North Wheatley

Wheatley is of Anglo-Saxon origin and it means open land (from Anglo-Saxon leah) either of wheat (Anglo-Saxon hwaete), or by the water (Anglo-Saxon waeter).[5] The village is next to the Trent, built on clay and prone to flooding, so there is a strong local link to water. In the Domesday Book it is referred to as Wateleia.[6]

Wheatley lay on the Roman road Ermine Street between Lincoln and Doncaster and Roman artefacts have been found locally, including a Roman tombstone.[7] It is next mentioned in the Domesday Book, which reveals it comprised 25 villages and 4 freemen. The tenant-in-chief at this time was Roger de Busli.

The open fields in North Wheatley were enclosed in 1837. By 1853 the population had risen to 427 and the principal owner was Lord Middleton.[8]

The Middleton Wheatley Foundation Trust was established in 1981 by Lord Middleton with the proceeds from the sale of the old school house. It aims to promote education, in particular religious education, in the village. Interest from the trust's investments are distributed to charitable projects in these areas three times each year.[9]

North Wheatley Church of England Primary School teaches pupils between the ages of 3 and 11, and has approximately 96 students. It was rated as 'Outstanding' by Ofsted in its last inspection (2015). The school is a feeder school for Tuxford Academy.[15]

The population of North Wheatley remained roughly stable between 1801 (population 371) and 1961 (334). Since 1961 it has risen and the Census in 2001 showed that there were 489 residents of which 167[16] were aged 45–64. By 2007, the population of the village was roughly 650,[13] with the average age of these residents being 42. The percentage of students living in the North Wheatley area is just 1.4%, compared to the national average of 4.4%.

Strawberry fields around Wheatley

Ploughed fields in Wheatley, with strawberry polytunnels in background

Almost 200 years ago, census information shows us that more than half of males in North Wheatley aged 20 and over were Agricultural Laborers.[17] The village still has a strong agricultural economy, with a good rate of local employment.[18] Strawberries are traditionally associated with the village due to the number of strawberry farms in the immediate area. Many of these allow customers to 'pick your own', though the number offering this has diminished in recent years. The village is so strongly associated with strawberries that a strawberry is used as the centrepiece of the logo on the official village website.

The village has a church, chapel, pub, two shops, village hall and other amenities.[13] In the 2001 Census, there were 355[19] people aged 16–74 in North Wheatley. Of these, 232[19] were employed, 111[19] were economically inactive and 12[19] were unemployed.[19]

The village has a number of sporting facilities and clubs. The village playing fields, which lie at the boundary between North and South Wheatley, have a field for cricket and football and courts for Wheatley Tennis Club. The fields were donated to the village in the 1950s and are maintained by the Parish Council. Wheatley Bowls Club have a dedicated facility a short distance away.

A number of sports clubs are active in the village. North Wheatley with Leverton Cricket Club was created by a merge of clubs from the two villages in 2004 and fields two teams in the Bassetlaw Saturday League.[20] Wheatley Tennis Club provide social tennis and coaching and field two teams playing in the Gainsborough Evening Leagues.[21] North Wheatley Phoenix Football Club also compete locally. Wheatley Bowls Club compete in local tournaments and have offered coaching days.[22]

North Wheatley has been flooded on several occasions - notably in 2007 and 2008.[23] The 2007 floods caused considerable damage to the local primary school, which along with flood repairs to North Leverton school cost around £3 million to fix.[24]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to North Wheatley.

• North and South Wheatley village website