Barwell
Encyclopedia
Barwell is a civil parish and large village
in Leicestershire
, England
, with a population of around 8,750 people. The name literally translates as "Stream of the Boar" and is said to originate from a boar that used to drink from the well near a brook in Barwell. It was originally known as Borewell, but later became "Barwell", the name in use today. The brook is now called the River Tweed a tributary of the River Trent
.
The village has two churches; Barwell Methodist Church
in Chapel Street, and St. Mary's Parish Church
in Church Lane. St. Mary's Parish is a 13th century church that was built in 1220. It has an interesting board at the back of the church which lists all of the rector
s up to the present day, beginning with William in 1209.
The village has successful football and cricket teams and also a large popular indoor bowling complex.
The Queens Head is the oldest public house and second oldest building in the village. In 1902 the pub was owned by a lady named "Sarah Ann Powers" and later by the Haines family. In recent years, the old pub roof has naturally deformed so that it is no longer straight. In the 1980s the front of the building was completely restored and returned to its original style after years of Victorian style black and white.
, a rich and powerful magnate who had fought alongside Canute in his wars against Wessex
. In old English
, "wella" is the word for stream and "bar" the name for boar, and so this clearing in the woods was known in the Saxon tongue as Barwelle. In 1043, Earl Leofric and his wife, Godiva, established a Benedictine Abbey at Coventry and gave the Abbot and his twenty-four attendant monks, lands for their upkeep. Barwelle, along with nineteen other villages passed into the domains of the Abbot of Coventry
.
Following the Norman Conquest, Barwelle was still held by the Abbey of Coventry. By 1086, there were 14 villagers with a priest, and 3 smallholders with 2 ploughs; a plough being a plot of land that can be cultivated by one team of oxen. There was a meadow 1 furlong by 1 furlong (201 by 201 m) in size and woodland 3 furlongs by 1 league (604 by 5556 m). The value of which was 30 shillings (£1.50).
The manor of Barwell which is described in Domesday Book as "ancient demesne", was later given to Hugh de Hastings, a steward and favourite of Henry I, and held in fee along with many other local manors from the priory of Coventry for the service of a single knight’s fee.
In 1564 there were 48 families living in Barwell, according to a church census.
In 1579, a philosopher named Morgan Phelps helped local villagers to build a three-storey building used to create shelter for the elderly. The building remained intact for over 50 years before being knocked down to create room for vegetation patches.
John Nichols describes an interesting tale of a wych-elm called "The Spreading Tree" or "Captain Shenton's tree" (pg. 476). As recounted, Captain Shenton who served in the royalist army returned to his house at Barwell with several other officers after the battle of Worcester. Hearing that the parliamentarians were looking for him he sank his portmanteau and valuables in the moat which surrounded the house, and sought refuge in the tree. Despite being close enough to overhear his enemies discussing the price on his head the bold Captain Shenton escaped capture and kept his estate, passing it on through his daughters. The tree was apparently held sacred for many years by the Powers family for preserving their ancestor.
In June, 1646 the inhabitants of Barwell and surrounding villages made several submissions to the county committee for losses and free quarter from the local parliamentary garrisons. In June, 1646 Mr Gearey from Barwell claimed that Captain Ottaway from hellothe Coventry garrison took a gelding worth five founds and that William Capenkwist and Thomas Bacon, his servants, had taken a mare worth one pound (Exchequer SP 28/161).
After a long and confusing list of owners, the manor of Barwell was purchased in 1660 by a certain John Oneby. Barwell was well known for its market gardeners that traditionally supplied the Leicester market with fresh produce. Nichols provides an interesting illustration of the church and its adjoining parsonage house (p. 477) pulled down in 1746 and rebuilt.
Until recent times, Barwell, together with neighbouring Earl Shilton
, was a centre for shoe
production in the East Midlands. The area is also known for hosiery
, especially in nearby Hinckley
.
were the site of a meteor
event when, on Christmas Eve 1965, the villages were showered with fragments, that when combined, were about the size of a traditional Christmas turkey
. Fortunately, no one was hurt, although some minor damage to buildings and property occurred.
One meteorite went though a front of a car destroying the engine. When the owner of the car attempted to claim on his insurance company, they replied that it was an "Act of God" and would not pay. Outraged the owner went to the priest of the local church and asked for the money saying, "If it was an Act of God, the Church should pay for his car." The owner never received any money to repair his car.
Professor Sylvester-Bradley, Geology Dept Leicester University, confirmed that the fragments were from a chondrite
and appealed for further specimens. Locals were requested not to wash any pieces found but to wrap them in newspaper and hand in at the local police station.
A piece of the meteorite is on display at the Herbert Museum, Coventry
.
Some of the larger football teams in the village include Barwell Football Club, but also Hinckley United Football Club
currently plays at De Montfort Park
to the south of the village.
Harvey House is a local care home with 40 places for elderly and disabled persons. Unfortunately as part of a larger package, [Leicestershire County Council] is trying to sell off the house, and if this falls through the care home may be closed. There is currently a lot of opposition locally to the closure which, it is feared, will result in vulnerable people being left with nowhere to live.
grew up in the village. Fiona Pilkington was driven to suicide here with her severely-disabled daughter in 2007.
Nevertheless Barwell still retains several industry estates including Dawsons Lane, Stapleton Lane and the larger Moat Way which ostensibly specialise in warehousing and distribution. Examples include the parcel company Crowfoots Carriers employing around 100 people, Bachmann Industries Europe
who design products locally, but have them manufactured in China by their parent company, Kader Industries.
Some smaller and specialist manufacturers still remain such as Labelsco who produces labels for the pharmaceutical industry.
Churches
Community Groups
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
, 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...
, with a population of around 8,750 people. The name literally translates as "Stream of the Boar" and is said to originate from a boar that used to drink from the well near a brook in Barwell. It was originally known as Borewell, but later became "Barwell", the name in use today. The brook is now called the River Tweed a tributary of the River Trent
River Trent
The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent...
.
The village has two churches; Barwell Methodist Church
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
in Chapel Street, and St. Mary's Parish Church
Parish 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....
in Church Lane. St. Mary's Parish is a 13th century church that was built in 1220. It has an interesting board at the back of the church which lists all of the rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
s up to the present day, beginning with William in 1209.
The village has successful football and cricket teams and also a large popular indoor bowling complex.
The Queens Head is the oldest public house and second oldest building in the village. In 1902 the pub was owned by a lady named "Sarah Ann Powers" and later by the Haines family. In recent years, the old pub roof has naturally deformed so that it is no longer straight. In the 1980s the front of the building was completely restored and returned to its original style after years of Victorian style black and white.
History
It was on the lands of Leofric, Earl of MerciaLeofric, Earl of Mercia
Leofric was the Earl of Mercia and founded monasteries at Coventry and Much Wenlock. Leofric is remembered as the husband of Lady Godiva.-Life and political influence:...
, a rich and powerful magnate who had fought alongside Canute in his wars against Wessex
Wessex
The Kingdom of Wessex or Kingdom of the West Saxons was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the West Saxons, in South West England, from the 6th century, until the emergence of a united English state in the 10th century, under the Wessex dynasty. It was to be an earldom after Canute the Great's conquest...
. In old English
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
, "wella" is the word for stream and "bar" the name for boar, and so this clearing in the woods was known in the Saxon tongue as Barwelle. In 1043, Earl Leofric and his wife, Godiva, established a Benedictine Abbey at Coventry and gave the Abbot and his twenty-four attendant monks, lands for their upkeep. Barwelle, along with nineteen other villages passed into the domains of the Abbot of Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
.
Following the Norman Conquest, Barwelle was still held by the Abbey of Coventry. By 1086, there were 14 villagers with a priest, and 3 smallholders with 2 ploughs; a plough being a plot of land that can be cultivated by one team of oxen. There was a meadow 1 furlong by 1 furlong (201 by 201 m) in size and woodland 3 furlongs by 1 league (604 by 5556 m). The value of which was 30 shillings (£1.50).
The manor of Barwell which is described in Domesday Book as "ancient demesne", was later given to Hugh de Hastings, a steward and favourite of Henry I, and held in fee along with many other local manors from the priory of Coventry for the service of a single knight’s fee.
In 1564 there were 48 families living in Barwell, according to a church census.
In 1579, a philosopher named Morgan Phelps helped local villagers to build a three-storey building used to create shelter for the elderly. The building remained intact for over 50 years before being knocked down to create room for vegetation patches.
John Nichols describes an interesting tale of a wych-elm called "The Spreading Tree" or "Captain Shenton's tree" (pg. 476). As recounted, Captain Shenton who served in the royalist army returned to his house at Barwell with several other officers after the battle of Worcester. Hearing that the parliamentarians were looking for him he sank his portmanteau and valuables in the moat which surrounded the house, and sought refuge in the tree. Despite being close enough to overhear his enemies discussing the price on his head the bold Captain Shenton escaped capture and kept his estate, passing it on through his daughters. The tree was apparently held sacred for many years by the Powers family for preserving their ancestor.
In June, 1646 the inhabitants of Barwell and surrounding villages made several submissions to the county committee for losses and free quarter from the local parliamentary garrisons. In June, 1646 Mr Gearey from Barwell claimed that Captain Ottaway from hellothe Coventry garrison took a gelding worth five founds and that William Capenkwist and Thomas Bacon, his servants, had taken a mare worth one pound (Exchequer SP 28/161).
After a long and confusing list of owners, the manor of Barwell was purchased in 1660 by a certain John Oneby. Barwell was well known for its market gardeners that traditionally supplied the Leicester market with fresh produce. Nichols provides an interesting illustration of the church and its adjoining parsonage house (p. 477) pulled down in 1746 and rebuilt.
Until recent times, Barwell, together with neighbouring Earl Shilton
Earl Shilton
Earl Shilton is a small town in Leicestershire, England, some from Hinckley and about 10 miles from Leicester, with a population of around 9,000 .-History:...
, was a centre for shoe
Shoe
A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot while doing various activities. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from culture to culture, with appearance originally being tied to function...
production in the East Midlands. The area is also known for hosiery
Hosiery
Hosiery, also referred to as legwear, describes garments worn directly on the feet and legs. The term originated as the collective term for products of which a maker or seller is termed a hosier; and those products are also known generically as hose...
, especially in nearby Hinckley
Hinckley
Hinckley is a town in southwest Leicestershire, England. It has a population of 43,246 . It is administered by Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council...
.
Barwell meteorite
Barwell and neighbouring Earl ShiltonEarl Shilton
Earl Shilton is a small town in Leicestershire, England, some from Hinckley and about 10 miles from Leicester, with a population of around 9,000 .-History:...
were the site of a meteor
METEOR
METEOR is a metric for the evaluation of machine translation output. The metric is based on the harmonic mean of unigram precision and recall, with recall weighted higher than precision...
event when, on Christmas Eve 1965, the villages were showered with fragments, that when combined, were about the size of a traditional Christmas turkey
Turkey (bird)
A turkey is a large bird in the genus Meleagris. One species, Meleagris gallopavo, commonly known as the Wild Turkey, is native to the forests of North America. The domestic turkey is a descendant of this species...
. Fortunately, no one was hurt, although some minor damage to buildings and property occurred.
One meteorite went though a front of a car destroying the engine. When the owner of the car attempted to claim on his insurance company, they replied that it was an "Act of God" and would not pay. Outraged the owner went to the priest of the local church and asked for the money saying, "If it was an Act of God, the Church should pay for his car." The owner never received any money to repair his car.
Professor Sylvester-Bradley, Geology Dept Leicester University, confirmed that the fragments were from a chondrite
Chondrite
Chondrites are stony meteorites that have not been modified due to melting or differentiation of the parent body. They formed when various types of dust and small grains that were present in the early solar system accreted to form primitive asteroids...
and appealed for further specimens. Locals were requested not to wash any pieces found but to wrap them in newspaper and hand in at the local police station.
A piece of the meteorite is on display at the Herbert Museum, Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
.
Community facilities
The local council launched a Community House in 2009 to help tackle anti-social behaviour. As part of the scheme, the House hosts a number of events throughout the year.Some of the larger football teams in the village include Barwell Football Club, but also Hinckley United Football Club
Hinckley United F.C.
Hinckley United Football Club are an English football club, from Hinckley, Leicestershire currently playing in the Conference North. Formed only in 1997, the club has risen from the Southern League Midland/West Division to the Conference North in those 14 years...
currently plays at De Montfort Park
De Montfort Park
De Montfort Park is the home of Hinckley United, an English football club from Hinckley, Leicestershire. The club currently plays in the Conference North....
to the south of the village.
Harvey House is a local care home with 40 places for elderly and disabled persons. Unfortunately as part of a larger package, [Leicestershire County Council] is trying to sell off the house, and if this falls through the care home may be closed. There is currently a lot of opposition locally to the closure which, it is feared, will result in vulnerable people being left with nowhere to live.
Future expansion
There are currently plans to expand Barwell to the north and west with a Sustainable Urban Extension (SUE), which will see approximately 2,500 new dwellings being built. It is hoped that this will have a major impact in the area, with the aim to regenerate some of the more deprived areas of the village.Famous inhabitants
The early American printer William Bradford was born here. Wigan Athletic and former Liverpool and Coventry City goalkeeper Chris KirklandChris Kirkland
Christopher Edmund "Chris" Kirkland is an English footballer who currently plays as a goalkeeper for Wigan Athletic in the Premier League. He also has one cap for the England national team....
grew up in the village. Fiona Pilkington was driven to suicide here with her severely-disabled daughter in 2007.
Industry
Between the 19th and late 20th centuries, Barwell was a busy industrial village consisting of numerous Shoe, Hosiery and Knitwear factories. These once large factories have all ceased trading. Competitive pressure from abroad was partly responsible. other factors included the 1965 Credit Squeeze which affected shoe and hosiery firms.Nevertheless Barwell still retains several industry estates including Dawsons Lane, Stapleton Lane and the larger Moat Way which ostensibly specialise in warehousing and distribution. Examples include the parcel company Crowfoots Carriers employing around 100 people, Bachmann Industries Europe
Bachmann Branchline
Bachmann Branchline is a brand name of Bachmann Industries used for British outline 00 gauge model railways.Bachmann, a US company founded in 1835, was purchased by Kader Industries in 1987. Kader had previously produced models for Palitoy under the 'Mainline' brand...
who design products locally, but have them manufactured in China by their parent company, Kader Industries.
Some smaller and specialist manufacturers still remain such as Labelsco who produces labels for the pharmaceutical industry.
External links
Churches
Community Groups