Whitwick is a large village and civil parish in the North West Leicestershire district of Leicestershire, England, some two miles north of Coalville in the northwest of the county. It lies in an ancient parish which formerly included the equally historic villages of Thringstone and Swannington. Whitwick is situated 4 miles southwest of Shepshed, 6 miles east of Ashby-de-la-Zouch and 8 miles west-southwest of Loughborough.
It was an important manor in the Middle Ages, which once included Bardon and Markfield, parts of Hugglescote, Donington le Heath, Ratby, Bocheston, Newtown Unthank and Whittington. As early as 1293, Whitwick had a weekly market and a four-day fair. The population of Whitwick, according to the 2001 census was 10,815 persons. 8,092 of these fell into the 16–74 working age range, although only 4,689 were employed. The population of the village at the 2011 census had fallen to 8,612.
History
One of the earliest mentions of the place, as Witewic, is in the Domesday Book of 1086, the name of the settlement possibly meaning either guardhouse'"The White Farm" or "Hwita's Farm" The last two appear to rely on later meanings for both particles Wite and Wik and may have been a reference to the outcrop of white sandstone found here. It was listed amongst the lands given to Hugh de Grandmesnil by King William I. There was said to be land for half a plough and woodland which was a furlong by half a furlong. Its value was two shillings.
Castle
Whitwick had a motte and bailey castle, although no remains are left. It was probably built originally during the spate of rapid castle building by William the Conqueror following the spate of rebellions leading up to the harrowing of the north. There appears to be evidence of a timber castle and later stone castle. The timber castle was more likely in place in the 11th century and to have been later held by 'Henricus de Bello Monte, Consanguineus Regis' (Henry Beaumont, blood-relative of the king). In 1320 he was granted a licence to crenellate the structure. The building work resulting from this licence may have provoked an attack by Sir John Talbot. Beaumont's claim to the land was from his wife's inheritance and, it seems, Talbot felt he had a claim to Whitwick. Twenty years later the capital message was worth nothing. In the years following the First World War, competition from the larger and newer market at Coalville eventually resulted in its discontinuance.
The annual fair, or wakes, was once a hugely popular event and coincided with the patronal festival of the parish church. At the height of its popularity in the early 20th century, it is remembered that the larger amusements stood in the opening in front of the White Horse public house and there were wild beast shows including seals swimming around in tanks. The local photographer would take snapshots (on glass) and deliver them while the customers waited. There was also once a 'Cabbage Street Wakes', of rather obscure origin, when cabbages were used to decorate the lampposts in Cademan Street.
Past industry and commerce
Framework knitting
During the 18th century, framework knitting became an important cottage industry in the village, taking over from agriculture. As early as 1723/24, William Clark, son of William, was apprenticed to Joseph Howe. This apprenticeship was to run from Michaelmas 1723/24 for seven years.
Railway
250px|thumb|Whitwick station at road level.
Whitwick railway station was on the Charnwood Forest Railway which was constructed by the Charnwood Forest Company between 1881 and 1883. This branch line ran from Coalville East (joined to the Ashby & Nuneaton Joint Railway (ANJR)) to the town of Loughborough, at the Derby Road Station. Passenger services ceased to operate on 13 April 1931, with freight services ceasing to operate on 12 December 1963. Whitwick railway station still has some surviving structures, the platform and the old station building, now the home of the Whitwick Historical Group, while the railway trackbed towards Coalville has been turned into a footpath.
Religion
St. John the Baptist Parish Church
The parish church of St. John the Baptist is an ancient structure, nestling in a natural amphitheatre, close to the confluence of two streams. A spring, emanating from under the chancel, is also discharged into the watercourse, through a piped outlet protruding from a stone wall at the east end of the churchyard. This spring is said to have been used during the 19th century as means of powering the bellows of the church organ. It is possible that this site was regarded as sacred in pre-Christian times, thereby influencing the choice of location for the church. It was also conjectured by the local historian, George Green of Loughborough, that a fragment of pre-Norman cross shaft would appear to be incorporated into the chancel wall, supporting the idea that a church may well have existed on this site in Anglo-Saxon times. However, there is no mention of a priest or church connected with Whitwick in the Domesday Book of 1086, and in the absence of conclusive structural evidence beyond the thirteenth century, it is perhaps more likely that the church was built as a later adjunct to the nearby castle. The church we see today is mainly of 14th-century construction, with only the south doorway seeming to go back to the 13th century. The massive decorated western tower contains a peal of eight bells, four of which were cast in 1628, and in the north aisle can be found the mutilated alabaster effigy of a knight, which tradition has to be that of Sir John Talbot, who died in 1365. Talbot is said to have been a giant, and this accounts for the exceptional length of the monument.
The church was a victim of aggressive restoration during the 19th century, when the chancel was rebuilt by James Piers St Aubyn, 1848–1849. A vaulted substructure or crypt is situated beneath the chancel, but is not thought to have ever been used as a charnel house. The building of this understructure would have been necessary to maintain a level between the chancel and the nave due to the steepness of sloping ground at the east end.
In the south exterior wall of the nave, close by the porch, there is a canopied recess, which according to tradition once contained a doorway leading to vaults beneath the south aisle. It is likely that this recess would once have contained a founder's tomb.
From 1319 until its dissolution in 1536, Whitwick Church was an endowment of the Benedictine chapter of Up Holland Priory, near Wigan, Lancashire. Following royal sequestration, the patronage of the living passed to the King and Whitwick Church remains one of forty-two churches nationally which are in the patronage of the Monarch (in the rights of the Duchy of Lancaster).
Today, the church forms part of a united benefice with Thringstone and Swannington. The registers date from 1601.
The churchyard was closed for burials many years ago. In more recent years, many of the 18th- and 19th-century slate headstones were uprooted and moved in a line around the periphery of the southern portion of the graveyard; a 20th-century concrete war memorial now occupies the centre. Other stones were taken up and used for paving around the church.
Whitwick Cemetery, off Church Lane, was consecrated on 24 June 1874 and consists of about four acres. It was divided into three sections: Church of England, Catholic and Nonconformist and placed under the control of a joint burial committee. It contains four Commonwealth war graves of service personnel, one from World War I and three from World War II.
Vicars of Whitwick 1551—2020
{| width=100% class="wikitable"
! width=18% | Vicar
! width=9% | From
! width=9% | Until
! width=26% | Notes
|-
|align="center"|Peter Fynche, MA||align="center"|---||align="center"|1551||align="center"|Also Rector of Ravenstone, 1549 – 59.
|-
|align="center"|George Halsted||align="center"|1551||align="center"|1553||align="center"|
|-
|align="center"|Robert Grace||align="center"|1553||align="center"|1576||align="center"|
|-
|align="center"|Henry Lynney||align="center"|1576||align="center"|1578||align="center"|Vicar of St Martin's, Leicester 1578 – 1585.
|-
|align="center"|Thomas Hunt||align="center"|1578||align="center"|1595||align="center"|
|-
|align="center"|--- Barlowe||align="center"|---||align="center"|---||align="center"|Recorded as Vicar in 1601
|-
|align="center"|Michael Crosley||align="center"|1612||align="center"|1642||align="center"|
|-
|align="center"|John Bennet||align="center"| – ||align="center"|1662||align="center"|Ejected 1662. Licensed as a Nonconformist 1672 at Littleover
|-
|align="center"|John Brentnall, BA||align="center"|1675||align="center"|1691||align="center"|Vicar of Elvaston cum Thurlston and Ambaston, 1691 – 1695; Vicar of Lockington 1695 – 1703.
|-
|align="center"|William Hunt, MA||align="center"|1691||align="center"|1700||align="center"|Rector of Coleorton, 1700 – 1727.
|-
|align="center"|William Ramser, BA||align="center"|1700||align="center"|1705||align="center"|
|-
|align="center"|John Hagger, BA||align="center"|1705||align="center"|1711||align="center"|Vicar of Cropwell Bishop, 1711 – 1735.
|-
|align="center"|William Banks, BA||align="center"|1711||align="center"|1715||align="center"|
|-
|align="center"|Charles Clarke, BA||align="center"|1715||align="center"|1736||align="center"|
|-
|align="center"|Charles Franke, MA||align="center"|1736||align="center"|1767||align="center"|
|-
|align="center"|Francis Harris, BA||align="center"|1767||align="center"|1819||align="center"|Longest serving Vicar of Whitwick – 51 years, 6 months
|-
|align="center"|Francis Merewether, MA||align="center"|1819||align="center"|1864||align="center"|Also Rector of Coleorton, 1815 – 1864. Founded churches at Coalville, Swannington and Thringstone
|-
|align="center"|Samuel Smith, DD||align="center"|1864||align="center"|1875||align="center"|Changed surname to Pyemont in 1869.
|-
|align="center"|Augustus Francis Tollemache, MA||align="center"|1875||align="center"|1894||align="center"|
|-
|align="center"|James Wilson Alexander Mackenzie, MA||align="center"|1894||align="center"|1913||align="center"|
|-
|align="center"|Thomas W. Walters, MA, RD||align="center"|1913||align="center"|1937||align="center"|
|-
|align="center"|Fredrick G. Hogarth, MA, RD||align="center"|1937||align="center"|1970||align="center"|
|-
|align="center"|Ralph E. Wheaton, Dip. Theology||align="center"|1971||align="center"|1981||align="center"|Rural Dean 1979–1981
|-
|align="center"|Peter S. Lawrie||align="center"|1981||align="center"|1996||align="center"|
|-
|align="center"|Deryck I. Charnock, Dip.HE Theology, ONC Business||align="center"|1998||align="center"|2006||align="center"|
|-
|align="center"|John Seaman, BA||align="center"|2008||align="center"|2012||align="center"|
|-
|align="center"|Alan Burgess||align="center"|2012||align="center"|2015||align="center"|
|-
|align="center"|Liz Angell, BA (Hons)||align="center"|2016||align="center"|2020||align="center"|First Woman Vicar of Whitwick
|}
Daughter churches and national school
thumb|right|Saint David's Church, Broom Leys – a daughter church of Whitwick
In the 19th and 20th centuries, new churches were built within the vast, ancient ecclesiastical parish of Whitwick as a result of population growth, all of which later came to serve independent parishes in their own right. Possibly more by coincidence than design, these daughter churches are dedicated respectively to the patron saints of Great Britain: St George's, Swannington was built in 1825; St Andrew's, Thringstone was built in 1862 and St David's, Broom Leys was founded in 1933. Christ Church, Coalville, was also formed partially out of Whitwick Parish in 1836, though the church here stands on land which was originally in the ancient parish of Ibstock, within the chapelry of Hugglescote.
The churches at Swannington, Coalville and Thringstone all owe their existence to the zealous missionary drive of the Reverend Francis Merewether MA (1784–1864), Vicar of Whitwick for more than fifty years, and also Rector of Coleorton. Merewether, a low church theologian who preached and wrote prolifically against Roman Catholicism, was also successful in getting national schools established in these outlying parts of the parish as well as in Whitwick itself. He left behind him a small empire of Anglican expansion, wrought in part by a desire to counteract the 'papist' revival that he perceived to be sweeping the district, at the instigation of Ambrose de Lisle of Grace Dieu Manor. Whitwick National School, a stone building in the Early English style still stands in the market place, now a Grade Two listed building. An extension to the school was provided in 1903, with access on silver street. The school was replaced later in the 20th century by a new Church of England school located at the foot of Parsonwood Hill. The old school is now used as a day nursery.
St David's, Broom Leys was for more than thirty years served by a small wooden church which had originally served as a chapel at the Mowsley Sanitorium near Market Harborough, Leicestershire and was brought over to its present site in sections and duly re-erected. This small structure still stands near the present day 'futuristic' church, work on which was commenced in 1964. The foundation stone (a piece of Welsh slate from St David's in West Wales and presented by the dean of that cathedral) was laid on 26 September 1964 in the presence of about five hundred people. Above the front entrance of the church is the figure of St David, cast in 'ciment fondu' and coated with a bronze resin. The bricks are a 'Blaby Grey' and the stonework was provided by the local Whitwick Quarry.
It was due to De Lisle that a Cistercian monastery, Mount St. Bernard Abbey, was established within the parish in 1835, and a church (designed by Pugin) was built on Parsonwood Hill in 1837.
In establishing his mission, De Lisle recruited a charismatic priest, Aloysius Gentili, from Rome, who arrived at Gracedieu in June 1840 and by May of the following year, De Lisle claimed that some five hundred and twenty persons had become converted to the catholic faith as a result of Gentilli's outreach.
Roman Catholic Priests of Whitwick
{| width=100% class="wikitable"
! width=10% | Dates of Office
! width=10% | Name of Incumbent
|-
|align="left"|1837–40||align="left"|Father Odilo Woolfrey (Mount St Barnard Abbey)
|-
|align="left"|1840–44||align="left"|Father S Whitaker
|-
|align="left"|1844–45||align="left"|Served from Mount St Bernard Abbey
|-
|align="left"|1845–48||align="left"|Oblates of Mary Immaculate
|-
|align="left"|1848–49||align="left"|Father F Signini (Institute of Charity)
|-
|align="left"|1849–50||Align="left"|Served from Mount St Bernard Abbey
|-
|align="left"|1850–52||Align="left"|Father N Lorraine (Institute of Charity)
|-
|align="left"|1852–59||align="left"|Served from Mount St Bernard Abbey
|-
|align="left"|1859–65||align="left"|Father G Bent
|-
|align="left"|1865–95||align="left"|Father A Van Paemal
|-
|align="left"|1895–98||align="left"|Father J Jackson
|-
|align="left"|1899–1934||align="left"|Canon M J O'Reilly
|-
|align="left"|1934–56||align="left"|Mgr Canon H A Hunt
|-
|align="left"|1956–79||align="left"|Mgr Canon A Bird
|-
|align="left"|1979–84||align="left"|Father P J Neary
|-
|align="left"|1984–90||align="left"|Father T J Godley
|-
|align="left"|1990–2001||align="left"|Father M J Bell
|-
|align="left"|2001–22||align="left"|Father J Cahill
|-
|align="left"|2022 – Present||align="left"|Father Gabriel Offor
|-
|}
Local public houses
thumb|[[Three Horseshoes, Whitwick|The Three Horseshoes]]
In Whitwick there has been, at one time or another, thirty-nine licensed establishments, either an Inn, Public House, Hostelry or Social Club. Most have now closed and even been demolished. Below is an itemised list of the establishments:
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Premises
!Status
!Location
!Opened
!Closed
!Notes
|-
|The Abbey Inn
|Demolished
|Cademen Street
|
|1911
|Now the site of grass and a bench.
|-
|The Beaumont Arms "Uncle Toms Cabin"
Whitwick Working Mens Club & Institute (1920)
<br />Whitwick Snooker & Social Club
|Closed
|Market Place
|1830
|2009
|Demolished & replaced by a Coop Village shop
|-
|The Black Horse
|Trading
|Church Lane
|
|No
|
|-
|The Blacksmiths Arms
|Demolished
|Hall Lane, Barn End Corner
|
|1908
|Now grass and path.
|-
|The Boot Inn
|Converted
|Silver Street
|1836
|1913
|Converted to a take-away; The Whitty Fish then Whitwick Spice now Doner Master Kebab Takeaway.
|-
|The Bulls Head
|Trading
|Warren Hills Road, Abbots Oak
|
|No
|
|-
|The Castle Inn "Patsy Griffin's"
|Converted
|Castle Street
|
|1970
|Converted to private residence
|-
|The Cricketers Arms
|Demolished
|Leicester Road
|
|1908
|Now No.18
|-
|The Crown and Cushion "Thripneys'"
|Converted
|Silver Street
|
|2002
|Converted to private residence
|-
|The Crown and Cushion
|Demolished
|South Street
|1836
|1923
|demolished c. 1970, now private drives. One of the last landlords of the establishment was Aston Villa F.C. footballer, Michael Noon, who played for the team 1899–1906.
|-
|The Duke of Newcastle
|Demolished
|North Street
|
|c1985
|Now Pare's Close.
|-
|The Duke of York
|Demolished
|Leicester Road
|
|1929
|Now a retirement home next to the fish shop.
|-
|The Forest Rock Hotel
|Converted
|Leicester Road
|
|
|One of the oldest hostelries in the area and had its own cricket team Whitwick Forest Rock. Converted into the Forest Rock Offices
|-
|The Foresters Arms
|Closed
|Leicester Road
|
|2009
|Converted to private residence
|-
|The Hare and Hounds "Mary's House"
|Trading
|City of Three Waters
|
|No
|
|-
|The Hastings Arms
|Demolished
|Market Place
|
|1961
|Now the site of a Carpet Shop
|-
|The Hermitage Inn
|Converted
|Hermitage Road
|
|1905
|Converted to private residence
|-
|The Hermitage Hotel
|Demolished
|Hermitage Road
|1905
|1967
|Demolished due to subsidence, now No.107.
|-
|The Jolly Colliers
|Closed
|Thornborough Road, Thornborough
|
|Yes
|Currently a hand car wash site
|-
|The Kings Arms "Mother Goose's"
|Trading
|Silver Street
|
|No
|Closed during 2023 and re-opened Summer 2024
|-
|The Lady Jane
|Trading
|Hall Lane
|
|No
|The newest built pub in the area.
|-
|The Liberal Club
North Street Working Mens Club
|Closed
|North Street
|1888
|2023
|Converted into flats
|-
|The Man Within Compass "Rag and Mop"
|Trading
|Loughborough Road
|
|No
|
|-
|The Marquis of Granby
|Demolished
|Cademan Street
|
|
|Now the entrance of King Richards Hill. A popular name in the area at the time as a tribute to General John Manners, whom favoured some soldiers and rewarded them with funds to invest into inns upon their retirement.
|-
|The New Inn "Tommy Potter's"
|Demolished
|Brooks Lane
|
|1934
|Demolished in 1934 for road clearance at the junction.
|-
|The Oak of Whitwick (1998)
The Beavers Lodge "The Pink Pig" (1983 )
|Closed
|Talbot Street
|
|Now planned to be demolished & replaced by housing
|The replacement of the original Prince of Wales.
|-
|The Prince of Wales
|Demolished
|Talbot Street
|
|
|The building was demolished and rebuilt further away from the roadside.
|-
|The Queens Head
|Demolished
|Thornborough Road
|
|
|
|-
|The Joiners Arms
The Railway Hotel (1882)
|Converted
|South Street
|
|1965
|The Railway Hotel was built on top of the Joiners arms, literally. The original building forms the basement level for the structure, which was increased when the road level was raised for the construction of the Charnwood Forest Railway. Now an estate agents.
|-
|The Royal George
|Demolished
|North Street
|
|1913
|Now a grassy area.
|-
|The Talbot Arms
|Converted
|Talbot Street
|
|1931
|Converted to private residence
|-
|The Three Crowns Inn
The Three Crowns Hotel (1881)
|Closed
|Market Place
|
|No
|Converted to flats and a retail unit/bar but as Nov 25 retail/bar unit not let.
|-
|The Three Horseshoes "Polly Burtons"
|Trading
|Leicester Road
|
|No
|Grade II listed building, CAMRA listed.
|-
|The Victoria Hotel "Vic Bikers Pub"
|Trading
|Whitwick Road
|
|No
|
|-
|The Wagon and Horses
|Demolished
|Church Lane
|
|1985
|Demolished in 1985 for road clearance, this pub was actually adjoined to The Black Horse.
|-
|The White Hart
|Converted
|Dumps Lane
|
|
|Converted to private residence
|-
|The White Horse
|Trading
|Market Place
|
|No
|Originally a farm house. Footballer Frank Middleton, Landlord from 1916 to 1928, had played for Derby County F.C (1901–1906) and Leicester Fosse (1906–1909).
|-
|Whitwick & Thringstone Conservative Club
Whitwick Constitutional Club (1925)
|Trading
|Silver Street
|1897
|No
|Originally a private residence.
|}
Local government
In the 2007 North West Leicestershire District Council elections, the British National Party won both Hugglescote and Whitwick – the first seats to be won by the BNP in Leicestershire and Whitwick gained its first Conservative councillor. As of October 2024 the Councillors for Whitwick are currently Peter Moult (Labour); Tony Gillard (Conservative) and Anthony Barker(Labour).
It is represented at the county level by Councillor Joseph Boam, who was elected to Leicestershire County Council for the Whitwick division in 2025 as a member of Reform UK.
Following a campaign by local people, the District Council carried out a community governance review and made an Order on 12 May 2010 to set up the new Parish Council. Whitwick Parish Council held its Inaugural Meeting on 18 May 2011.
Mount St Bernard and Gracedieu
Mount St. Bernard Abbey, a Cistercian monastery was established in 1835 in the parish of Whitwick on the Charnwood Forest.
The current monastery was designed by the famous architect Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin, best known for his work on the Houses of Parliament.
In 1840, a hoard of two thousand Roman coins was discovered during ploughing operations at the monastery.
Gracedieu Vineyard is south facing and was established in 1995 in Charnwood Forest. Its 'Green Man' wine is based on the Madeleine Angevine grape.
Notable residents
- Thomas Elsdon Ashford – Recipient of the Victoria Cross.
- Anne Macnaghten (1908-2000), classical violinist and teacher, born in Whitwick
Freedom of the Parish
The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Parish of Whitwick.
Individuals
- Sandy Flamson: 14 February 2023.
References
External links
- Whitwick Parish Church
- Whitwick Historical Group
- Whitwick Parish Council