Whitnash

Whitnash was mentioned in the Domesday Book as Witenas, by 1326 it had become Whitenasshe meaning 'white ash'. As Whitnash is generally thought to derive from the Anglo-Saxon ‘at the white ash’ other derivations have included ‘place by the wood’, ‘sacred ash’ or the 'meeting place of the wise'. Whitnash has likely been settled since Celtic times. According to tradition, just east of the town there was a Celtic fortification in a field known as “Castle Hill Field”. The parish church of St Margaret's is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and stands on a mound which may have been a pre-Christian pagan site, it was largely rebuilt between 1855 and 1880 to designs by Sir George Gilbert Scott. Whitnash at…