Overseal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Overseal | |
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  Overseal shown within Derbyshire |
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| OS grid reference | |
|---|---|
| District | South Derbyshire |
| Shire county | Derbyshire |
| Region | East Midlands |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | SWADLINCOTE |
| Postcode district | DE12 |
| Police | Derbyshire |
| Fire | Derbyshire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| European Parliament | East Midlands |
| List of places: UK • England • Derbyshire | |
Overseal is situated 3 miles south of Swadlincote, in South Derbyshire. The village was once part of the district of Seal, which included quite a few settlements, many of which form Netherseal and Overseal in modern times. The “Seal” suggests the area was once heavily forested and Nether means ‘lower’ and Over means ‘upper’. The busy A444 passes straight through it.
Overseal is in the heart of the National Forest
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[edit] History
Over Seal, called also Little and Spital Seile, was one of the lordships given, in the reign of Henry III, by William de Meisham, in marriage with his daughter, to Wm. de Appleby, together with a park, a wood, and a mill, called Woodlandes. The services of this and another manor, the same Wm. de Meisham, about 1250, gave to Merevale Abbey, Warwickshire. A third manor was afterwards held by Lucian de Deserto, and a fourth by the Vernons, of Haddon, Derbyshire. But in the early part of the 13th century, all these manors were held under Wm. de Ferrariis, Earl of Derby. In 1205, a curious agreement was made between Lucian of "Scheyl Minor" and the rector, respecting the maintenance of a resident chaplain, on his estate, to celebrate mass in the chapel there, three days a-week. In the 16th century, Sir Wm. Gresley, of Drakelowe, bought this manor, and in the following century, it passed to the Morewoods, of Netherseal.
Overseal was said to be the population centre of Britain in 1971 with an equal number of people living south as north of it and similarly for east and west.[1]
[edit] Annual Gala
- Every year sees a gala one afternoon in July. This includes a parade of floats which is led by the Gala King and Queen and their attendants.[2]
[edit] Notable residents
- Joseph Wilkes, industrialist, was born here in 1733[3]
