Old Whittington
| Old Whittington | |
  Old Whittington |
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| OS grid reference | SK3874 |
|---|---|
| District | Chesterfield |
| Shire county | Derbyshire |
| Region | East Midlands |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CHESTERFIELD |
| Postcode district | S41 |
| Dialling code | 01246 |
| Police | Derbyshire |
| Fire | Derbyshire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| EU Parliament | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament | Chesterfield |
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Coordinates: 53°16′N 1°26′W / 53.26°N 1.43°W
Old Whittington is a village in Derbyshire and 2 miles (3.2 km) north (and a suburb) of Chesterfield and is/ 10 miles (16 km) south-east of Sheffield. The village lies on the River Rother.
Population in 1901 was 9416.[1] The parish church of St Bartholomew was restored after its destruction by fire, except for the tower and spire, in 1895. The town manufactured stoneware bottles, other earthenware and bricks. There were also coal mines and ironworks.
Early history
Old Whittington is mentioned in the Domesday Book on the first folio for Derbyshire where it is then spelt Witintune. The book says[2] under the title of 'The lands of the King':[3]
In Newbold with six berewicks - Old Whittington, Brimington, Tapton, Chesterfield, Boythorpe, Eckington - there are six carucates and one bovate to the geld. There is land for six ploughs. There the king has 16 villeins and one slave having four ploughs. To this manor belong eight acres of meadow. There is woodland pasture three leagues long and three leagues broad. TRE[4] worth £6 now £10“
The school
A free school was founded here in 1674 which was endowed with lands which created an income of thirty two pounds and ten shillings. The school had about twenty pupils which included both boys and girls. Old whittington now has 3 schools, the primary school is called Mary Swanwick, the special school is called Holly House and the secondary school is called The Meadows Community School.[5]
Revolution House
Revolution House is a small stone cottage which is now a museum.[6] This was the meeting-place of the Earl of Danby, Mr. John D'Arcy and the Earl of Devonshire[6] when poor weather caused them to move their secret meeting inside. William Cavendish, the fourth Earl and later Duke of Devonshire lived nearby at Chatsworth House, which is still the home to the Cavendish family. John D'Arcy (or Darcy) was the fourth son of the Earl of Holderness.
This group devised the plans to extend the invitation to William of Orange in 1688, so that the Whig party brought about the fall of James II and the succession of the Protestant William III. This change in the monarchy came to be known as the Glorious Revolution.
The house was then a hostelry, known as the "Cock and Pynot".[7] The tiny museum today features period furnishings and exhibition of local interest.[8] There is a public house in Old Whittington which is called the Cock and Magpie. This public house was founded in 1790 when the old 'Cock and Pynot' was converted into a cottage.
The local vicar, Samuel Pegge, was amongst about fifty dignitaries who met at Revolution House in 1788 on the centennial of the "Glorious Revolution", while it was still an alehouse. The procession was led by the Duke of Devonshire, the Duchess and the Mayor of Chesterfield.[9]
St Bartholomew Church
The grade II listed St Bartholomew Church was built in 1869. This is the fourth church to occupy the site, the first been Norman church built circa 1140 AD.
Notable residents
Samuel Pegge (1704-1796), antiquary and vicar of Whittington and Heath for many years, was buried here. He was an antiquarian and published a number of books including republishing a very early cookery book, Forme of Cury.[10] Thomas Gascoyne, a record breaking cyclist who died in World War I was born here.
Transport
- Bus service is run by Stagecoach. Route 25 links to New Whittington and Holymoorside whilst routes 50 and 99 link to Chesterfield and Eckington and Sheffield.
References
- ↑ Encyclopaedia Britannica 1911
- ↑ Domesday Book: A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 2003. ISBN 0-14-143994-7 p.741
- ↑ The King held a number of Derbyshire manors. These included obviously Witintune, but also included lands in Wirksworth, Unstone and Weston-on-Trent
- ↑ TRE in Latin is Tempore Regis Edwardi. This means in the time of King Edward before the Battle of Hastings.
- ↑ Genuki accessed August 26th 2007
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Revolution House at Culture24.org.uk accessed November 22, 2009
- ↑ The local name for a magpie was a pynot.
- ↑ Whittington at Derbyshireuk.net accessed August 25, 2007
- ↑ Revolution House at PeakDistrictOnLine.co.uk accessed August 26th 2007
- ↑ Samuel Pegge at Dictionary of National Biography (1886) accessed online September 2007
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Old Whittington. |
- Revolution House - Chesterfield Museums