Priors Hardwick

Last updated

Priors Hardwick
Priors Hardwick War Memorial - geograph.org.uk - 148878.jpg
Priors Hardwick war memorial and parish church
Warwickshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Priors Hardwick
Location within Warwickshire
Population172 (2011 Census)
OS grid reference SP470559
Civil parish
  • Priors Hardwick
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town Southam
Postcode district CV47
Dialling code 01327
Police Warwickshire
Fire Warwickshire
Ambulance West Midlands
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Warwickshire
52°12′N1°19′W / 52.20°N 1.31°W / 52.20; -1.31

Priors Hardwick is a village and civil parish in the Stratford district of Warwickshire, England. The population of the civil parish as taken at the 2011 census was 172. [1] The name derives from the fact that it was originally a manor belonging to the Priors of Coventry. [2]

Contents

History

The oldest houses in the village are centred on the village green, with The Butcher's Arms dated as 1562, [2] although some sources place it back as far as 1375.

The proximity to the drover's road known as the Welsh Road influenced the village and the naming of local landmarks. The cattle drovers 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. [3]

The original settlement is on the government's list of scheduled monuments [4] with most of the village being enclosed in a conservation area. [5]

In 1831 the area of the parish was 1,600 acres (6 km2), which was reduced to 1,535 acres (6 km2) some time between 1881 and 1891 [6] In 1836 the village became part of the Southam Poor Law Union which ran a workhouse in Southam. [7] Until 1974, the parish belonged to the Southam Rural District.

Population

According to census information [6] the population figures have been:

YearTotal populationMalesFemales
1801228110118
1811252120132
1821263132131
1831296153143
1841280138142
1851303159144
1861323182141
1871335190145
1881280141139
1891267131136
1901225115110
191119389104
19211778889
19311427270
19511517279
19611437370
1971162n/an/a

Agriculture

In an 1801 survey [6] the agricultural output of the parish was:

CropArea (acre)Percent
Wheat3240%
Barley and oats2633%
Potatoes23%
Peas and beans1924%
Turnips or rape00
Rye00
Other00

Occupations

In an 1831 study [6] the following occupations were categorised:

OccupationPersonsPercent
Farmers employing labourers913%
Farmers not employing labourers11%
Agricultural labourers3958%
Manufacturing00%
Retail and handicrafts1420%
Capitalists, professionals11%
Labourers (non-agricultural)23%
Servants34%
Other00

Population

According to the 2001 census, [8] 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 is The Butcher's Arms, originally a pub, now a Portuguese restaurant.

The Butcher's Arms External The Butcher's Arms External.JPG
The Butcher's Arms External

The Anglican parish church of St Mary is a Grade II* listed building, with parts dating from the 12th century. It is part of the Bridges Group of Parishes.

References

  1. "Civil Parish population 2011" . Retrieved 31 December 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Priors Hardwick". Parishes. The Birmingham and Midland Society for Genealogy and Heraldry. Retrieved 13 March 2007.
  3. Colyer, Richard. "Welsh Cattle Drovers in the Nineteenth Century". National Library of Wales journal. 1974, Summer. Volume XVIII/3. Retrieved 13 March 2007.
  4. "Stratford-on-Avon District Local Plan Review 1996–2011, Appendix 5 – Scheduled Ancient Monuments" (PDF). Stratford-on-Avon District Council. January 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 13 March 2007.
  5. "Priors Hardwick Conservation Area" (PDF). Stratford-on-Avon District Council. February 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 13 March 2007.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "A vision of Priors Hardwick AP/CP". Vision of Britain. February 2006. Retrieved 13 March 2007.
  7. "Southam Union Workhouse". Rossbret Institutions Website. Rossbret. 16 March 2005. Archived from the original on 16 January 2003. Retrieved 13 March 2007.
  8. "Neighbourhood Statistics: Priors Hardwick". nationalSTATISTICS. Retrieved 13 March 2007.