Over Whitacre
Encyclopedia
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
in the North Warwickshire
North Warwickshire
North Warwickshire is a local government district and borough in Warwickshire, England. The main town in the district is Atherstone where the council is based...
district of the county of Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
in 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...
.
It is one of 'The Whitacres' – Over Whitacre, Nether Whitacre
Nether Whitacre
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...
and Whitacre Heath
Whitacre Heath
Whitacre Heath is a small village in the North Warwickshire district of the county of Warwickshire in England.It is one of 'The Whitacres' - Whitacre Heath, Nether Whitacre and Over Whitacre. Whitacre Heath is actually the heath of Nether Whitacre and not a separate parish.Whitacre Heath is newer...
, although Whitacre heath is actually the heath of Nether Whitacre and not a separate parish.
The hamlet appears in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
so it was already established in the Saxon period. However, objects belonging to much earlier Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
and Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron 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. The 18th century parish church of St Leonards is situated on the main road between 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...
and Tamworth
Tamworth
Tamworth is a town and local government district in Staffordshire, England, located north-east of Birmingham city centre and north-west of London. The town takes its name from the River Tame, which flows through the town, as does the River Anker...
(the B4098 or old A51
A51 road
The A51 is a road in England running from Kingsbury in Warwickshire to Chester. The road follows the following route:*Kingsbury*Tamworth*Lichfield*Rugeley *Little Haywood*Great Haywood*Weston*Sandon...
). It is of classical Italian style, built in 1766 on the site of an earlier foundation. Two of the oldest buildings in the parish are Barbers Farm, dating to 1586 and The Bothie at Botts Green.
The village today is mainly residential and agricultural, but there is some light industry.
The nearby hamlet of Furnace End
Furnace End
Furnace End is a hamlet in the North Warwickshire district of the county of Warwickshire in England. It is located on the B4114 road where the road intersects with the B4098 about half way between the market towns of Coleshill and Atherstone. Other nearby places include Nether Whitacre, Over...
probably derives its name from iron smelting furnaces owned by the Jennens of Nether Whitacre
Nether Whitacre
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...
.