Elmesthorpe
| Elmesthorpe | |
 The partially ruined St Mary's Church, Elmsthorpe |
|
  Elmesthorpe |
|
| Civil parish | Elmesthorpe |
|---|---|
| District | Blaby (district) |
| Shire county | Leicestershire |
| Region | East Midlands |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Postcode district | LE9 |
| Police | Leicestershire |
| Fire | Leicestershire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| EU Parliament | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament | Blaby (UK Parliament constituency) |
|
|
Coordinates: 52°33′39″N 1°18′39″W / 52.560850°N 1.310720°W
Elmesthorpe (sometimes spelt Elmersthorpe, Elmsthorpe[1] or Aylmersthorpe[2]) is a village and civil parish in the Blaby district of Leicestershire, England. It is situated to the south-east of Earl Shilton, near to Hinckley on the A47 road. In 2004, the parish had an estimated population of 520.[3]
History
The village has been inhabited from at least Roman times as there is evidence of Roman occupation within the parish.[4]
In 1297, Elmesthorpe was home to numerous farms and 40-50 families, however, The Plague and a failing economy caused the village to depopulate and finally disappear.[2]
In 1485, it is thought King Richard III and his troops stayed in the partially ruined church for shelter on their march from Leicester to the Battle of Bosworth; with the king and his offeres sheltering within the church, and the soldiers camping outside.[2][5]
The parish church is dedicated to Saint Mary and was built in the 13th century.[1] It had "long been in ruins" by the mid 19th century, but the tower was still standing.[1] In 1869 the church was partially rebuilt, in a smaller scale, within the ruins of the church.[1] This, the present church, occupies the east-end of the church and is accessed through the Tower and west end of the church, which have been left as ruins.
The village's population had begun a slow recovery by 1710, at which point 40 people are recorded as living in the village.[2]
In 1863 Elmesthorpe gained its own railway station on the South Leicestershire Railway.[2] The "new village" grew up around this station; starting with "a row of six workers' cottages and an inn to accommodate travellers" built by The Earl of Lovelace, with designs by architect C.F.A. Vosey.[2]
In 1871, The Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Elmsthorpe as:
"...a parish in Hinckley district, Leicester; on the Leicester and Nuneaton railway, 3 miles NE by E of Hinckley. It has a station on the railway; and its post town is Hinckley. Acres, 1,650. Real property, £1,446. Pop., 45. Houses, 5. The living is a rectory, united with the p. curacy of Earl-Shilton, in the diocese of Peterborough. The church was used as the headquarters of Richard's army previous to the battle of Bosworth; and is now in ruins."[6]
In the 1920s a boot and shoe manufacturers opened in the village, called "Harvey, Harvey & Company".[2]
In the 1930s, the government started to address the population of Elmesthorpe, which had not recovered from its collapse in the 13th century. The government initiated a scheme which brought families from depressed areas to make a living from the land. In 1935 Church Farm was purchased by the Land Settlement Association, who built 43 smallholdings in the village.[2]
This continued to the 1960s, when the scheme ended. Many of the smallholdings were then purchased by their tenants.[2]
The 1960s also saw both the railway station and the shoe factory close.[2]
In Elmesthorpe, there is a popular local pub, "The Wentworth Arms", and the "Badgers Mount Hotel".
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Church History". Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Written by members of the Leicestershire & Rutland Federation of Women's Institutes. The Leicestershire & Rutland Village Book. Countryside Books.
- ↑ "Leicestershire Small Area Population and Household Estimates 2001–2004" (PDF). Leicestershire County Council. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
- ↑ "Elmesthorpe Parish Council". Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- ↑ Bailey, Brian J. (1977). Portrait of Leicestershire. R. Hale. p. 189. ISBN 978-0-7091-6005-2. OCLC 3241306.
- ↑ Wilson, John Marius. "Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales", 1870-72.
External links
Media related to Elmesthorpe at Wikimedia Commons
| ||||||||||||||||||||
