the counties. Whitwell Gap (Hwitan Wylles Geat) Anglo Saxon poets recorded King Alfred's grandson, King Edmund, conquering the 5 Boroughs from the Viking Earls in 942 AD, reaching as far as Dore & "Hwitan Wylles Geat" (the Whitwell Gap). Whitwell Gap would have to be a significant landscape feature to warrant mention in an Anglo Saxon chronicle and be easily identifiable but the current location of this feature is unknown. Various theories as to its location are often discussed locally including Creswell Crags, the valley of Bondhay Dike (being an ancient border) and Markland Grips. Famous Whitwellians One of Whitwell's most famous sons was Joe Davis, world snooker and billiards champion from the 1920s to the 1940s. His Whitwell home (on Welbeck Street) bears a plaque commemorating him. Les Jackson, England cricketer and Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1959, played for Whitwell Cricket Club and came to watch their games on a Saturday afternoon until his death in 2007. Also from the village are Chris Adams, the Sussex and England cricketer and Ian Bennett, a former professional goalkeeper for Birmingham City and Huddersfield Town, whose family still lives in the village. Great War poet John William Streets was from Whitwell, recorded as living in Oak Terrace, now Portland Street. Streets was recorded wounded and missing on the first day of the Battle of the Somme and later recorded killed in action. His poetry collection The Undying Splendour was published posthumously in 1916. The village is the birthplace and childhood home of J. T. Edson the author, whose various escapism-adventure series sold over 27 million copies globally; the Edson family lived in Whitwell from Victorian times. See also Listed buildings in Whitwell, Derbyshire References External links Whitwell Parish Council Villages in Derbyshire Bolsover District