Witherley is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the

Hinckley and Bosworth Hinckley and Bosworth is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district with borough status in Leicestershire, England. The council is based in Hinckley, the largest town. The borough also includes the town of Earl Shilton and numerous v ...

district of

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...

, England.OS Explorer Map 232 : Nuneaton & Tamworth: (1:25 000) : The civil parish of Witherley includes Atterton, Fenny Drayton, and

Ratcliffe Culey Ratcliffe Culey is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Witherley, in the Hinckley and Bosworth district, in Leicestershire, England, near the county boundary with Warwickshire. In 1931 the parish had a population of 184. The ...

as well as the village of Witherley itself. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 1,373.

Location

Witherley is situated in the far west of Leicestershire. The

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...

-Leicestershire border runs parallel to the parish boundary, along the

River Anker The River Anker flows through Nuneaton, England. It is a major tributary of the River Tame, which it joins in Tamworth. The name derives from the old British for ''winding river''. From source to river mouth at Tamworth is . Course The river ...

to the west and the A5 to the south. The village centre is less than 2 miles from the town of

Atherstone Atherstone is a market town and civil parish in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England. Located in the far north of the county, Atherstone is on the A5 national route, and is adjacent to the border with Leicestershire which ...

and 1 mile from the village of

Mancetter Mancetter is a village and civil parish in North Warwickshire, England, where Watling Street crosses the River Anker. The population was 2,339 at the 2011 census. It is contiguous with the town of Atherstone, on the B4111 road towards Hartshil ...

Village features

One of its significant features is the church of St Peter, noted for its tall steeple, /157.4 ft high. The village school, Witherley Church of England Primary School, is located next to the church. Usually, children attending the school will transfer to Market Bosworth School at the appropriate age. Other notable attributes are the River Anker that runs alongside the border of Witherley, The Old House B&B and the Blue Lion public house located in the center of the village.

History

Proximity to the county border meant that parliamentary troops from the Warwickshire garrisons made several visits to Witherley and Atterton during the Civil War. A list of claims for losses and "free quarter" to the Warwickshire county committee in June, 1646 includes a claim for free quarter for a hundred men and horse under the command of Captain Levell and Captain Astewe from Colonel Purefoy's regiment of the Coventry garrison, estimated to be worth £9. Mr Lloyd, the rector, charged Captain Ottway's lieutenant for four horses and mares worth £13.6.8, and for three heifers worth £7.10. In 1650 this same Robert Lloyd was "sequestered" and forced to pay a fine in 1650 as a ‘malignant’ or for neglecting his duties (it is not certain exactly which as few details of his offences are provided). William King claimed that Captain Flower's men had taken a horse worth 5s and John King claimed for a saddle worth 8s taken by Captain Flower's lieutenant and asked for £2 for quartering about forty soldiers from Coventry. The Astley garrison also plundered the villages, leading to a claim for forced requisitioning including the "carriage of a load of hay from Hartshill Leaz to Astley House" worth £1, and the carriage of 14 loads of hay worth £2.6.8. Francis Orton claimed he was taken prisoner by Lieutenant Hunt of Astley about Michaelmas, 1643 and forced to pay £1.13.4 for his release. The constable of the parish claimed 12s 9d for provender. John Mason senior wanted compensation for his gelding, worth £2.10 taken by Lieutenant Hunt to Astley and William King for a mare worth £2.13.4. (Exchequer accounts, SP 28/161)

Notable people

* Kay Alexander, former

BBC Midlands Today ''BBC Midlands Today'' is the BBC's regional television news News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different Media (communication), media: word of mouth, printing, Mail, postal systems, broadcasti ...

broadcaster

References

External links

Witherley on leicestershirevillages.comatherstoneforum
Witherley and Atherstone online forums
Atherstone Organised
Includes nearby Witherley. News, property, jobs, photos. {{authority control Villages in Leicestershire Civil parishes in Leicestershire Hinckley and Bosworth