Thomas Coton (1640-1688) was a philanthropist who endowed in his will one of the first poor schools in the village of Kingsbury, Warwickshire. [1] Thomas Coton was appointed the High Sheriff of Warwickshire in November 1676. [2]
In 1686, a school was founded in his name. In his will, Thomas Coton had set aside land as an income for rent in a trust, to pay for the upkeep of the building, teachers and school equipment, including bibles. [1] This act ensured that education in the village continued as a trust well into the 1800s and was documented in the Parliamentary review of trusts in 1835. [3]
The original school is now a Grade II listed building and education in the village takes place at Kingsbury School, Warwickshire. [4] [1]
In August 2017, Thomas Coton was recognised through the unveiling of a plaque by Craig Tracey, MP for North Warwickshire and Lisa Pinney MBE, Head of the Environment Agency for the West Midlands. [5] The plaque is located at the footings of Coton Hall, Cotonbridge, the original residence of Thomas Coton. [5] The footings of the Hall had been discovered in 2016 by Bradley Stevens, a student at Kingsbury School, Warwickshire, following his research into old maps of the Cotonbridge area from the 1850s. [6] The history of the school, Thomas Coton and Coton Hall was documented in a video in 2018. [6] In 2023, a blue plaque to Coton was unveiled by Tracey on behalf of the Tamworth Heritage Trust at the original school building, now known as Teachers House. [7]
Tamworth is a market town and borough in Staffordshire, England, 14 miles (23 km) north-east of Birmingham. The town borders North Warwickshire to the east and south, Lichfield to the north, south-west and west. The town takes its name from the River Tame, which flows through it. The population of Tamworth borough (2022) was 79,639. The wider urban area had a population of 81,964.
Nuneaton is a market town in Warwickshire, England, close to the county border with Leicestershire to the north-east. Nuneaton's population at the 2021 census was 88,813, making it the largest town in Warwickshire. Nuneaton's urban area, which also includes the large villages of Bulkington and Hartshill, had a population of 99,372 at the 2021 census.
North Warwickshire is a local government district with borough status in Warwickshire, England. The borough includes the two towns of Atherstone and Coleshill, and the large villages of Hartshill, Kingsbury, Mancetter, Polesworth and Water Orton along with smaller villages and surrounding rural areas.
Kingsbury is a large village and civil parish in the North Warwickshire district of the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. The civil parish population at the 2011 census was 7,652.
Polesworth is a large village and civil parish in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England. It is situated close to the northern tip of Warwickshire, adjacent to the border with Staffordshire. It is 3 miles (5 km) east of Tamworth, and is 4.5 miles (7 km) northwest of Atherstone.
Middleton is a small village in the North Warwickshire district of the county of Warwickshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 630.
Water Orton is a village and civil parish in the North Warwickshire borough of Warwickshire in the West Midlands, England near the River Tame. It is located between Castle Bromwich and Coleshill, and borders the West Midlands metropolitan county boundary to the north, west and south. At the 2001 Census, the population was 3,573, falling to 3,444 at the 2011 Census. In the 2021 Census the population slightly rose to 3,487.
Baxterley is a small village and civil parish in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire in England. According to the 2001 Census, it had a population of 335, reducing to 328 at the 2011 Census. The village is about two miles west of Atherstone and is home to Jaguar Land Rover's national distribution centre.
Wood End is a former Pit village in North Warwickshire, England. It lies to the south east of Tamworth and close to the border with Staffordshire. It grew around the former Kingsbury Colliery but now it serves as a commuter village to Tamworth. It has a church, a primary school, a co-operative store, a working men's club and a village hall. The population of Wood End is 2,205, but from the 2011 Census has been included in Kingsbury.
Landau Forte Academy QEMS is an 11–16 secondary school with academy status located to the north of Tamworth, a market town in Staffordshire in the Midlands north of Birmingham. It is often known simply as QEMS . Since 1 September 2011, the school has been owned and operated by the Landau Forte Charitable Trust, after being transferred from the Staffordshire LA control.
South Warwickshire was a parliamentary constituency in the county of Warwickshire in England. It returned two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.
Merevale is a small village and civil parish in the North Warwickshire district of the county of Warwickshire in England. Located about one and a half miles west of Atherstone, it is the site of a medieval Cistercian Abbey and Merevale Hall.
Hurley is a village in the Kingsbury civil parish of North Warwickshire, England. Other nearby places include Wood End, Hurley Common, Coleshill, Water Orton, Curdworth, Atherstone and Tamworth. According to the 2001 Census the population of the Hurley and Wood End ward was 3,642. Over 99.5% of people (3,550) described themselves as White British with only 92 people from other ethnic groups. The most common distance travelled to work is 5–10 kilometres (3.1–6.2 mi), which is essentially to Tamworth, with the most common form of employment being manufacturing. The village has an almost exact 50:50 split of males and females, with a ratio of 1,822 to 1,820 respectively.
Kingsbury School is a coeducational secondary school located in the village of Kingsbury, Warwickshire, England. Its main catchment area is Kingsbury, but students also attend from a number of neighbouring villages, such as Hurley and Whitacre Heath, Picadilly, Wood End, Bodymoor Heath and Middleton.
Piccadilly is a small village in the North Warwickshire district of the county of Warwickshire in England. It is located near to the larger village of Kingsbury, and is four miles south of Tamworth.
Kingsbury railway station was a railway station which served the village of Kingsbury in Warwickshire, England.
Hurley Common is a village in North Warwickshire, England, between Wood End and Hurley, it consists of several houses and 2 Farms, Hurley common does not have its own Parish Church so it is technically a hamlet. Population details for the 2011 Census can be found under Kingsbury.
William Johnson MBE was an English coal miner, trade unionist and Liberal-Labour (Lib-Lab) politician from Warwickshire. He sat in the House of Commons from 1906 to 1918.
Foul End is a small hamlet in the civil parish of Kingsbury, in the North Warwickshire district, in the county of Warwickshire, England. Other nearby places include Hurley, Wood End, Hurley Common, Coleshill, Water Orton, Curdworth, Atherstone and Tamworth.
Craig Paul Tracey is a British Conservative Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Warwickshire from 2015 until his defeat in 2024, and Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party since February 2024. Originally from the North East, Tracey settled in North Warwickshire in 1997. After serving as a parish councillor he was selected as the Conservative Party's parliamentary candidate for North Warwickshire in 2014. He unexpectedly increased the Conservative majority in the constituency despite not being the favourite to win. A former member of the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee, Tracey has served as co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Insurance and Financial Services since July 2016.