Dosthill is an area of Tamworth,

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

, 2.5 miles south of the town centre, and close to the River Tame. The area is mostly residential, centering on Dosthill High Street, with local employment on the adjoining Tame Valley Industrial Estate. The High Street includes a public house called 'The Fox' and Dosthill Primary Schoo
(photo)
which dates back to 1887.

Etymology

The name ''Dosthill'' is first attested in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

of 1086, in the form ''Dercelai''. The next attestations, more representative of subsequent examples, are ''Dercetehull'' and ''Dercetehille'', found from 1195 into the thirteenth century. It has been proposed that the whole name originated in

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

, comprising the words ("deer-shelter") and ("hill"). But twenty-first-century scholarship has preferred the explanation that the first part of the name comes from the

Common Brittonic Common Brittonic (; ; ), also known as British, Common Brythonic, or Proto-Brittonic, is a Celtic language historically spoken in Britain and Brittany from which evolved the later and modern Brittonic languages. It is a form of Insular Cel ...

words that survive in modern Welsh as ("oaks") and ("woodland"), referring to the adjacent wolds. This Brittonic name, thought to be found also in Avon Dasset and Burton Dasset was then extended by Old English-speakers with the element ''hyll''.

History

Dosthill is a small ancient hamlet and is mentioned in the Domesday Book. It has quickly grown in size up until recent centuries, when a large number of housing developments have been constructed. The area will continue to grow in size in the near future, with many more planning proposals in the pipeline and the area becoming more desirable to young families. Dosthill School was 125 years old in 2012 Until 1965 Dosthill was a village in the county of

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 ...

, associated with the larger village of Kingsbury, Warwickshire some three miles to the south. The county boundaries were altered in that year partly to accommodate the expanding town of

Tamworth, Staffordshire Tamworth (, ) is a market town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Staffordshire, England, north-east of Birmingham. The town borders North Warwickshire to the east and south, Lichfield District, Lichfield to the north, south- ...

and Dosthill became part of that town, moving into

by default. The nearby hamlet of Whateley remained in Warwickshire. The county boundary is now at the southern edge of the village. Originally most of the buildings in the area were agricultural. In the late 18th and 19th centuries the village was developed with the building of a number of farms and cottages. By the 20th century Dosthill had been transformed into a coalmining and brick making village. There are 2 important historical buildings in the village which form part of a conservation area. The oldest building is Dosthill Chapel, which is a Norman building that dates from the 12th century, but has some later additional architectural features. The building is now used as a Sunday school, day nursery and parish room. Cruck Bern is one of the most important timber-framed buildings in the area and dates from the 15th century. In 1870 St. Paul's Church was opened and replaced Dosthill Chapel as the principal place of worship. The building was designed by Edward Holmes of Birmingham. The church continues to be a functioning parish church. The foundation stone was laid by Farmer Cheatle, a member of one of the main four original families of Dosthill. The other three families are the Laytons, Tolsons and Tromans, descendants of whom still live in the village today. Dosthill Hall is also a building of historic significance. It is a Georgian mansion originally owned by the Tolson family. Some people have linked Dosthill Hall with Sir Robert Peel but Sir Robert Peel or the Peel family neither lived at Dosthill Hall nor ever owned it. The building and grounds have now been restored and converted into a number of apartments.

Leisure

Dosthill is a popular place for

scuba diver Scuba, originally SCUBA, often expanded to scuba set, is any self contained underwater breathing apparatus, a source of breathing gas used for underwater diving which is carried by the diver. Scuba may also refer to: * Scuba diving Scuba ...

s, water skiers and

bird watchers Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device such as binoculars or a telescope, ...

. A former

quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mining, open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock (geology), rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some juri ...

is now a diving centre and is considered to be the oldest inland dive site in the country.Dive In Centre
/ref> The quarry site consists of several submerged features for divers to explore, including numerous vans, caravans and other vehicles. There are also some good diving platforms for training. No other water activities such as fishing, water skiing, or the use of speed boats or jet skis are allowed on this site. Greenhill Close was named after Florence Greenhill, a local nurse and midwife, who became known for delivering babies while bombs fell around her and her patients. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

she served for a time on Tamworth Town Council. Dosthill Lake is home to the West Midlands Water Ski Centre and has been designated as a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) due to its winter waterfowl populations, swamp vegetation and marshy grassland. From 2020 it is part of Dosthill Park Local Nature Reserve. A

public right of way A right of way (also right-of-way) is a specific route that people, animals, vehicles, watercraft, or utility lines travel, or the legal status that gives them the right to do so. Rights-of-way in the physical sense include controlled-access h ...

to Middleton Lakes RSPB reserve, west of the river (and mostly in

) exists, but the public bridge over the river collapsed and in 2016 was replaced close to the same site. Some pools east of the river are also part of the reserve.

References

External links

Tamworth Borough Council
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North Warwickshire Borough Council
{{authority control Villages in Staffordshire Areas of Tamworth, Staffordshire Staffordshire places with etymologically Brittonic names

Etymology

History

Leisure

See also

References

External links