History of the area
Whitwick in the doomsday book
Circa 1086 (The Doomsday Book) - The
land of Hugh de Grandmesnil
Hugh
holds of Hugh half a carucate of land in Witewic. There is land for
half a plough. There is 1 border [and] woodland 1 furlong long and half
a furlong broad. It is worth 2s.
carucate: a plowland; as much land as one team can plow in a year and a
day; by some said to be about 100 acres
furlong: a unit for measuring distance, equal to 1/8 mile (201 meters)
Circa
1612 - James 1st granted to Henry Hastings and Henry Culter the manor
of Whitwick. This had been the property of the Duke of Suffolk before
his attainment. In 1619, Henry Hastings became sheriff of Leicester,
nine years later his wife Mabel died and was buried at St Marys in
Leicester. Henry himself died the following year and he also was laid
to rest at St Marys. Mabel had given her husband four sons. The eldest
of these was also named Henry and was heir to his fathers estates.
Holly Hayes Wood
The
first reference to Holly Hayes Wood can be found on a list of the
medieval woods of Charnwood Forest. The earliest recorded record for
the wood is believed to be 1240AD.
Hawley Hays was mentioned in a list of various woods and hills in Whitwick in 1609, although it is thought to have been enclosed from forest wastes about two hundred years earlier.
hays: an enclosure, hedge or
fence
Holly Hayes is an ancient enclosed area of the Old Charnwood Forest and
was enclosed before the Enclosure Act of Whitwick 1805.
As
far as we are aware, no land leases survive for Whitwick for the whole
period before 1803, when the wood is shown as an Ancient Enclosure on
the map and was attached to the award for enclosing Commons and Open
Fields in Whitwick, Thringstone and Peggs Green.
The following link to our photo
gallery
shows a plan of Charnwood Forest during 1754. Holly Hayes Wood is shown
under Whitwick Enclosure. It also suggests that the area now known as
Forest Rock Wood was previously called Houghton Hill.
There
is also a link to a map of the area for 1842 showing Holly Hays Wood
with dwellings in the wood. Forest Rock seems to be shown in the
vicinity where Pelder Tor is marked (in later years referred to as
Peldar Tor). On later maps, circa 1883, Forest Rock Wood seems to have
been referred to as Spring Hill Wood. (This description is still shown
on todays Ordinance Survey maps.)
Holly Hayes Wood is
clearly shown on the maps of the early 1800s, but is not named. Only
three rate lists for the 19th Century exist. The first for 1835, shows
Holly Hayes Wood comprising of about four acres and being owned by
Thomas Jesson. It is also shown as being owned by him on both the 1843
list and the final list of 1871.
Holly Hayes Wood was rented
from Thomas Jesson by a one John Colledge around 1860. He was a surgeon
at Leicester Hospital. He lived in the house later called Fish Pond
House and he supposedly replanted this wood and established a tree
nursery on adjoining land. He also built a cottage for his manager
adjoining his own house.
During 1866, the road now called
Leicester Road was known as Nursery Lane on the title deeds, and in
1877, James Henshaw is listed as a farmer living at Holly Ayes.
During
1893, the operation at Whitwick Quarry was commenced. It would appear
that the first quarry was dug at the site of Forest Rock Wood,
reference to this name can be found during 1923, where the quarry was
previously called Forest Rock Quarry. Some time later, circa 1929, a
second quarry appears to have been commenced in Peldar Tor, which is
the site of the existing quarry and is officially referred to as
Springhill Quarry, Peldar Tor, Whitwick, Leicestershire, England, UK.
tor: a rocky pinnacle; a
peak of a bare or rocky mountain or hill
During
1889, Thomas Williamson was the farmer living at Holly Hays, and was
still there in 1892, 1895, and 1899 with William Berrington living
there in 1908.
In 1911, the Coalville Times informs us that
game birds had been stolen from Holly Hayes Wood, which then belonged
to the Whitwick Granite Company. Mr William Berrington still lived
there at this time and was still living here up to 1928.
In
1920 the quarry advertised trees for sale from this wood. Also about
this time, the quarry dammed the brook and created a pond. This was
also to provide a supply of water for the quarry at the same time. A
pumping station was also built nearby.
During the 1940s, the
two cottages were occupied by the Danvers and Blog
| Roberts family. The
Electoral list for 1948 shows the Roberts family at Holly Hays Cottage,
the Tomlinson Family at Fishpond Cottage and John Waley at Holly Hayes
Farm.
In 1963, Mr Danvers still lived at Holly Hayes farm, but Fishpond
cottage was then occupied by a Mr Lacy.
In
1977, it is believed that the large stone within a circle of trees on
the edge of Holly Hayes Wood was placed there to commemorate Queen
Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee.
Much of the above information was kindly been
provided to us by the Whitwick Historical Society