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Lighthorne, in Warwickshire, is located in the triangle formed by Warwick, Stratford-on-Avon and Banbury, being 8 miles south of Warwick and 10 miles east of Stratford.

Lighthorne History Society was formed in January 2006 by the late Peter Hinman and other residents. The aims of the society are to promote an interest in and record the pre-history and the history of the village and to make the records available to the general public.

The society is open to all on payment of an annual subscription and the officers of the society welcome enquiries and information about Lighthorne from the public.

The society has so far published 4 items:
a booklet “A Short History of Lighthorne”, by Peter Hinman (2006)
a booklet “Yes, we remember it well!”, edited by Keith Sheppard (2008), being the reminiscences of the 1940s of Lighthorne residents
a DVD “Lighthorne 1900 – 2000, A Century in Images”, by Colin Such (2010)
an 8-page colour brochure “Welcome to St. Laurence’s Church, Lighthorne”.

This website was created in 2012 and represents an ongoing project to record the research of members of the society. Many of the documents, articles, reports, photographs and maps in the society archive are not in digital form, but the complete index is on on the Archive page and they are available for members to consult, via our archivist. The society welcomes additions to its archive.

Additionally the society organises talks and visits which are open to anyone who is interested.

Flower Festival in Church

Over the weekend of 22-23 June St Laurence’s Church hosted a delightful flower show. The floral displays enhanced the nave and chancel’s beauty, highlighting the magnificence of the stained glass windows. The History Society was one of the participating groups, adorning the base of the St Laurence and St Sebastian windows.

New Articles Published

A significant and highly researched article on the history of the Village Hall was printed in a Lighthorne Drama Group production programme, dating back to 2000. This has recently come to light and Russell Douglas’s amazing revelations can be read here LH136.1(E).

Wendy Heaney, the daughter of the Lighthorne rector, Rev’d William Shakespeare Newton, was a resident of Lighthorne in the 1950s and she has written a moving story of her life in the village, with vivid descriptions of village life and village characters in the 1950s. Click on this link LH350(E).

A Warwickshire newspaper article has been discovered which details the celebrations in Lighthorne for Queen Victoria’s coronation, in 1837. This article LH357(E) contains a transcription and Colin Such adds further insight into the Wilkins family, heavily involved in constructing the “booth” in which the celebrations took place.

New Book Published about Lighthorne

Joe’s Story, a Century of Change in the South Warwickshire Countryside” details the working life of Joe Gerring who worked in Lighthorne from 1923 to 1936, as a farm labourer. From 1936 to 1958 Joe worked as a woodman on the Willoughby de Broke Estate and during this time he lived in a tied cottage in Chesterton which he eventually bought. Most of the people he worked with lived in Lighthorne, and he gives a colourful account of their lives working on the estate. The book has been written and self-published by Peter Johnson after having worked with Joe at the Chesterton Estate Yard in the 1970s, where he was able to record Joe telling his own story in broad South Warwickshire dialect. The book is professionally printed and a pleasure to read. It contains 146 A4 pages (including sources and index) with more than 100 photographs, line drawings and maps including 34 pages in full colour. The book is accompanied by a 90 minute CD of the recording. The Society has a limited number of the books at £14 and CDs at £6 each. Please email colinjamessuch@gmail.com if you would like to buy a copy of the book and/or CD.

Transcription of Parish Registers

The Lighthorne parish registers are stored at the Warwick County Record Office (WCRO) under reference DR0018/1 – DR1800/6. They start from 1538 and are written in secretary script, initially in Latin, then in the 17th century partly in a mixture of English and Latin, eventually totally in English. The currently available online transcriptions of these records vary in their accuracy and Colin Such has completed transcribing and indexing the entries of the first volume, DR0018/1, from 1538 to 1715. We are grateful to the Record Office for permission to publish this work. To view the 1538-1715 transcriptions please click on this link LH263(E). To view the 1538 – 1715 names index please click on this link LH264(E).

Transcription and indexing of the second volume (DR0018/2) has also been completed by Colin Such. This volume covers baptisms 1715 to 1735, marriages 1715 to 1733 and burials 1678 to 1735. To view the transcription and index click LH308(E).

Launch of Civil Wars Warwickshire ‘Loss Accounts’ Project

The ‘Loss Accounts’ itemise the financial and material losses sustained by local inhabitants through Parliamentary activity before and during the First English Civil War between 1642 and 1646. They give fascinating details about individuals and their experiences. The Warwickshire accounts have been transcribed by a team of volunteers, including 2 members of the Lighthorne History Society, directed by Dr Maureen Harris, in a project supported by a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant. The loss accounts, including those of Lighthorne and surrounding villages, can be viewed at https://heritage.warwickshire.gov.uk/civilwaraccounts. To view Ann Such’s article on the Lighthorne ‘Loss Accounts’ click this link. LH235(E)

Assistance Required

We need your assistance in identifying some of the younger residents of Lighthorne prior to the First World War.  Please click on the following link to see photographs taken of Lighthorne children in the years immediately preceding the war. Lighthorne School photographs

Mystery Tombstone

A partial tombstone has been found in Lighthorne with only a part inscription to William Webb. Can you help us to identify this person please? Click here for further details.

Warwickshire Local History Society

All members of the Lighthorne History Society are automatically members of the Warwickshire Local History Society and are able to attend its lectures free of charge. The current programme is varied and interesting. Click here for further details.