cotswolds passing through the counties of Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Gloucestershire.The walk provides links...
, popular with hikers, runs along part of the old line. The River Arrow also runs through the village.
Sports and leisure
The village has two pubsPublic house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
, the Fish Inn and the Three Horse Shoes.
Because of its proximity to the border of Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
, the Exhall & Wixford cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
club, which plays in the Cotswold Hills League
Cotswold Hills League
The Cotswold Hills League is a cricket league made up of clubs from Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire.The spine of the geographic area covered by the League is a picturesque part of England known as The Cotswolds....
, is affiliated to both the Warwickshire and Worcestershire County Cricket Boards. The small village hall
Village hall
In the United States, a village hall is the seat of government for villages. It functions much as a city hall does within cities.In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building within a village which contains at least one large room, usually owned by and run for the benefit of the local...
, with a capacity of 70, is available for hire by members of the public.