99-612: Warwick Hospital on Lakin Road in the northwest of Warwick , Warwickshire , England is run by South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust . The facility has its origins in the infirmary built for the Warwick Union Poorhouse in Union Road (now Lakin Road) in 1848. The infirmary was extended in 1857 and 1876 with a chapel and mortuary following in 1883. A new purpose-built hospital
198-512: A burh or fortified dwelling there on a hilltop site overlooking the earlier riverside settlement, as one of ten to defend Mercia from the Vikings . Warwick was chosen as a site for the burh because the local outcrop of sandstone alongside the Avon provided an easily defensible position at a strategic site by the river crossing, with a good source of water and building material. In the early 10th century,
297-436: A king of Mercia is Creoda , said to have been the great-grandson of Icel . Coming to power around 584, he built a fortress at Tamworth which became the seat of Mercia's kings. His son Pybba succeeded him in 593. Cearl , a kinsman of Creoda, followed Pybba in 606; in 615, Cearl gave his daughter Cwenburga in marriage to Edwin , king of Deira , whom he had sheltered while he was an exiled prince. The Mercian kings were
396-546: A shire was founded with Warwick as its county town. During the reign of Æthelstan (924-939) a royal mint was established at Warwick. This was one of two established in Warwickshire at the time, the other being at Tamworth . The Warwick mint continued until the mid-12th century. In 1016 the Danes invaded Mercia and burned down much of Warwick including a nunnery , which stood on the site of today's St Nicholas Church. William
495-651: A 'weir,' the latter implying that the original settlement was located by a natural weir over the River Avon , possibly on the south side of the river, which offered easily cultivable land. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for the year 914 reports that the Anglo-Saxon Æthelflæd , Lady of the Mercians , daughter of king Alfred the Great and sister of king Edward the Elder of Wessex, built
594-461: A Labour MP was elected; he held the seat until 2010, when Chris White was elected for the Conservatives. White lost his seat when Theresa May called a snap election in 2017. The 17th-century antiquarian William Dugdale wrote that Warwick was "standing upon a rocky ascent from every side, and in a dry and fertile soil, having... rich and pleasant meadows on the south part... and... woodland on
693-503: A brief period of independence in the mid-10th century and in 1016, by which time it was viewed as a province with temporary independence. Wessex conquered and united all the kingdoms into the Kingdom of England . The kingdom became an earldom until 1071. Mercia's exact evolution at the start of the Anglo-Saxon era remains more obscure than that of Northumbria , Kent , or even Wessex . Mercia developed an effective political structure and
792-514: A century, reaching 15,349 in 1951 and 16,051 in 1961. Since then it has almost doubled, to 31,315 in 2011. There are three tiers of local government covering Warwick, at parish (town), district , and county level: Warwick Town Council, Warwick District Council and Warwickshire County Council . The town council is based at the Court House on Jury Street, which was completed in 1731. The district council, although taking its name from Warwick,
891-504: A garrison was maintained there with artillery and other stores until 1659, which at its height in 1645 consisted of 302 soldiers. The mid-17th century saw the founding of Castle Hill Baptist Church , one of the oldest Baptist churches in the world. Much of the medieval town centre was destroyed in the Great Fire of Warwick on 5 September 1694, which, within five hours destroyed 460 buildings and left 250 families homeless. Thus most of
990-525: A golden three-pronged Saxon crown has been used by several units of the British Army as a heraldic device for Mercia since 1958, including the Mercian Regiment . It is derived from the attributed arms of Leofric, Earl of Mercia in the 11th century. Leofric is sometimes attributed a black, single-headed eagle instead. The wyvern , a type of dragon , came to have a strong association with Mercia in
1089-574: A head office in the town. Since November 2004, National Grid UK has had its United Kingdom headquarters on the Warwick Technology Park south of the town near the A452 road . Phillips 66 and their petrol station group, JET , have an office on the Technology Park. Other businesses with head offices here include lingerie company Bravissimo . IBM , Wolseley and Volvo Group UK have bases on
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#17328691141991188-659: A heraldic visitation of the town in 1619. In Bram Stoker 's 1911 novel The Lair of the White Worm , explicitly set in Mercia (see above), the Mercian white wyvern sans legs of the Midland Railway was transformed into a monstrous beast, the eponymous worm of the title. The word "worm" is derived from Old English wyrm and originally referred to a dragon or serpent. "Wyvern" derives from Old Saxon wivere , also meaning serpent, and
1287-515: A house in Jury Street. As Pageant House, this subsequently served as the offices of Warwick Borough Council, until the enlarged Warwick District Council was formed in Leamington Spa in 1974. The Leamington & Warwick Tramways & Omnibus Company was established in 1881, and operated a tramway service between Warwick and Leamington Spa until 1930. It ran across Portobello Bridge ,
1386-802: A monk in Rome, Æthelbald was free to establish Mercia's hegemony over the rest of the Anglo-Saxons south of the Humber . Æthelbald suffered a setback in 752, when the West Saxons under Cuthred defeated him, but he seems to have restored his supremacy over Wessex by 757. In July 2009, the Staffordshire Hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold was discovered by Terry Herbert in a field at Hammerwich, near Brownhills and close to Lichfield in Staffordshire. Lichfield functioned as
1485-551: A new football league was formed called the Mercian Regional Football League . Hits Radio Coventry & Warwickshire , a commercial radio station, was originally launched in 1980 as Mercia Sound , later becoming Mercia FM , and then Mercia . There is no authentic indigenous Mercian heraldic device, as heraldry did not develop in any recognizable form until the High Middle Ages . The saltire as
1584-401: A population of about 1,500 in 1086. Indicators for ensuing centuries are sparse; however, by the mid-16th century, it is thought to have been about 2,000, which increased by the late 17th century to over 3,000. At the time of the first national census in 1801, Warwick had 5,592 inhabitants. This population nearly doubled by 1851, when it reached 10,952; thereafter, growth was slower for more than
1683-613: A role in the administration of the Catholic Church in England (sponsoring the short-lived archbishopric of Lichfield , 787 to 799), and even negotiated with Charlemagne as an equal. Offa is credited with the construction of Offa's Dyke , which marked the border between Wales and Mercia. Offa exerted himself to ensure that his son Ecgfrith of Mercia would succeed him, but after Offa's death in July 796 Ecgfrith survived for only five months, and
1782-564: A silver badge by all uniformed employees. However, in 1897 the Railway Magazine noted that there appeared "to be no foundation that the wyvern was associated with the Kingdom of Mercia". It has been associated with Leicester since the time of Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster and Leicester (c. 1278–1322), the most powerful lord in the Midlands, who used it as his personal crest, and was recorded in
1881-512: A symbol of Mercia may have been in use since the time of King Offa . By the 13th century, the saltire had become the attributed arms of the Kingdom of Mercia. The arms are blazoned Azure, a saltire Or , meaning a gold (or yellow) saltire on a blue field. The arms were subsequently used by the Abbey of St Albans , founded by King Offa of Mercia. With the dissolution of the Abbey and the incorporation of
1980-530: A three-arch bridge built 1831 to connect the two towns. In 2021 it was announced that Warwick had entered a competition with 38 other contenders to be awarded city status as part of the Platinum Jubilee Civic Honours . However, it was not among the eight winners ultimately chosen in May 2022. Populations before the 1801 census can be based on indirect measures. Historians suggest that Warwick had
2079-651: Is Mercia...". The British Army has made use of several regional identities in naming larger, amalgamated formations. After the Second World War, the infantry regiments of Cheshire , Staffordshire and Worcestershire were organised in the Mercian Brigade (1948–1968). Today, "Mercia" appears in the titles of two regiments, the Mercian Regiment , founded in 2007, which recruits in Cheshire, Derbyshire , Nottinghamshire, Worcestershire, and parts of Greater Manchester and
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#17328691141992178-563: Is a housing estate and business park in Heathcote, south-east Warwick, which was built in the late 1990s. Although separated from Warwick town centre by open fields, Warwick Gates falls within the Warwick South and Bishops Tachbrook parish. It is adjacent to Whitnash , a small town near Leamington Spa , and the village of Bishops Tachbrook . The Tachbrook Park and Heathcote industrial estates are also nearby. The NHS Leamington Spa Hospital
2277-489: Is adjacent to Warwick Gates. In the early 2010s another new estate, Chase Meadow, was built to the south-west of the town next to Warwick Racecourse . Its amenities include a public house , a Chinese takeaway and a fish and chip shop . Ten year later a new estate south of Myton, named Myton Green was built. Warwick experiences the usual English maritime climate, marked by a narrow temperature range, mild winters and cool summers. The nearest official Met Office weather station
2376-495: Is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whitnash . Warwick has ancient origins and an array of historic buildings, notably from the Medieval , Stuart and Georgian eras. It was a major fortified settlement from the early Middle Ages, the most notable relic of this period being Warwick Castle , a major tourist attraction. Much was destroyed in the Great Fire of Warwick in 1694 and then rebuilt with fine 18th century buildings, such as
2475-464: Is also known for its mixture of Tudor and 17th-century buildings. Warwick is also known for Warwick Racecourse , near the west gate of the medieval town, which hosts several televised horse racing meetings a year. Within the racecourse is a small golf course. J. R. R. Tolkien seems to have been very influenced by Warwick (where he was married in the Catholic Church of Saint Mary Immaculate and
2574-493: Is also on the A46 dual-carriageway trunk road positioned between Coventry and Stratford-upon-Avon . Warwick has several council off-street car parks in the town. There are also a few privately run car parks, including those at the railway station and the castle. Mercia Mercia ( / ˈ m ɜːr s i ə , - ʃ ə , - s i ə / , Old English : Miercna rīċe , "kingdom of the border people"; Latin : Merciorum regnum )
2673-507: Is an independent day school and nursery for boys aged 3–7 and girls 3–11. It is part of the Warwick Independent Schools Foundation, together with King's High School and Warwick School. Warwick School is an independent school for boys which claims to be the oldest boys' school in England. The actual foundation date is unknown, although 914 has sometimes been quoted. For some years the school claimed that King Edward
2772-503: Is at Wellesbourne , about 6 miles (10 km) south of the town centre and at a similar elevation. The absolute maximum temperature (also the absolute maximum for the county of Warwickshire ) stands at 36.1 °C (97.0 °F) recorded in August 1990. During a typical year, the warmest day should reach 30.0 °C (86.0 °F), and 16.5 days should report a maximum of 25.1 °C (77.2 °F) or higher. The lowest recorded temperature
2871-490: Is based in the neighbouring town of Leamington Spa. Warwickshire County Council has its headquarters at Shire Hall , a complex of buildings between Market Place and Northgate Street in the centre of Warwick. Population growth has led to Warwick adjoining its larger and younger neighbour Leamington Spa and also Whitnash as part of a conurbation of some 95,000 inhabitants. Warwick is represented in Parliament as part of
2970-627: Is commemorated by a blue plaque ) and by its Mercian connections: Lynn Forest-Hill, in an article in the Times Literary Supplement (TLS 8 July 2005 pp 12–13) argues cogently that two important settlements in Tolkien's work were modelled on Warwick – Edoras closely on the early town, and Minas Tirith more remotely on the Norman; and that aspects of the plot of The Lord of the Rings are paralleled in
3069-507: Is etymologically related to viper . The ultimate source for the symbolism of white dragons in England would appear to be Geoffrey of Monmouth 's fictional work, The History of the Kings of Britain (c. 1136), which recounts an incident in the life of Merlin where a red dragon is seen fighting a white dragon and prevailing. The red dragon was taken to represent the Welsh and their eventual victory over
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3168-446: Is first recorded (as mydlonde-shiris ) in 1475. John Bateman, writing in 1876 or 1883, referred to contemporary Cheshire and Staffordshire landholdings as being in Mercia. The most credible source for the idea of a contemporary Mercia is Thomas Hardy 's Wessex novels. The first of these appeared in 1874 and Hardy himself considered it the origin of the conceit of a contemporary Wessex. Bram Stoker set his 1911 novel The Lair of
3267-588: Is named after the county of Warwickshire, rather than the town, and is in fact situated several miles north of Warwick on the southern outskirts of Coventry . Adding to the location confusion is the fact that Coventry is no longer in the county of Warwickshire, but instead is in the West Midlands , leading to the current situation where the university straddles both counties. Warwick is on the M40 London - Birmingham motorway, connected to junctions 13, 14 and 15; it
3366-525: Is −17.8 °C (0.0 °F), recorded in January 1982. Typically, 53.3 air frosts are recorded in an "average" year. Rainfall averages out at 608 millimetres (23.9 in) per year, with over 114 days seeing 1 mm (0.04 in) or more falling. All averages refer to the 1971–2000 period. At the 2011 census , there were 31,345 residents in Warwick in 14,226 households, and the median age of Warwick residents
3465-589: The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , it was from Repton in 873–874 that the Great Heathen Army deposed the King of Mercia. Slightly earlier, King Offa seems to have favoured Tamworth . It was there where he was crowned and spent many a Christmas. For 300 years (between 600 and 900), known as Mercian Supremacy or the "Golden Age of Mercia", having annexed or gained submissions from five of the other six kingdoms of
3564-509: The Battle of Winwaed , in which Penda in turn lost the battle and his life. The battle led to a temporary collapse of Mercian power. Penda's son Peada , who had converted to Christianity at Repton in 653, succeeded his father as king of Mercia; Oswiu set up Peada as an under-king; but in the spring of 656 he was murdered and Oswiu assumed direct control of the whole of Mercia. A Mercian revolt in 658 threw off Northumbrian domination and resulted in
3663-571: The Bell Beaker culture was likewise found, believed to date from 2500 to 1700 BC. Archaeological work on the site of Warwick School in 2017–2018 revealed the footings of a sizeable Roman barn from the 2nd century AD. Roman rule in Britain begin to break down with the Great Conspiracy in 367–368, the withdrawal of Roman troops from Britain from 383 to 406 and the barbarian raids of 408. Warwick
3762-696: The Collegiate Church of St Mary and the Shire Hall . The population was estimated at 37,267 at the 2021 Census . Human activity on the site dates back to the Neolithic , when it appears there was a sizable settlement on the Warwick hilltop. Artifacts found include more than 30 shallow pits containing early Neolithic flints and pottery and a number of small post holes indicating rectangular buildings. These are believed to have been created by Early European Farmers , sometime between 4000 and 2351 BC. An arrowhead from
3861-549: The Heptarchy ( East Anglia , Essex , Kent , Sussex and Wessex ), Mercia dominated England south of the Humber estuary. During King Offa 's reign, a dyke was created as the boundary between Mercia and the Welsh kingdoms. Nicholas Brooks noted that "the Mercians stand out as by far the most successful of the various early Anglo-Saxon peoples until the later ninth century", and some historians, such as Sir Frank Stenton , believe
3960-698: The Hospital of St John near the east town gate. It is now the site of the 17th century St John's House. Relatively few medieval buildings survive in Warwick, however one of the most notable examples is the Lord Leycester Hospital on the High Street, whose oldest parts date from 1383. Warwick was not incorporated as a borough until 1545. During the English Civil War , the town and castle were garrisoned for Parliament under Sir Edward Peyto . In 1642
4059-550: The Kingdom of Rohan , otherwise known as the Mark (a name cognate with Mercia ). The Mercian dialect is the basis of Tolkien's language of Rohan, and a number of its kings are given the same names as monarchs who appear in the Mercian royal genealogy, e.g., Fréawine, Fréaláf and Éomer (see List of kings of the Angles ). The first kings of Mercia were pagans, and they resisted the encroachment of Christianity longer than other kingdoms in
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4158-653: The Market Square , which hosts collections which are primarily focused on objects in the fields of archaeology, geology and natural history, and particularly those local to Warwickshire . Secondly, the 17th century St John's House , which hosts, among other things, a full sized replica of a Victorian kitchen and classroom, and the Royal Warwickshire Regiment of Fusiliers Museum. Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC West Midlands and ITV Central . Television signals are received from
4257-536: The Norman Conquest in 1066. The name 'Mercia' is a Latinisation of an Old English word derived from the Mercian Old English , Merce , meaning "borderland". The dialect thrived between the 8th and 13th centuries and was referred to by John Trevisa , writing in 1387: For men of the est with men of the west, as it were undir the same partie of hevene, acordeth more in sownynge of speche than men of
4356-517: The Warwick and Leamington constituency , the seat from 1923 to 1957 of Anthony Eden , who was Britain's Prime Minister from 1955 to 1957. It has been held by the Labour Party since the 2017 general election , when Matt Western was elected as the constituency's MP . From the 1945 general election until 1997, the constituency elected a Conservative MP. In the 1997 United Kingdom general election ,
4455-611: The 14th century. It lists a number of peoples, such as the Hwicce , who have now vanished, except for reminders in various placenames. The major subdivisions of Mercia were as follows: After Mercia was annexed by Wessex in the early 10th century, the West Saxon rulers divided it into shires modelled after their own system, cutting across traditional Mercian divisions. These shires survived mostly intact until 1974, and even today still largely follow their original boundaries. The term "midlands"
4554-461: The 19th century. The Midland Railway , which used a white (silver) wyvern sans legs (legless) as its crest, having inherited it from the Leicester and Swannington Railway , asserted that the "wyvern was the standard of the Kingdom of Mercia", and that it was "a quartering in the town arms of Leicester". The symbol appeared on numerous stations and other company buildings in the region, and was worn as
4653-559: The Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. Mercian rulers remained resolutely pagan until the reign of Peada in 656, although this did not prevent them joining coalitions with Christian Welsh rulers to resist Northumbria. The first appearance of Christianity in Mercia, however, had come at least thirty years earlier, following the Battle of Cirencester of 628, when Penda incorporated the formerly West Saxon territories of Hwicce into his kingdom. The conversion of Mercia to Christianity occurred in
4752-665: The Anglo-Saxon invaders, symbolised by the white dragon. The philologist and Tolkien scholar Tom Shippey has suggested that the Middle Kingdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's Farmer Giles of Ham , a story dominated by a dragon, is based on Mercia, the part of England where Tolkien grew up. This dragon, Chrysophylax , though mostly hostile, eventually helps Giles found a realm of his own, the Little Kingdom. Shippey states further that "the Mark",
4851-543: The Avon: Castle Bridge , which consists of a single sandstone arch was opened in 1793. It replaced an older 14th century bridge further downstream, known as Old Castle Bridge , which fell into ruin, although remains of it can still be seen. The Warwick and Birmingham and Warwick and Napton canals were both opened through Warwick in 1800. They now form parts of the Grand Union Canal . The Borough of Warwick
4950-450: The Aylesford Unit opened in a dedicated building in February 2010. The hospital also started work on a new birthing centre in 2018. Warwick Warwick ( / ˈ w ɒr ɪ k / WORR -ik ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon . It is 9 miles (14 km) south of Coventry , and 19 miles (31 km) south-east of Birmingham . It
5049-416: The Beauchamp Chapel survived, the latter having been built between 1443 and 1464 according to the wishes of Richard Beauchamp , Earl of Warwick, who had died in Rouen in 1439. A full-size reclining copper-gilt effigy of him lies on his Purbeck marble tomb – a fine piece of medieval metalwork cast in 1459. In 1788 the Earl of Warwick obtained an Act of Parliament to enable him to build a new bridge over
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#17328691141995148-422: The Confessor ( c. 1004 –1066) chartered it, although there is no clear evidence for this and King Henry VIII re-founded it in 1545. Whatever the case, there has undoubtedly been a grammar school in the town of Warwick since before the Norman Conquest . Its present successor has occupied its current site south of the River Avon since 1879. The nearest university is the University of Warwick , which
5247-415: The Conqueror founded Warwick Castle in 1068, while on his way to Yorkshire to deal with rebellion in the north. Building it involved pulling down four houses. The castle stood within the larger Anglo-Saxon burh and a new town wall was created close to the burh ramparts. The prosperity of medieval Warwick rested on its status as an administrative and military centre, however it was poorly positioned from
5346-412: The Diocese of Mercia became the Diocese of Lichfield . There has been a diocese based in the city ever since. For a brief period between 787 and 799 or 803 the diocese was an archbishopric . The current bishop, Michael Ipgrave , is the 99th since the diocese was established. At the end of the 9th century, following the invasions of the Vikings and their Great Heathen Army , Danelaw absorbed much of
5445-555: The Lark Stoke TV transmitter and the local relay transmitter in Leamington Spa . Warwick's local radio stations are BBC CWR on 103.7 FM, Capital Mid-Counties on 107.3 FM, Hits Radio Coventry & Warwickshire on 102.9 FM and Fresh (Coventry & Warwickshire) , DAB radio station. Local newspapers are the Warwickshire Telegraph and The Boar , a student newspaper for the University of Warwick . Warwick Hospital , Leamington Spa Hospital and St Michael's Hospital (a psychiatric unit that superseded Central Hospital ) are in
5544-594: The Mercian king Beornwulf (who had overthrown Ceolwulf in 823) at Ellendun . The Battle of Ellendun proved decisive. At this point, Mercia lost control of Kent , Sussex , Surrey , and possibly also Essex . Beornwulf was slain while suppressing a revolt amongst the East Angles, and his successor, a former ealdorman named Ludeca (reigned 826–827), met the same fate. Another ealdorman, Wiglaf , subsequently ruled for less than two years before Egbert of Wessex drove him out of Mercia. In 830 Wiglaf regained independence for Mercia, but by this time Wessex had clearly become
5643-532: The Wedgnock Industrial Estate in the north of the town, near to the A46 trunk road. Other companies with regional headquarters in Warwick include Bridgestone , Calor , Kantar and Delphi Automotive . In recent years several high-profile national and international companies have set up large office complexes in and around Warwick, notably National Grid and IBM. There is also an out-of-town retail park called Leamington Shopping Park (formerly The Shires Retail Park ). Warwick hosts several annual festivals, including:
5742-454: The West Midlands, and the Royal Mercian and Lancastrian Yeomanry , founded in 1992 as part of the Territorial Army . In 1967, the police forces of Herefordshire , Shropshire and Worcestershire were combined into the West Mercia Constabulary , which changed its name to West Mercia Police in 2009. Telephone directories across the Midlands include a large number of commercial and voluntary organisations using "Mercia" in their names, and in 2012
5841-574: The White Worm in a contemporary Mercia that may have been influenced by Hardy, whose secretary was a friend of Stoker's brother. Although 'Edwardian Mercia' never had the success of 'Victorian Wessex', it was an idea that appealed to the higher echelons of society. In 1908 Sir Oliver Lodge, Principal of Birmingham University , wrote to his counterpart at Bristol , welcoming a new university worthy of "...the great Province of Wessex whose higher educational needs it will supply. It will be no rival, but colleague and co-worker with this university, whose province
5940-498: The accession of Æthelbald in 716 the Mercians conquered the region around Wroxeter , known to the Welsh as Pengwern or as "The Paradise of Powys". Elegies written in the persona of its dispossessed rulers record the sorrow at this loss. The next important king of Mercia, Æthelbald, reigned from 716 to 757. For the first few years of his reign he had to face two strong rival kings, Wihtred of Kent and Ine of Wessex . But when Wihtred died in 725, and Ine abdicated in 726 to become
6039-432: The appearance of another son of Penda, Wulfhere , who ruled Mercia as an independent kingdom (though he apparently continued to render tribute to Northumbria for a while) until his death in 675. Wulfhere initially succeeded in restoring the power of Mercia, but the end of his reign saw a serious defeat by Northumbria. The next king, Æthelred , defeated Northumbria in the Battle of the Trent in 679, settling once and for all
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#17328691141996138-431: The borough of St Albans the device was used on the town's corporate seal and was officially recorded as the arms of the town at an heraldic visitation in 1634. The saltire is used as both a flag and a coat of arms. As a flag, it is flown from Tamworth Castle , the ancient seat of the Mercian Kings, to this day. The flag also appears on street signs welcoming people to Tamworth , the "ancient capital of Mercia". It
6237-414: The buildings in the rebuilt town were designed by the architects Francis Smith , and later William and David Hiorne , who gave Warwick its 18th century appearance. Daniel Defoe gave his opinion that Warwick had been 'rebuilt in so noble and so beautiful a manner that few towns in England make so fine an appearance'. The fire burnt down much of the medieval church of St Mary . However, the chancel and
6336-402: The castle underwent a two-week siege by the Royalists commanded by the Earl of Northampton , however, the besiegers lacked any cannons powerful enough to damage the castle. The siege collapsed when, on hearing of the approach of the Earl of Essex to Southam , Lord Northampton marched his force away towards Worcester . Major John Bridges was appointed governor of the castle in 1643, and
6435-433: The dominant power in England. Circa 840 Beorhtwulf succeeded Wiglaf. In 852, Burgred came to the throne, and with Ethelwulf of Wessex subjugated North Wales . In 868 Danish invaders occupied Nottingham . The Danes drove Burgred from his kingdom in 874 and Ceolwulf II took his place. In 877 the Danes seized the eastern part of Mercia, which became part of the Danelaw . Ceolwulf, the last king of Mercia, left with
6534-451: The early 16th century. Today the only remains are the east and west gatehouses , there was previously also a north gatehouse, but this was demolished. On the south side, the bridge over the Avon was said to fulfil the role of a gatehouse, and likely had a barrier. The west gate was first recorded in 1129, and had a chapel of St James above it, which was reconstructed in the 14th century and extensively restored in 1863–1865. The east gate
6633-444: The fifth bishop to operate in Mercia. This controversial figure was given land by King Wulfhere to build a monastery at Lichfield . Evidence suggests that the Lichfield Gospels were made in Lichfield around 730. As in other Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, the many small monasteries established by the Mercian kings allowed the political/military and ecclesiastical leadership to consolidate their unity through bonds of kinship. For knowledge of
6732-400: The former Mercian territory. Danelaw at its height included London, all of East Anglia and most of the North of England. The final Mercian king, Ceolwulf II , died in 879 with the kingdom appearing to have lost its political independence. Initially, it was ruled by a lord or ealdorman under the overlordship of Alfred the Great , who styled himself "King of the Anglo-Saxons". The kingdom had
6831-435: The frontier between Northumbria and the inhabitants of the Trent river valley . Although its earliest boundaries remain obscure, a general agreement persists that the territory that was called "the first of the Mercians" in the Tribal Hidage covered much of south Derbyshire , Leicestershire , Nottinghamshire , Northamptonshire , Staffordshire and northern Warwickshire . The earliest person named in any records as
6930-402: The hegemony which his predecessor had exercised over the southern English, and he did this so successfully that he became the greatest king Mercia had ever known. Not only did he win battles and dominate Southern England , but also he took an active hand in administering the affairs of his kingdom, founding market towns and overseeing the first major issues of gold coins in Britain; he assumed
7029-433: The internal composition of the Kingdom of Mercia, we must rely on a document of uncertain age (possibly late 7th century), known as the Tribal Hidage – an assessment of the extent (but not the location) of land owned (reckoned in hides ), and therefore the military obligations and perhaps taxes due, by each of the Mercian tribes and subject kingdoms by name. This hidage exists in several manuscript versions, some as late as
7128-552: The kingdom passed to a distant relative named Coenwulf in December 796. In 821 Coenwulf's brother Ceolwulf succeeded to the Mercian kingship; he demonstrated his military prowess by his attack on and destruction of the fortress of Deganwy in Gwynedd . The power of the West Saxons under Egbert (King of Wessex from 802 to 839) grew during this period, however, and in 825 Egbert defeated
7227-597: The latter part of the 7th century, and by the time of Penda's defeat and death, Mercia was largely surrounded by Christian states. Diuma , an Irish monk and one of Oswiu's missionaries, was subsequently ordained a bishop – the first to operate in Mercia. Christianity finally gained a foothold in Mercia when Oswiu supported Peada as sub-king of the Middle Angles, requiring him to marry Oswiu's daughter, Alchflaed, and to accept her religion. Decisive steps to Christianise Mercia were taken by Chad (Latinised by Bede as Ceadda ),
7326-419: The long-disputed control of the former kingdom of Lindsey . Æthelred was succeeded by Cœnred , son of Wulfhere; both these kings became better known for their religious activities than anything else, but the king who succeeded them in 709, Ceolred , is said in a letter of Saint Boniface to have been a dissolute youth who died insane. So ended the rule of the direct descendants of Penda. At some point before
7425-632: The name of the West Saxon king. Æthelred had married Æthelflæd ( c. 870 – 12 June 918), daughter of Alfred the Great of Wessex ( r. 871–899 ), and she assumed power when her husband became ill at some time in the last ten years of his life. After Æthelred's death in 911 Æthelflæd ruled as "Lady of the Mercians", but Alfred's successor as King of the Anglo-Saxons, Edward the Elder ( r. 899–924 ), took control of London and Oxford , which Alfred had placed under Æthelred's control. Æthelflæd and her brother continued Alfred's policy of building fortified burhs , and by 918 they had conquered
7524-472: The newly unified Northumbria, but bretwalda , or high king, over the southern kingdoms. When another Northumbrian king, Oswald , arose and again claimed overlordship of the south, he also suffered defeat and death at the hands of Penda and his allies – in 642 at the Battle of Maserfield . In 655, after a period of confusion in Northumbria, Penda brought 30 sub-kings to fight the new Northumbrian king Oswiu at
7623-453: The north with men of the south, therfore it is that Mercii, that beeth men of myddel Engelond, as it were parteners of the endes, understondeth better the side langages, northerne and southerne, than northerne and southerne understondeth either other... J. R. R. Tolkien is one of many scholars who have studied and promoted the Mercian dialect of Old English and introduced various Mercian terms into his legendarium – especially in relation to
7722-567: The north." Two factors have affected Warwick's built environment : the Great Fire of 1694 and the lack of industrialisation. In the 19th century, the widespread industrialisation of England largely passed Warwick by. One reason was that the town did not lie on important roads and the River Avon was not navigable as far as Warwick. Suburbs of Warwick include Bridge End, Cliff Hill, Emscote, Woodloes Park, Forbes, Myton (connecting Warwick with Leamington Spa ), Packmores, The Cape, The Percy, Warwick Gates, Chase Meadow and Myton Green. Warwick Gates
7821-621: The only Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy ruling house known to claim a direct family link with a pre-migration Continental Germanic monarchy. The next Mercian king, Penda , ruled from about 626 or 633 until 655. Some of what is known about Penda comes from the hostile account of Bede , who disliked him – both as an enemy to Bede's own Northumbria and as a pagan . However, Bede admits that Penda freely allowed Christian missionaries from Lindisfarne into Mercia and did not restrain them from preaching. In 633 Penda and his ally Cadwallon of Gwynedd defeated and killed Edwin, who had become not only ruler of
7920-458: The point of view of trade, and was consequently never a commercial or industrial centre of more than local significance in medieval times. Medieval Warwick was controlled by various Earls of Warwick , mostly of the Beauchamp family. It became a walled town . It is unknown quite when the town wall was built, but references to it are found as early as the 12th century. It had mostly been demolished by
8019-452: The religious centre of Mercia. The artefacts have tentatively been dated by Svante Fischer and Jean Soulat to around AD 600–800. Whether the hoard was deposited by Anglo-Saxon pagans or Christians remains unclear, as does the purpose of the deposit. After the murder of Æthelbald by one of his bodyguards in 757, a civil war broke out which concluded with the victory of Offa , a descendant of Pybba. Offa (reigned 757 to 796) had to build anew
8118-529: The romance known as Guy of Warwick . Christopher Tolkien, in The Book of Lost Tales , stated that Kortirion, the main city of Tol Eressëa , "would become in after days Warwick." Warwick and its historic buildings have featured in a number of television series, including the BBC 's drama series Dangerfield , the period dramas Pride and Prejudice and Tom Jones and Granada Television 's Moll Flanders . Parts of
8217-463: The southern Danelaw in East Anglia and Danish Mercia. When Æthelflæd died in 918, Ælfwynn, her daughter by Æthelred, succeeded as "Second Lady of the Mercians", but within six months Edward had deprived her of all authority in Mercia and taken her to Wessex. Edward was succeeded as king of the Anglo-Saxons by his eldest son Æthelstan ( r. 924–939 ), who had been brought up in Mercia, and he
8316-572: The spoken word; classical and contemporary music ; a folk festival ; and a Victorian Evening, held in late November or early December. St. Mary's Church hosts a series of Early Music concerts, and the Bridge House Theatre hosts the Music-in-Round concerts. Warwick Chamber of Trade helps to promote the town for visitors, residents and businesses. The town is also famous for Warwick Castle , whose construction began in 1068. The town centre
8415-448: The town substituted for Elizabethan and Jacobean era London in the third-series episode two (" The Shakespeare Code ") of Doctor Who which ran 7 April 2007. Filming took place in June 2019 for A Christmas Carol , which was screened on United Kingdom television at Christmas 2019. The Warwickshire Museum has two sites in Warwick, firstly the historic 17th century Market Hall in
8514-513: The town, stopping at nearby Leamington Spa railway station instead. Warwick was largely bypassed by the Industrial Revolution ; during the early 19th century, only minor industrial activities developed in the town, such as hat making. By the early 20th century, some engineering industry had been established locally. The Warwick Pageant was a major festival in the grounds of Warwick Castle in 1906, organised by Louis N. Parker from
8613-420: The town-centre buildings are of late 17th and early 18th-century origin, although some medieval timber-framed buildings survive, especially around the edges of the town centre. One of the aims of the rebuilding of Warwick following the fire, was to encourage the gentry and professional men to settle in the town, and so impetus was given to rebuilding the town in the then contemporary Georgian style. Many of
8712-669: The town. Warwick Racecourse is located just west of the town centre. Adjacent to it is Racing Club Warwick F.C. , founded in 1919. The city has many long-established sports clubs, including Warwick Hockey Club, founded in 1920. Secondary schools in Warwick include Warwick School , an independent day and boarding school for boys. The King's High School For Girls is also independent, but Myton School and Aylesford School are state-run co-educational schools. Campion School and Trinity Catholic School in Leamington include parts of Warwick in their catchment areas. Warwick Preparatory School
8811-438: The unification of England south of the Humber estuary was achieved during Offa's reign. King Peada converted to Christianity around 656. The Diocese of Mercia was founded in this year, with the first bishop ( Diuma ) based at Repton . The religion was firmly established in the kingdom by the late 7th century. After 13 years at Repton, 669 AD, Saint Chad (the fifth bishop) moved the bishopric to Lichfield and, in 691 AD,
8910-428: The western half, reigned until 879. From about 883 until his death in 911 Æthelred, Lord of the Mercians , ruled Mercia under the overlordship of Wessex. Alfred changed his title from 'king of the West Saxons' to 'king of the Anglo-Saxons' to reflect the acceptance of his overlordship of all southern England not under Danish rule. All coins struck in Mercia after the disappearance of Ceolwulf in c. 879 were in
9009-533: Was Christianised later than the other kingdoms. Archaeological surveys show that Angles settled the lands north of the River Thames by the 6th century. The name "Mercia" is Mercian Old English for "boundary folk" (see Welsh Marches ), and the traditional interpretation is that the kingdom originated along the frontier between the native Welsh and the Anglo-Saxon invaders. However, Peter Hunter Blair argued an alternative interpretation: that they emerged along
9108-404: Was 39. In terms of ethnicity: In terms of religion, 58.0% of Warwick residents identified as Christian , 26.9% said they had no religion , 7.4% did not state any religion, 4.6% were Sikh , 1.3% were Hindu , 1.0% were Muslim , 0.4% were Buddhists , 0.2% were Jewish and 0.4% were from another religion. Due to its proximity to north–south and east–west motorway routes, many companies have
9207-579: Was also flown outside Birmingham Council House during 2009 while the Staffordshire Hoard was on display in the city before being taken to the British Museum in London. The cross has been incorporated into a number of coats of arms of Mercian towns, including Tamworth , Leek and Blaby . It was recognised as the Mercian flag by the Flag Institute in 2014. The silver double-headed eagle surmounted by
9306-723: Was completed in 1903 and the old workhouse, which became known as the Warwick Public Assistance Institution, was integrated into the new hospital after 1930. The hospital joined the National Health Service in 1948 and the Public Assistance Institution ceased to operate as a separate body from 1949. The main maternity unit for the district was moved from Warneford Hospital in Leamington Spa to Warwick in 1993. A new cancer centre known as
9405-431: Was continuously inhabited from the 5th century onwards. There are three alternative explanations for town's Old English name, Wæringwīc: (a) it may be composed of Wæring , which is a clan name or patronymic, and the suffix wīc , meaning a 'settlement characterised by extensive artisanal activity and trade'; (b) alternatively, it may be derived from wering, meaning a 'fortification' (c) or it may reflect
9504-556: Was immediately accepted as king, but not in Wessex until the following year. In 927 he conquered Northumbria and thus became the first king of all England. Mercia briefly regained a political existence separate from Wessex in 955–959, when Edgar became king of Mercia, and again in 1016, when Cnut and Edmund Ironside divided the English kingdom between themselves, with Cnut taking Mercia. Mercia maintained its separate identity as an earldom until
9603-585: Was one of the three main Anglic kingdoms founded after Sub-Roman Britain was settled by Anglo-Saxons in an era called the Heptarchy . It was centred on the River Trent and its tributaries, in a region now known as the Midlands of England . The royal court moved around the kingdom without a fixed capital city. Early in its existence Repton seems to have been the location of an important royal estate. According to
9702-596: Was rebuilt in the 15th century with the Chapel of St Peter above it. It was rebuilt again in 1788 and was once used as part of The King's High School , but is now a holiday home. The town's Priory was founded in around 1119 by Henry de Beaumont , the first Earl of Warwick. It was later destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536, it stood on the site of the current Priory Park. Henry de Beaumont also founded
9801-556: Was reformed under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 , which reconstituted it as a municipal borough with an elected Town Council. The railway arrived in Warwick in 1852 when the Great Western Railway opened its man line between Birmingham, Oxford and London through the town, along with Warwick railway station . However, the train service proved to be a disappointment to Warwick, as no express trains served
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