Whittington, Shropshire

Whittington is a village, in Oswestry district, in north west Shropshire, England.

The civil parish of Whittington has a population of 2,490 as of the 2001 census. The village of Whittington is in the centre of the parish, and two smaller villages, "Hindford" to the north-east and "Babbinswood" to the south, are also within the parish. [cite web | url=http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=798956&c=Whittington&d=16&e=15&g=482313&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1215997758330&enc=1&dsFamilyId=779 | title=2001 Census: Key Statistics: Parish Headcounts: Area: Whittington CP (Parish) | publisher= [Office for National Statistics| accessdate=2008-07-14 ] The Shrewsbury to Chester railway line passes through the parish, and until 1960 there was a station in Whittington.

History

Whittington appears to have been a prehistoric site and may have been a Dark Ages stronghold of King Cynddylan in the seventh century. There was an extensive settlement here recorded in the Domesday Book.

Whittington was granted to William Peverel probably in the summer of 1114 when King Henry I of England invaded Powys. William probably founded Whittington Castle which was taken from his descendants by the Welsh under Madog ap Maredudd of Powys and later granted to Roger Powys by King Henry II. It remained in the Powys family until King John granted it to the FitzWarin family, namely the famous Fulk FitzWarin of well-known legend.

In 1221, Henry III gave grudging permission for the castle to be re-built in stone after it had fallen to Prince Llywelyn ab Iorwerth of Wales. It was recaptured by Llywelyn the Great in 1223 but was handed back the same year. It remained in the hands of the FitzWarins until 1420.

The castle ruins still exist today and were recently renovated. They are open to the public.

Part of the Whittington parish includes Park Hall. This was previously an army training camp, but now is wholly residential and farming land.

References

* P. Brown, P. King, and P. Remfry, 'Whittington Castle: The marcher fortress of the Fitz Warin family', "Shropshire Archaeology and History" LXXIX (2004), 106-127.
* Remfry, P.M., "Whittington Castle and the families of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn, Peverel, Maminot, Powys and Fitz Warin" (ISBN 1-899376-80-1)

External links

* [http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/SAL/Whittington/index.html Info from Genuki website]
* [http://www.oswestry.com/whitt.html Oswestry website photos of Whittington Castle today]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/shropshire/history/2003/08/restoration_4.shtml BBC Shropshire feature on the castle restoration]
* [http://www.francisfrith.com/search/england/shropshire/whittington/photos/whittington_photos.htm Francis Frith photos of the village]
* [http://www.virtual-shropshire.co.uk/vs-gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=29636 Virtual Shropshire photos of a Medieval weekend in the village]