Nether Whitacre
From Wikipedia, the free 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 spelt then as 'Witecore' which means white field.
The area has many stone built buildings of the 17th and 18th Centuries.
Whitacre Hall is a double moated 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 blacksmiths 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 1870’s restoration. The Parish Register dates from 1439, making it one of the earliest in the area.
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.
