Objects belonging to a much earlier
Neolithic and
Bronze Age times have been found in the soil. The village appears in the
Domesday Book, where it is noted as already being held by Wulfric in the
Saxon period. By 1086, its eight households rendered only £0.5 a year and its
lord of the manor was Edwin who held under Thorkil of
Warwick, its overlord, a relatively unusual name being strongly
norse rather than a hybrid or
Norman. It had an additional listing of one household, held under Robert of Vessey that rendered 2s (£0.1) a year. However, Whitacre was in the early
medieval period recorded as 'Witecore', which still means 'white acre' thus 'white field'. Whitacre Hall, the
manor house, perches next to the village on the northwestern slopes and is a double
moated hall. The present structure dates from the
Tudor period. At the height of the
Industrial Revolution this was the home of the Jennens family, who were some of the early Ironmasters. John Jennens supplied
Birmingham blacksmiths with iron bars and then sold their products. the Old House and the
Malthouse in Hoggrill End. Nether Whitacre has a
cricket club which was established officially in 1887. Four
public houses in this area host an array of evening entertainments: •
The Swan •
The Railway •
The Gate •
The Dog All of these were established in the late 1800s. The
hamlet of
Furnace End,
Over Whitacre probably derives its name from
iron smelting furnaces owned by the Jennens.
Charles Jennens was a friend of
Handel, the
composer. An
Earl of Aylesford, the noble Finch family of
Packington Hall in the county, was a cousin to the Jennens and obtained an
organ for Handel, which was installed at
Great Packington church. Very rural, the population of the was: • 1911, 606; • 1921, 726; • 1931, 748 ==Church==