This is the latest of a series of articles written by popular historian Arthur Tomlin more than 25 years ago. Mr Tomlin sadly died a couple of years ago. He was extremely well-known in the area as an artist and historian

THE peaceful little village of Witherley is situated in fine sporting country on the bank of the River Anker which borders Warwickshire.

In ancient deeds it was known as Wedderley and in later years it became Wetheredley.

Like many other villages in the county, the manor was held by Hugo de Grentesmaisnell and remained with his family until there was no male successor after the Norman invasion.

The conqueror gave the village to Robert de Mellent, who had been appointed Earl of Leicester.

In 1205, Lord Ralph Basset, who resided at the magnificent mansion “Basset House” in Thurlaston, agreed to pay a fine of 50 marks in order to obtain the fourth part of a “Knight’s Fee” in Witherley and Atterton.

Witherley, Atterton and Fenny Drayton answered collectively as one village in 1280 and in 1352, the manor of Witherley was held by Elisabeth the widow of the Duke of Norfolk.

At the turn of the 16th century there were 36 families living in Witherley but by 1665 the Plague had taken its toll with almost three quarters of the population being wiped out.

During the Roman occupation, Witherley had a distinct connection with Mancetter, which was its close neighbour on the other side of the Watling Street.

Mancetter was regarded by the Romans as one of their five large “cities” in the country and was given the name of Manduessedum.

The part of Mancetter which was on the north side of Watling Street was eventually handed over to Witherley.

Hence, many Roman coins and a great deal of pottery have been found in this area.

Over the years, the village was almost self-supporting; having the usual trades people including a blacksmith, wheelwright, shoemaker, carpenter, millwright, banker and tailor.

One of the greatest assets was the watermill which was powered by the River Anker. The mill dated back to 1265 and had a wheel, 12ft ins diameter of the under shot variety.

The mill was last worked in the 1920s but only as a spectacle and not commercially; sadly it was demolished in 1950.

In 1836, extensive stables and kennels were built in Witherley by the gentlemen of the Atherstone Hunt at a cost of £2,500; later houses for the huntsmen and head-groom were added.

Originally, the pack was divided to form the South Atherstone, which had its kennels at Cotesbach and the North Atherstone, which had kennels at Witherley, with each pack having its own master and huntsmen.

In 1952, the two packs amalgamated to form what is now known as the Atherstone Hunt.

The hunt was founded by George Osbaldeston and its boundaries were defined by Hugo Meynell, whose fatherin-law was Robert Boothby of Tooley Park, who formed the first pack of hounds in the country.

A remarkable personality from the village was Siegfreid Sassoon, who achieved national fame as a poet but will be long remembered for his outstanding book “The Memoirs of a Foxhunting Man”.

Witherley Hall is still one of the finest examples of Victorian architecture and was created from the village rectory over 100 years ago.

This Victorian mansion is only half the size it was when it functioned as the rectory; the domestic and kitchen wing was demolished in the early 1950s but the part that remains is the oldest and the most interesting architecturally with its Victorian Gothic façade.

It was unoccupied for several years until it was requisitioned during the Second World War when 200 pioneers prepared and stored equipment for the D-Day Landings.

It was later used as a prisoner of war camp for Italians.

The latest addition to the building is the ballroom wh ich dates back to 1890.

It was extensively renovated in 1979 and the massive wrought iron chandelier that hung over the dock at Stafford Assizes for many years and had every form of drama including sentence of death enacted beneath it was brought to the ballroom.

The garden extends to three and a half acres and includes a lake which is a haven for wild fowl.

The most remarkable feature is the ice house, a pit 25 feet deep which was packed with ice during the winter months and then surrounded by straw to keep the ice intact for two years so it could be used in the house throughout the year.

It was approached by a tunnel and is believed to be one of only two which have survived in the county.

In the 1990s, the hall was the home of Lt. Col. Aubrey Chalmers, who has a connection with the Daily Mail newspaper.

Some years ago a murder took place at the hall when one servant shot the other and then immediately shot himself.

The church is an ancient fabric and is dedicated to St Peter and has one of the handsomest steeples in the country.

There has been a church on the site from a very early period which may well have been a wooden structure.

Originally, it was regarded as a chapel which was not entitled to take baptisms or the right of sepulchre and only became a parish church in 1173. These rights have been granted to the little chapel Atterton.

Wi t h e r l e y , Atterton, Upton and Fenny Drayton were regarded as “Chapels of Ease” to the mother church at Sibson. It is believed that the main part of the present day structure was built by Lord John Segrave in the reign of Edward III although in 1858, the rector rebuilt the chancel and put in a magnificent stained glass window at a cost of £500, at this period the church was re-pewed.

The tower contains five bells; the oldest dates from 1609 and has the inscription “Be it known to all that doth me see that Newcombe of Leicester made me”.

This was followed by two in 1619 and the remaining two in 1744.

The spire is octagonal with three sets of spire lights and is almost 160 feet high, making it one of the tallest in the county.

The battlements are richly ornamented and are set between four beautiful pinnacles. The three bay arcade has octagonal piers and double chamfered arches together with the five bay clereystory of two light uncusped windows.

The nave was once separated by a neat screen and rood-loft.

The church had its first rector in 1219.

The patrons were the abbot and convent of Lyra in Normandy.

A terrible disaster happened at Witherley on 28th April 1924, when a terrific thunderstorm accompanied by a monstrous deluge of rain which swept across a circumscribed area of the Atherstone district and Witherley Church was struck of by lightning, resulting in the demolition of almost half of its magnificent spire.

The tower was almost split to the ground and the debris crashed through the nave roof and destroyed many pews.

Sheets of heavy cast lead hung precariously from the roof and one bay of the north aisle was completely wrecked as was the north aisle. The miracle was that the 14th century font was unscathed.

While motoring along the Watling Street to open the miners’ Convalescent Home at Higham-on-the-Hill, the then Duke of York – the Queen Mother’s husband – noticed the damage to the spire.

He wrote a gracious letter to the rector expressing his sympathy at the disaster and conveying his good wishes for the restoration.

Like all the disasters everyone rallied round for the cause.

The £5,000 needed was raised and the church was restored to its former glory in 1926.

In the centre of the village, adjoining the 18th century inn, The Blue Boar, are two cottages with a large terracotta plaque commemorating the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria.

The plaque is in beautiful condition and surrounding the Queen’s head are the names of all the original Commonwealth countries.

On Shrove Tuesday each year, an ancient tradition is reenacted when teams from Atherstone and Witherley take part in a football match.

Legend has it that the game originated when King John put up a bag of gold for a game between Leicestershire and Warwickshire, but in actual fact the game was between two villages and it is documented that Atherstone won.