1

JULY 2018 JULY 2018

Contents Fact or fiction? Wroth silver Signs of history Looking at Lillington In memoriam Programme of

meetings

Regular monthly

meeting at the

Lillington Free

Church,

Cubbington Road,

at 4.30 pm on the

first Friday of each

month.

Contact us by

-Coming to one of

the Society’s

monthly meetings,

-or by referring any

queries about the

society,

contributions,

photographs or

reminiscences to

Graham Cooper –

telephone 01926

426942

The end of an era....

Lillington Free Church Images:Peter Coulls

Lillington Local History Society

Edward McGregor (above), and

his two sons, Sydney (far left)

and Edward (below).

Also left, April the Fifth, 1932

Epsom Derby winnered at

Lillington Stud.

This is the 25th edition of

the newsletter . Our

thanks to all our present

and past contributors

and readers who keep us

going!

2

FACT OR FICTION?

There is nothing like a good story or a mystery. Every town and village has its stories which,

over time, can become accepted as facts. The following are stories told about Lillington. Can

they be true? Are there hard facts or evidence to prove their authenticity?

The Cross in Hand Inn

BELIEF There was an Inn near the Midland Oak

The Inn certainly exists in two of our correspondents’ memories. One supplied a sketch map

[see above]. The second contributor recalls the golf course in the Midland Oak area [true],

the club house on Cubbington Road [true] and the Cross and Hand.

FACTUAL BASIS None of which we know. Researchers have not been able to find any

reference to a licence being issued as recorded in the Quarter Sessions or Licensing

Justices documents.

VERDICT, Unlikely that an inn existed on this site in any permanent sense. The name might

have started as a reference to a finger or sign post at the “cross” roads, pointing the way to

Warwick, Kenilworth and Leamington Priors, see “Signs of History” on page 6.

The holly hedge that must never be cut

Some local correspondents have told us about the dense holly

hedge in the area of Whitethorn Drive, off Gresham Avenue.

Apparently it was a favourite “meeting place” for Henry VIII and

his lady friends, and cannot be cut down by royal command.

FACTUAL BASIS None whatsoever.

VERDICT Untrue.

3

The railway track at the end of Elm Bank Close

Several correspondents have told us about the remains of a railway track at the end of the

gardens where Elm Bank Close backs onto Lillington Close. We know that sand and gravel

were extracted from several pits slightly to the north of this area, and that there was a ready

market for these materials during the nineteenth century building booms in Leamington. It is

possible that the contractor laid a light tramway in the area to move the sand/gravel down to

carts on the Lillington Road. Such light “railways” were common on industrial sites and on

farmland. Smiths Crisps, for example, ran an extensive light railway system on its

Lincolnshire potato fields. The advantages were that the track could easily be lifted and

moved to a new site. There was certainly a small tramway system within the nearby

Leamington brickworks.

If the tramway did exist, wagons might have been moved by horses or the men may have

had to push them themselves, taking advantage of the gradients when possible.

FACTUAL BASIS Some metal lengths, which might be light railway or tram track, lie at the

end of a banked area between Elm Bank Close and Lillington Close.

VERDICT Unresolved at this time.

The secret passage between the Church and the Manor House

Everyone enjoys a good “secret tunnel” story, and such a passage is reputed to run between

the Manor House in Church Lane and the parish church across the road.

FACTUAL BASIS There is no evidence at either “end” of a blocked up entrance, and no

logical place where one could have

existed, especially within the church.

No crypt with a sliding lid on a

crusader’s tomb! The work involved in

constructing such a tunnel would have

been considerable. The local area

contains so much sand and gravel that

any passage would have needed to be

lined in brick or stone to guard against

roof falls. There is no apparent

religious, political or defensive reason

for such a huge and expensive

undertaking.

VERDICT Untrue. CDMR

Image above: 1937 WRO

4

WROTH SILVER – DOES LILLINGTON OWE PAST DUES?

Lillington lies within the Knightlow Hundred. “Hundred” is a medieval term for a district, often

defined as sufficiently large to raise 120 men under arms in times of national need. As the

map below shows, the Knightlow Hundred was very large, stretching from Bulkington in the

north to Bishops Itchington in the south, and across to Rugby in the east.

At the historic heart of the Knightlow Hundred lies the Wroth Stone on Knightlow Hill, just off

the A45. The Wroth Silver Ceremony has been held at this stone on the autumnal quarter

day since at least 1170. It is an administrative 'rent collection' event where the local parishes

pay their dues to The Duke of Buchleuch (formerly the Crown).

There is also a certain rent due unto the Lord of this hundred [Knightlow], called Wroth money. This rent must be paid every Martinmas day in the morning, at Knightlowe Cross, before the sun riseth; the party paying it must go thrice about the cross, and say The Wroth money, and then lay it in the hole of the said cross before good witness, for if it be not duly performed, the forfeiture is thirty shillings and a white bull. The towns that pay this Wrath money are as follow: [...] From The Antiquities of Warwickshire illustrated by Sir

William Dugdale. 1730

The meaning of the word Wroth is obscure. Wroth money, or Warth money, or Swarff peny,

is probably the same as Ward penny.

Images: Greenman

5

“The crowd gathers just before dawn at the base of an

old cross on Knightlow Hill : the Wroth Stone. The

Dukes of Buccleuch have been the landowners here

for many years and the Duke’s agent reads the

Charter of Assembly as soon as it is light enough; he

then calls out the name of each parish in turn, the

parish representative says “Wroth Silver!” and drops

the due amount into the stone. There are 25 parishes

in total with dues up to 11½ pence and the ceremony

takes place in just a few minutes.

After the ceremony the Wroth Silver Breakfast takes

place in a nearby pub, currently the Queen’s Head at

Bretford. Toasts are drunk in rum and hot milk,

speeches made and poems recited and

Churchwarden pipes are given to all present (though if

you want to smoke them, you need to go into the

smoking shelter outside). David Eadon has been

attending since 1938 – this could be the record for

attendance at an annual event!! It’s a leisurely

breakfast finishing by about 8.45.” Image and text

Calendar Customs

No record is kept of which parishes have paid

their dues, and which have not. My guess is that

Lillington is several decades, if not centuries, in

arrears. It has been suggested that the parish

might want to make a “guilt” payment to put

matters straight, but thankfully no mention has

been made of us having to fund or deliver a large

herd of white bulls.

CDMR

6

SIGNS OF HISTORY

Visitors to Lillington and Cubbington will find many helpful signs from Leamington to these

two destinations. When they reach Cubbington, signs reassure them that they are at the

village. However, in the case of Lillington the visitor will look in vain for any sign that they

have reached their destination. At present it is County Council policy not to indicate

separate areas of towns, and hence the visitor may be left travelling in circles to find areas

signposted from a town centre. Lillington Local History Society is investigating ways in

which this anomaly can be addressed, but this draws attention to the whole subject of

signage.

In 1711 James Fish and Charles Bridgman drew a

map of Lillington for Henry Wise, showing the ‘Cross

and Hand’ – the hand being the finger post; the cross

is the crossroads at the Midlands Oak, now the

junction of Lillington Road and Lillington Avenue. The

field is shown named ‘Ginns Furlong’ (WCRO

CR556/200).

In olden times, shop signs were not in words but in

objects, such as a bush or barrel to indicate an inn, a model boot for a shoemaker or a

stylised animal's head for a butcher.

Ornamental village signs are not the "official" ones provided by the

Highways Department, but these highly decorative signs perhaps

made from wrought or cast iron, carved from wood or painted are

often designed to give a snapshot of a village's heritage and history,

characters and legends.

They stand on verges and village greens –

symbols of a kind of defiant localism,

challenging our homogeneous society,

and reminding us of our disappearing parish roots. Motorists may

easily miss them. And that’s a pity because the signs are classic

examples of the local craftsman’s art.

There are more than 4,000 village signs in Britain. Norfolk has the

largest roadside gallery with 500; the neighbouring county of

Suffolk comes in second with more than 350. They first sprang up

in Norfolk in the early years of the 20th century, when the then

Prince of Wales (later to become King Edward VII) commissioned the Princess Alexandra

School of Carving to make four signs for villages on the Sandringham Estate as a means of

fostering community spirit and identity. King George V also championed the trend, erecting

a further three on the estate. And not to be outdone, King George VI, who, in 1920 described

the village sign as “a welcome guide to the visitor in a strange land”, encouraged further

colonisation.

7

Since 1945 many have been erected to commemorate milestones in our

national history such as the Coronation, the Silver and Golden Jubilees and

the Millennium. Others recall local events such as a Women’s Institute or

Rotary Club anniversary. Then there are those that celebrate the practical

moments of community rejoicing. The grateful people of East Hoathly in

Sussex, for example, installed their sign to mark the opening of a bypass

around the village. The Women’s Institute, champions of community life, has

been the driving force behind many of Britain’s signs. In recent years another organisation –

the Village Sign Society – has worked to preserve our rich village sign heritage. Founded in

1999 its aim is to bring together like-minded enthusiasts.

Wouldn't it be appropriate if we could design a "village" sign for Lillington, but being more

practical, a straight-forward sign indicating "Lillington" would be very welcome to visitors and

residents alike. Graham Cooper

LOOKING AT LILLINGTON [with local schools] 2018

For the past few years ,in the run-up to Easter, LLHS members have joined parishioners and

staff at St Mary Magdalene’s to present “Looking at Lillington” to Year 3 (aged 7-8) children

from Lillington and Telford Schools.

Over three mornings, the children learn about the church

itself, some significant ceremonies such as Baptism, the

role of the church plate, that of the organ and church music,

the meaning of the Roll of Honour and the War Memorial.

Last, but not least, a little of the history of Lillington itself.

This last contribution has been refined over time, from a

timeline, a detailed slideshow of important historic events,

and finally this year, to a more interactive session using maps, photographs and artefacts.

Peter Coulls and I had three very enjoyable mornings delivering this session. In many ways,

the concept was easier for the Lillington children, in that the session was based on familiar

territory. Some Telford pupils found it quite difficult to imagine that where their homes and

school now stand was once open fields, but thanks to Richard Taulbut’s rural Lillington

photographs this was soon a great talking point. The children were all a delight: interested,

responsive, and quick to thank us, without any prompting. Five twenty-minute sessions sped

by each day in the blink of an eye! M R

Welcome to

LILLINGTON

8

PETER CHATER 1925 - 2018

Peter Chater died on 12th January aged 92, born in Farnborough, a Warwickshire lad

through and through. Peter went to Leicester Street School, where on his first day he met Bill

Gibbons, then a Prefect. They struck up a friendship which lasted until Bill's death, visiting

sites of local historical interest, industrial archaeology sites and railway stations. They were

both keen photographers, and Peter once lamented that he never succeeded in converting

Bill to slide transparencies.

When Peter left school, he desperately wanted to join the

railways, but his father was adamant that he should get a

proper job, so he was apprenticed to a local building firm.

Once he completed his apprenticeship, he did join the

railways, and worked on the footplate until he developed

health problems. He then went into admin, and worked his

way up to being Stationmaster at Hatton. He then had a

similar supervisory job at Solihull.

For many years, Peter led a walking group, plotting the

routes from his extensive collection of OS Maps. A few

years ago, when his walkers were all getting on a bit, he

decided to hold an early 90th birthday celebration, - because at that point he didn't think he

would see 90!

Reflecting his wide interests he had been a member of the Warwickshire Industrial

Archaeology Society, both of the Leamington and Lillington Local History Societies, the

Leamington Society, the now defunct Warwickshire Steam Engine Society and others. He

was also an accomplished member of the Leamington Spa Bowling Club, becoming the

men’s single champion.

We will miss Peter and his extensive local knowledge: he was intellectually still active to the

last and great company, especially when he was expounding on local history and allied

subjects such as photography, railways, Industrial Archaeology and the related walks he led

for many years. The vision of Peter sat in a meeting with pen in one hand, notebook in the

other making notes for future reference and research will be everlasting.

ext Peter Coulls Image Derek Billings/ Lydney Docks

WHY NOT VISIT THE Lillington Local History Society Website

The website address is:

www.lillingtonhistory.org

This Newsletter is published by the Lillington Local History Society, The Chain, Crown Way, Lillington. All references prefixed CR refer

to documents held in the County Record Office, Warwick. For further information, contact The Chain, Crown Way, Lillington. The

views expressed in the Newsletter are personal to the contributors and are not necessarily the views of the Society.