{{short description|Village in Derbyshire, England}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}} {{Use British English|date=February 2023}} {{Infobox UK place |country = England |coordinates = {{coord|53.26|-1.43|display=inline,title}} |map_type= Derbyshire |official_name= Old Whittington |population = 4,181 |population_ref = (Ward 2011) |shire_district= Chesterfield |shire_county = Derbyshire |region= East Midlands |constituency_westminster= Chesterfield |post_town= CHESTERFIELD |postcode_district = S41 |postcode_area= S |dial_code= 01246 |os_grid_reference= SK3874 }} '''Old Whittington''' is a village in the Borough of Chesterfield in Derbyshire, England. Old Whittington is {{convert|2|mi|km}} north of Chesterfield and {{convert|10|mi|km}} south-east of Sheffield. The population of the Old Whittington ward at the 2011 Census was 4,181.<ref>{{NOMIS2011|id=E05003336|title=Old Whittington Ward (as of 2011) |accessdate=7 November 2021}}</ref> The village lies on the River Rother.
Population in 1901 was 9,416.<ref>''Encyclopædia Britannica'' 1911</ref> The parish church of St Bartholomew was restored after its destruction by fire, except for the tower and spire, in 1895.{{huh?|date=June 2023|reason=Was the church (except for the tower and spire) destroyed by fire? or was the church (except for the tower and spire) restored after its destruction by fire?}} The village manufactured stoneware bottles, other earthenware and bricks. There were also coal mines and ironworks.
==Early history== Old Whittington is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 on the first folio for Derbyshire, where it is spelt ''Witintune''. The book says<ref name = "Domesday">''Domesday Book: A Complete Translation''. London: Penguin, 2003. {{ISBN|0-14-143994-7}} p.741</ref> under the title of 'The lands of the King':<ref name="nos">The King held a number of Derbyshire manors. These included obviously Witintune, but also included lands in Wirksworth, Unstone and Weston-on-Trent.</ref>
<blockquote>In Newbold with six berewicks – Old Whittington, Brimington, Tapton, Chesterfield, Boythorpe, Eckington – there are six carucates and one bovate to the geld. There is land for six ploughs. There the king has 16 villeins and one slave having four ploughs. To this manor belong eight acres of meadow. There is woodland pasture three leagues long and three leagues broad. TRE<ref name="tre">TRE in Latin is 'Tempore Regis Edwardi'. This means in the time of Edward the Confessor before the Battle of Hastings.</ref> worth £6 now £10.</blockquote>
==The school== thumb|top|left|Mary Swanwick School A free school was founded here in 1674 by Peter Webster, and in 1681, Joshua Webster endowed it with land,<ref name="lewis">{{cite web |title=Whittingham - Whittlesford A Topographical Dictionary of England. |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/topographical-dict/england/pp557-560 |website=British History Online |publisher=S Lewis, London 1848 |access-date=19 January 2025}}</ref> which created an income of thirty two pounds and ten shillings. The school had about twenty pupils which included both boys and girls. Old Whittington now has 3 schools, the primary school is called Mary Swanwick, the special school is called Holly House and the secondary school is called Whittington Green School.<ref>[http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/DBY/Whittington/Description.html Genuki] accessed 26 August 2007</ref>
==Revolution House== thumb|left|Cock and Pynot today Revolution House is a small stone cottage, which is now a museum.<ref name=24m>[http://www.culture24.org.uk/em000080 Revolution House at Culture24.org.uk] accessed 22 November 2009</ref> This was the meeting-place of the Earl of Danby, Mr. John D'Arcy and the Earl of Devonshire<ref name=24m/> when poor weather caused them to move their secret meeting inside. William Cavendish, the fourth Earl and later Duke of Devonshire, lived nearby at Chatsworth House, which is still the home to the Cavendish family. John D'Arcy (or Darcy) was the fourth son of the Earl of Holderness.
This group devised the plans to extend the invitation to William of Orange in 1688, so that the Whig party brought about the fall of James II and the succession of the Protestant William III. This change in the monarchy came to be known as the Glorious Revolution.
The house was then a hostelry, known as the "Cock and Pynot".<ref>The local name for a magpie was a pynot.</ref> The tiny museum today features period furnishings and exhibition of local interest.<ref>[http://www.derbyshireuk.net/whittington.html Whittington at Derbyshireuk.net] accessed 25 August 2007</ref> There is a public house in Old Whittington which is called the Cock and Magpie. This public house was founded in 1790 when the old 'Cock and Pynot' was converted into a cottage.
The local vicar, Samuel Pegge, was amongst about fifty dignitaries who met at Revolution House in 1788 on the centennial of the "Glorious Revolution", while it was still an alehouse. The procession was led by the Duke of Devonshire, the Duchess and the Mayor of Chesterfield.<ref>[http://www.peakdistrictonline.co.uk/content.php?categoryId=1777 Revolution House at PeakDistrictOnLine.co.uk] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070920165924/http://www.peakdistrictonline.co.uk/content.php?categoryId=1777 |date=20 September 2007 }} accessed 26 August 2007</ref>
==St Bartholomew Church== The grade II listed St Bartholomew's Church was built in 1869. This is the fourth church to occupy the site, the first being the Norman church built circa 1140 AD.
==Notable residents== [[File:Whittington Church 005ADD000015537U00066000-SVC2-.JPG|Samuel Pegge's church in 1785, drawn by Samuel Hieronymus Grimm|right|thumb|200px|upright=1.2]] [[File:Thomas Gascoyne.jpg|thumb|150px|Thomas Gascoyne 1898]] *Alexander Wall (1658–1739), an explorer and officer in the British East India Company, was born here.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Peers|first=Douglas|title=India Under Colonial Rule: 1700-1885|publisher=Pearson Education|year=2006|isbn=0-582-31738-X|language=English}}</ref> *Samuel Pegge (1704–1796), antiquary and vicar of Whittington and Heath, was buried here. He was an antiquarian and published an early cookery book, ''The Forme of Cury''.<ref name=DNB>{{cite DNB|wstitle= Pegge, Samuel (1704-1796) |volume= 44 |last= Wroth |first= Warwick William |author-link= Warwick William Wroth |pages= 233-235 |year= |short=1}}</ref> *Martha Brotherton (1782–1861), a vegetarian cookbook writer abd Bible Christian Church member. *Joseph Brotherton (1783–1857), the first MP of Salford, was born here.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Joseph Brotherton |url=https://stbartholomew.co.uk/?page_id=1599 |access-date=2024-07-22 |website=St Bartholomew's |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite DNB|wstitle= Brotherton, Joseph |volume= 06 |last= Axon |first= William E. A. |author-link= William E. A. Axon |page= 446 |year= |short=1}}</ref> *William Harvey (1787–1870), cotton mill owner, Bible Christian Church deacon and activist, born here.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Biography: William Harvey |url=https://www.weasteheritagetrail.co.uk/salford-people/biographies/entry/william-harvey.htm |access-date=2024-07-22 |website=Weaste Cemetery Heritage Trail}}</ref> *Frederick Swanwick (1810–1885), a civil engineer who assisted George and Robert Stephenson, lived in the village. He worked on the railways in the North and Midlands of England and provided education for Whittington by building up schools in each of the three local villages. *Harry Brearley (1871–1948), an English metallurgist, credited with the invention of stainless steel. He provided land for Brearley Park that was opened in 1920.<ref>Sheffield Daily Telegraph - Monday 7 June 1920</ref> *Thomas Gascoyne (1876–1917), a record-breaking cyclist who died in World War I, was born here. *Ray Middleton (1919–1977), football goalkeeper and manager, played 366 games including 250 for Chesterfield and ran a local shop. *Stanley Dyson (1920–2007), an art teacher and Outsider Art artist.
==Transport== * Bus service is run by Stagecoach. Route 25 links to New Whittington and Holymoorside whilst routes 50 and 50a link to Chesterfield and Eckington and Sheffield. *Stagecoach also operates bus services 43 and 44, linking Old Whittington and Sheffield via Dronfield.
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category|Old Whittington}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20150318103006/http://www.chesterfieldmuseum.co.uk/Revolution-House-6832.html Revolution House] - Chesterfield Museums
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Category:Villages in Derbyshire Category:Chesterfield, Derbyshire