North Wheatley
| North Wheatley | |
| Nottinghamshire | |
|---|---|
 Church of St. Peter and St. Paul's | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SK762857 |
| Location: | 53°21’44"N, 0°51’23"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 509 (2011) |
| Post town: | Retforrd |
| Postcode: | DN22 |
| Dialling code: | 01427 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Bassetlaw |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Bassetlaw |
| Website: | North and South Wheatley Villages |
North Wheatley is a village in northern Nottinghamshire, standing six miles north-east of its nearest town, Retford. The village has a number of 17th century brick houses.
At the time of the 2011 census it had a population of 509.
The Old Hall on Low Street/Church Hill is dated 1673, bearing the arms of the Cartwright family.
Many farms in the area have dovecotes, either as free-standing buildings or above farm buildings.[1]
Contents
Name
'Wheatley' is a name of Anglo-Saxon origin. The suffix 'ley' is the Old English leah, meaning 'meadow' or 'open land', while the first element is either 'wheat' (hwæt), or 'water' (wæter).[2] The village is next to the Trent, built on clay and prone to flooding, so the latter is a strong possibility. In the Domesday Book it is referred to as Wateleia.[3]
History
Wheatley stands on the course of the old Roman road, Ermine Street, which ran at this strrech between Lincoln and Doncaster. Roman artefacts have been found locally, including a Roman tombstone.[4]
The village first appears in the written record in the Domesday Book of 1086, which reveals it comprised 25 villages and 4 freemen. The tenant-in-chief at this time was Roger de Busli.
The open fields in North Wheatley were enclosed in 1837. By 1853 the population had risen to 427 and the principal owner was Lord Middleton.[5]
The Middleton Wheatley Foundation Trust was established in 1981 by Lord Middleton with the proceeds from the sale of the old school house. It aims to promote education, in particular religious education, in the village. Interest from the trust's investments are distributed to charitable projects in these areas three times each year.[6]
North Wheatley has been flooded on several occasions - notably in 2007 and 2008.[7] The 2007 floods caused considerable damage to the local primary school, which along with flood repairs to North Leverton school cost around £3 million to fix.[8]
Churches
Church of St Peter and St Paul
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The parish church, St Peter and St Paul, was built in the 13th century, though the chancel was rebuilt in 1824.[9] Gilbert White includes a brief description of the Church itself, written in the 1853 Directory of Nottinghamshire. [10]
In 1896, the Church was restored by architect Hodgson Fowler.
The church has a tower with 5 bells.
The churchyard contains a Calvary Cross (Grade II listed) that commemorates the men of North and South Wheatley who died in the First World War.[11] It was restored in 2016.
St Helen's Church, South Wheatley
.jpg)
Thought to have been built in the 11th century, the surviving ruins of St Helen's church consist of a free-standing arch and tower, which has an integral spiral staircase to the ringing chamber and the remains of a frame for 3 bells. The church was declared redundant in 1883 and subsequently demolished, its walls pulled down by traction engines. The stone from the church was used to repair walls in the village. The altar was taken to St Peter and St Paul in North Wheatley. The font was sent to St Catherine in Nottingham.
In 2013, a project funded by English Heritage and Nottinghamshire County Council was undertaken to restore the ruins. In 2014 additional seating, some informational signs, and a memorial garden were added.
Local economy
Almost 200 years ago, census information shows us that more than half of males in North Wheatley aged 20 and over were agricultural laborers.[12] The village still has a strong agricultural economy, with a good rate of local employment.[13] Strawberries are traditionally associated with the village due to the number of strawberry farms in the immediate area. Many of these allow customers to 'pick your own', though the number offering this has diminished in recent years. The village is so strongly associated with strawberries that a strawberry is used as the centrepiece of the village logo.
The village has a church, chapel, pub, two shops, village hall and other amenities.
Sport
The village has a number of sporting facilities and clubs. The village playing fields, which lie at the boundary between North and South Wheatley, have a field for cricket and football and courts for Wheatley Tennis Club. The fields were donated to the village in the 1950s and are maintained by the Parish Council. Wheatley Bowls Club have a dedicated facility a short distance away.
A number of sports clubs are active in the village.
- Bowls: Wheatley Bowls Club[14]
- Cricket: North Wheatley with Leverton Cricket Club, created by a merger in 2004[15]
- Football: North Wheatley Phoenix Football Club
- Tennis: Wheatley Tennis Club[16]
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about North Wheatley) |
References
- ↑ Nikolaus Pevsner: The Buildings of England: Nottinghamshire, 1951; 1979 Penguin Books ISBN 978-0-300-09636-1
- ↑ Anglo Saxon County Assessment
- ↑ Wheatley North Wheatley in the Domesday Book
- ↑ Southwell and Nottingham Church History Project
- ↑ [Directory of Nottinghamshire, White, 1853]
- ↑ Middleton Trust
- ↑ North Wheatley Hit Again By Flood Waters
- ↑ Nottinghamshire Flood Schools Move Back
- ↑ GEN UKI Website
- ↑ GEN UKI – Whites Directory
- ↑ North Wheatley War Memorial
- ↑ Vision of Britain Website
- ↑ North and South Wheatley Village Design Statement
- ↑ Wheatley Bows Club
- ↑ North Wheatley with Leverton Cricket Club
- ↑ Wheatley Tennis Club Website
