Cubbington | |
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Village sign on the boundary with New Cubbington at the top of Windmill Hill |
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Cubbington shown within Warwickshire | |
Population | 3,929 (2011 census) |
OS grid reference | SP 340 685 |
Civil parish |
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District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | Leamington Spa |
Postcode district | CV32 |
Dialling code | 01926 |
Police | Warwickshire |
Fire | Warwickshire |
Ambulance | West Midlands |
EU Parliament | West Midlands |
UK Parliament | |
Cubbington is a village and civil parish with a population of 3,929. adjoining the north-eastern outskirts of Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England. Welsh Road, running through the village crossroads, may have been an old sheep drovers' route connecting London and Wales. Since the 1950s when the village expanded there have been two parts to the village: Cubbington proper which was the old village core, and New Cubbington which is to the west, although both are referred to as Cubbington. Topographically the highest point of the village sits about 100 metres (330 ft) above sea level while its lowest is about 60 metres (200 ft). For many years the electorate for Cubbington was represented in government by the Member of Parliament for Warwick and Leamington but for the 2010 UK Elections it moved to the new Kenilworth & Southam constituency.
There are two possible origins for the name of Cubbington based on its earlier names. The first is Cobynton, meaning "town of the descendants of Coba". The second is from the name used for a period of time after the Domesday Book of 1086, Cumbynton. Cumbe was a medieval word signifying that a settlement was in a low or deep hollow. The fact that the village lies in a shallow valley supports the second theory.
In early November 1605 a group of men, including Robert Catesby, who were involved in the gunpowder plot, passed through the village. They were fleeing from London after the arrest of Guy Fawkes. Apparently they were on their way to Wales (via Warwick Castle to steal fresh horses), after a meeting at Dunchurch, near Rugby.
Apart from the parish church (See below), Cubbington's notable former landmark was the windmill which stood at the top of Windmill Hill, the section of Welsh Road which crosses the road to Rugby. The first mention of the windmill was in 1355 in a dispute between the Prior of Kenilworth and the Abbot of Stoneleigh. No mention of it was made again however until it appeared on a map of Warwickshire over 400 years later in 1789. The sails of the windmill could be turned using a wheel to face in the optimum direction in relation to the prevailing wind.