[edit] History

Hinckley has a history dating back to Saxon times. Its name probably derives from 'Hinca's leah' Hinca was probably a person, and leah was a name for a clearing in a wood. By the time of the Domesday Book in 1086, Hinckley was quite a large village.

In the 13th century Hinckley grew into a small market town. A market was first recorded here in 1311.

During the 17th century Hinckley developed a hosiery industry, with stockings and other items being produced. During the English Civil War, it was occupied by a group of Royalist troops in March 1644, but these were soon driven out by a force of Parliamentarians, who took many prisoners.

Hinckley played a prominent part in the Civil War. Its proximity to several rival garrisons - the royalist garrisons at Ashby de la Zouch and Leicester, the Parliamentarians at Tamworth and Coventry and parties of troops or brigands occupying several fortified houses in Warwickshire – ensured frequent visits by the warring parties. The local townsfolk were forced to decide whether to directly declare their allegiances or to attempt to remain neutral, risking payment of levies, ransoms and fines to both sides.

The Civil War years were a particularly unsettled time for the clergy in and around Hinckley. Parsons with parliamentary leanings like Thomas Cleveland, the vicar of Hinckley, suffered sequestration by the Leicester County Committee, like some of his ‘malignant’ neighbours accused of visiting royalist garrisons or preaching against parliament.*[1]

The town was visited by both parliamentary and royalists troops from the rival garrisons, particularly parliamentary troops from Tamworth, Coventry, and Astley castle in Warwickshire. Troops from Coventry garrison were particularly active in the town, taking horses and "free quarter" and availing themselves of ‘dyett and Beere’, and taking some of the inhabitants hostage for ransom. Royalist troops raided the town to threaten those with parliamentary sympathies. The notorious Lord Hastings of Ashby de la Zouch is recorded to have "coursed about the country as far as Dunton and Lutterworth and took near upon a hundred of the clergymen and others, and carried them prisoners … threatening to hang all them that should take the Parliament’s Covenant". Parliamentary newsheets record that on the night of March 4th, 1644 Hastings’ men brought in "26 honest countrymen from several towns" intending to take them to Ashby de la Zouch, along with a huge herd of cattle, oxen and horses from the country people and a minister named Mr Warner. These prisoners were herded into Hinckley church and asked "in a jeering manner, ‘Where are the Round-heads your bretheren at Leicester? Why come they not to redeem you?’".

The Parliamentarians responded in a memorable "Skirmish or Great Victory for Parliament". Colonel Grey with 120 foot soldiers and thirty troopers from Bagworth House rushed to Hinckley and re-took the town, routed the Royalists, rescued the cattle and released their imprisoned countrymen. No doubt the inhabitants of the town were as relieved as any when Ashby finally surrendered, as Vicars records, ‘a great mercy and mighty preservation of the peace and tranquillity of all those adjacent parts about it’. *[2]

Hinckley became an urban district under the Local Government Act 1894, covering the ancient parish of Hinckley. In 1934, under a County Review Order, Hinckley urban district expanded to cover the ancient parishes of Barwell, Burbage and Earl Shilton and most of Stoke Golding. In 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 the Hinckley urban district was abolished, becoming an unparished area in the borough of Hinckley and Bosworth. Since then, civil parishes of Stoke Golding, Earl Shilton and Burbage have been set up again. The core urban area remained unparished.

[edit] Industry

Hinckley is a traditional centre of the hosiery industry. The first framework knitting machine was brought here by Joseph Iliffe in the 17th century and by the 19th century Hinckley was responsible for a large proportion of Britain's hosiery production. Since the Second World War the hosiery industry has steadily shrunk in size although several textiles firms remain in the area. Hinckley & District Museum, which is housed in a range of former framework knitters' cottages, tells the story of the hosiery industry and contains some interesting examples of framework knitting machines. Hinckley also has a history of engineering and is home to the Triumph Motorcycle company. The town's central location and good links to the UK motorway network have made it a popular location for distribution warehouses.

[edit] Transport Links

Hinckley is served by the A5 and the M69. The M69 links Hinckley to the nearest cities, Coventry and Leicester, and the M1 and M6 motorways.

By rail, Hinckley is served by the Nuneaton - Leicester stretch of the Birmingham to Peterborough Line and has regular rail services between Birmingham and Leicester via Narborough, Hinckley, and Nuneaton. The nearest airports are Coventry and Nottingham East Midlands, which is actually in Leicestershire.

[edit] Media

The local radio station, Fosseway Radio, serves the town and the surrounding area, as described by jingles such as "Fenny Drayton's Hits and Memories: Fosseway Radio". The main local newspaper is the weekly Hinckley Times. The daily Leicester Mercury also publishes a Hinckley edition. The free (advertising-funded) Hinckley Herald & Journal is distributed to most houses.

[edit] Sport

Hinckley has one football team, Hinckley United [3], who in season 2004/5 finished mid-table in the Football Conference North and competed in the Second Round of the FA Cup. Hinckley United was formed in 1997 from the amalgamation of Hinckley Town and Hinckley Athletic, and is known as the Knitters - a nickname that comes from the town's history as a textile-producing centre.

[edit] Education

Hinckley has several schools ranging from primary schools to colleges. The main priamry schools in the area are: Battling Brook CP, Holliers Walk, Richmond, St. Peters Catholic, St. Mary's Church of England and Westfield Infant/Junior. The high (secondary) schools include: Hastings, Mount Grace and Redmoor. St. Martins is not in Hinckley, but is a feeder school for John Cleveland College, the main college in the town for Years 10 and 11. JCC also includes a Sixth Form, as does North Warwickshire and Hinckley College, a further education college. The only other major college in the area is William Bradford (Earl Shilton), but most students transferring from Year 9 to Year 10 choose JCC.

[edit] Miscellaneous

The town is mentioned in Shakespeare's Henry IV, part 2 (Act 5, Scene 1):

Davy: Now, sir, a new link to the bucket must need be had: and, sir, do you mean to stop any of William's wages, about the sack he lost the other day at Hinckley fair?

Hinckley is twinned with Le Grand Quevilly, France and Herford, Germany.
Joseph Hansom built the first Hansom cab in Hinckley in 1835.

Hinckley was known to its residents for many years a "Tin 'At" (tin hat). It is reputed that, many years ago, one of the itinerant sheep drovers bragged that he could drink a hat full of ale. The local landlord put this man to the test by getting the local blacksmith to make a tin hat, which he then filled with ale. Thereafter, the town became known as "Tin 'At". A tin hat can be seen on top of the flag pole which sits on the roof of the building society at the corner of Castle Street and Market Place.

[edit] Places of interest

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Hinckley museum is located in a range of 17th-century [4] timber-framed framework knitters' cottages.
The Great Meeting of 1722, hidden away behind old hosiery factories, is an excellent early example of nonconformist architecture with a charming galleried interior.
The Ashby Canal, the longest flat canal in England, passes through the town.
The site of the Battle of Bosworth, administered by Leicestershire County Council, includes an interpretation centre at Ambion Hill, where Richard III encamped the night before the battle. St. James Church at Dadlington is also worth visiting as the place where many of the dead were buried and where a chantry was founded on their behalf.
Stoke Golding has one of the most beautiful medieval churches in Leicestershire, with an exquisitely carved arcade and very fine 13th century window tracery.
St Mary's Parish Church, situated in the centre of the town, is a 13th century church.