Editing Dunchurch (section)

==History==
The earliest historical reference to Dunchurch was in the [[Domesday Book]] of 1086, which mentioned a settlement called ''Don Cerce''.<ref name="warvbook">{{cite book |title=The Warwickshire Village Book |date=2000 |publisher=Countryside Books |isbn=1-85306-652-4 |pages=57–58 }}</ref>

The core of the village has been declared a [[conservation area]] because it has many buildings of historical interest. Some of the buildings date to the 15th century<ref>{{cite book |title=The Geography of Great Britain: England and Wales |first1=George |last1=Long |first2=George R. |last2=Porter |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r7mW_IA0oyUC |date=1850 |publisher=Baldwin |page=320 }}</ref> are [[timber framing|timber-framed]] and still have traditional [[thatching|thatch]] roofs.<ref name="Allen">{{cite book |last1=Geoff |first1=Allen |title=Warwickshire Towns & Villages |date=2000 |publisher=Sigma Press |isbn=1-85058-642-X |pages=49–50 }}</ref>

As Dunchurch was located at the crossroads of the [[stagecoach|coaching]] roads between London and [[Birmingham]] (now the [[A45 road]]) (classified as B4429 through the village) and [[Oxford]] and [[Leicester]] (now the [[A426 road]]), it was for centuries an important [[staging post]]. At one point, there were 27 [[coaching inn]]s in Dunchurch to cater for travellers. Two of these still remain; the 'Dun Cow' and 'The Green Man'<ref name="Allen"/><ref name="warvbook"/>
[[File:Guy Fawkes House -Dunchurch-20May2005.jpg|thumb|left|[[Guy Fawkes]] House, now a private residence, formerly the 'Lion Inn']]
Many notable people have stayed at Dunchurch. Most notably, in 1605 the [[Gunpowder Plot]]ters stayed at the 'Lion Inn' (now a private residence called 'Guy Fawkes House') in Dunchurch, convened by Sir [[Everard Digby]], awaiting news of [[Guy Fawkes]]'s attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament.<ref>{{cite web |title=Parishes: Dunchurch and Thurlaston Pages 78-86 A History of the County of Warwick: Volume 6, Knightlow Hundred. |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/warks/vol6/pp78-86 |website=British History Online |publisher=Victoria County History, 1951 |access-date=10 May 2023 |archive-date=27 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127234831/https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/warks/vol6/pp78-86 |url-status=live }}</ref> If he had been successful they planned to kidnap the King's daughter [[Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia|Princess Elizabeth]] from nearby [[Coombe Abbey]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Guy Fawkes' House, Dunchurch |url=https://www.ourwarwickshire.org.uk/content/article/rugby-school-science-teaching-around-1900-2 |publisher=Our Warwickshire |access-date=24 June 2018 |archive-date=24 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180624212506/https://www.ourwarwickshire.org.uk/content/article/rugby-school-science-teaching-around-1900-2 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Allen"/>

Other well known people who have stayed in the village include the young [[Queen Victoria]] (before she became Queen) and the [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|Duke of Wellington]]. [[Robert Stephenson]] stayed in Dunchurch when supervising the construction of the [[Kilsby Tunnel]] during the building of the [[London and Birmingham Railway]].

Dunchurch was for many centuries a more important settlement than nearby [[Rugby, Warwickshire|Rugby]], that changed however with the coming of the railways in the 19th century; Rugby became a major railway centre and grew into a large town, this led to a dramatic decline in the coaching trade, and a decline in the importance of Dunchurch. However, from 1871 until 1964 the village was served by its [[Dunchurch railway station|own railway station]] about two miles from the village on the [[Rugby to Leamington Spa line]].<ref name="BHOLdun">{{cite web |title=Parishes: Dunchurch and Thurlaston |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/warks/vol6/pp78-86 |publisher=British History Online |access-date=21 June 2018 |archive-date=22 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180622032415/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/warks/vol6/pp78-86 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The ancient parish of Dunchurch included the village itself, plus the nearby settlements of [[Cawston, Warwickshire|Cawston]], [[Thurlaston, Warwickshire|Thurlaston]], and [[Toft, Warwickshire|Toft]]; The former two have become separate [[civil parish]]es. In the early 1930s part of the civil parish of Dunchurch was transferred to Rugby, and the part of the parish of [[Bilton, Warwickshire|Bilton]] which was not merged with Rugby was transferred to Dunchurch.<ref name="BHOLdun"/>