Priors Hardwick 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 Stratford district 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 ...

, England. The population of the civil parish as taken at the 2011 census was 172. The name derives from the fact that it was originally a manor belonging to the

Prior The term prior may refer to: * Prior (ecclesiastical), the head of a priory (monastery) * Prior convictions, the life history and previous convictions of a suspect or defendant in a criminal case * Prior probability, in Bayesian statistics * Prio ...

s of

Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...

History

The oldest houses in the village are centred on the village green, with The Butcher's Arms dated as 1562, although some sources place it back as far as 1375. The proximity to the drover's road known as the

Welsh Road The Welsh Road, also known as the Welshman's Road or the Bullock Road, was a drover's road running through the English Midlands, used for transporting cattle from North Wales to the markets of South East England. Drovers and their herds would fo ...

influenced the village and the naming of local landmarks. The

cattle drovers Droving is the practice of walking livestock over long distances. It is a type of herding, often associated with cattle, in which case it is a cattle drive (particularly in the US). Droving stock to market—usually on foot and often with the ...

used to water their animals at a pond outside the village, which resulted in it being named ''Cowpool''. This is unusual, since locally, such waterholes were named ''pits'', rather than the Welsh-derived name ''pool'' (pwyll). ''London End'' in the village, and various buildings with ''welsh'' in their name also derive from the closeness of the road. The original settlement is on the government's list of

Scheduled Ancient Monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

s with most of the village being enclosed in a Conservation Area. In 1831 the area of the parish was , which was reduced to some time between 1881 and 1891 In 1836 the village became part of the Southam

Poor Law In English and British history, poor relief refers to government and ecclesiastical action to relieve poverty. Over the centuries, various authorities have needed to decide whose poverty deserves relief and also who should bear the cost of hel ...

Union which ran a

workhouse In Britain and Ireland, a workhouse (, lit. "poor-house") was a total institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. In Scotland, they were usually known as Scottish poorhouse, poorh ...

in Southam. Until 1974, the parish belonged to the Southam Rural District.

Population

According to census information the population figures have been: * in 1831 there were 69 males aged over 20 * Total Population

Agriculture

In an 1801 survey the agricultural output of the parish was:

Occupations

In an 1831 study the following occupations were categorised:

Population

According to the 2001 census, the parish consists of 79 households with a population of 167 (80 males and 87 females). Of the 79 households, 63 were owner-occupied, 4 were rented from the council, and 12 were rented from a private landlord. 11 households had no car or van, 27 had one car or van, 23 had two and 18 had three or more. the mean population age was 43.88 and the median was 46. The average distance travelled to a fixed place of work was 24.25 km.

Landmarks

The major business in the village i
The Butcher's Arms
originally a pub, now a Portuguese restaurant. The Anglican parish church of St Mary is a Grade II* listed building, with parts dating from the 12th century. It is part o
the Bridges Group
of Parishes.

References

External links

Priors Hardwick village website

Windows on Warwickshire – Priors Hardwick pictures
{{authority control Villages in Warwickshire