Church Gresley
Encyclopedia
Church Gresley is a village and former civil parish in the South Derbyshire
district of Derbyshire
, England
. The village is very close to the town of Swadlincote
, between the town and Castle Gresley
. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 4,805.
The toponym
"Gresley" is derived from a term for a grassy clearing atop a hill, surrounded by forest. The Domesday Book
records it as Gresele.
A priory
of Augustinian
canons
was founded at Gresley in the regn of Henry I
. It was suppressed in 1536 in the Dissolution of the Monasteries
.
The Church of England parish church
of Saint George
and Saint Mary
was built early in the 12th century as the priory's conventual church. Of the 12th century building only the lower part of the tower survives. In about 1820 the rest of the church and the upper part of the tower were rebuilt. The present chancel
was designed by A.W. Blomfield
and built in 1872. The tower has a ring
of six bells, two of which were cast in 1639.
pottery was founded at Church Gresley. Mason Cash has become a well-known English pottery, producing many kinds of ceramic mixing and baking ware. It acquired T.G. (Thomas Goodwin) Green in 2001 and became part of the Tabletop Group in 2004. T.G. Green went into administration in 2007 but in 2010 there were hopes to revive the business on a small scale.
From 1882 the local football club was Gresley Rovers, which competed in the Northern Premier League First Division
and played at The Moat Ground, one of Church Gresley's landmarks. The club was relegated in 2009 to the East Midlands Counties League and is now Gresley FC. Its training pitch is the main football pitch
of Church Gresley's Maurice Lea Memorial Park, which is named after Maurice Lea, who died at the age of 19 in France in World War I
. The most notable homegrown talent was goalkeeper Ted Clamp
who played for the team before moving to Derby County
. There are also football pitches near the Swadlincote Ski Centre.
Opposite the park is Gresley Common, the venue for annual bonfire nights until 2003 and the local Scouts. There are many newly-planted woods nearby as part of the National Forest
.
South Derbyshire
South Derbyshire is a local government district in Derbyshire, England. It contains a third of the National Forest, and the council offices are in Swadlincote....
district of Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The village is very close to the town of Swadlincote
Swadlincote
Swadlincote is a town and unparished area in South Derbyshire, about southeast of Burton-upon-Trent and about south of Derby. It is the main town of South Derbyshire and the seat of South Derbyshire District Council....
, between the town and Castle Gresley
Castle Gresley
Castle Gresley is a village and civil parish about southwest of the centre of Swadlincote in South Derbyshire, England. The village is about west of the village of Church Gresley....
. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 4,805.
The toponym
Toponymy
Toponymy is the scientific study of place names , their origins, meanings, use and typology. The word "toponymy" is derived from the Greek words tópos and ónoma . Toponymy is itself a branch of onomastics, the study of names of all kinds...
"Gresley" is derived from a term for a grassy clearing atop a hill, surrounded by forest. The Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
records it as Gresele.
Priory and church
Priory
A priory is a house of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monasteries of monks or nuns .The Benedictines and their offshoots , the Premonstratensians, and the...
of Augustinian
Augustinians
The term Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo , applies to two separate and unrelated types of Catholic religious orders:...
canons
Canons Regular
Canons Regular are members of certain bodies of Canons living in community under the Augustinian Rule , and sharing their property in common...
was founded at Gresley in the regn of Henry I
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
. It was suppressed in 1536 in the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
.
The Church of England parish church
Church of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
of Saint George
Saint George
Saint George was, according to tradition, a Roman soldier from Syria Palaestina and a priest in the Guard of Diocletian, who is venerated as a Christian martyr. In hagiography Saint George is one of the most venerated saints in the Catholic , Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and the Oriental Orthodox...
and Saint Mary
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
was built early in the 12th century as the priory's conventual church. Of the 12th century building only the lower part of the tower survives. In about 1820 the rest of the church and the upper part of the tower were rebuilt. The present chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
was designed by A.W. Blomfield
Arthur Blomfield
Sir Arthur William Blomfield was an English architect.-Background:The fourth son of Charles James Blomfield, an Anglican Bishop of London helpfully began a programme of new church construction in the capital. Born in Fulham Palace, Arthur Blomfield was educated at Rugby and Trinity College,...
and built in 1872. The tower has a ring
Change ringing
Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of mathematical patterns called "changes". It differs from many other forms of campanology in that no attempt is made to produce a conventional melody....
of six bells, two of which were cast in 1639.
Economic and social history
In about 1800 the Mason CashMason Cash
Mason Cash & Co is a kitchenware brand, with items such as mixing bowls, pudding basins and petware. The ceramics manufacturing company, based in Woodville, Swadlincote, Derbyshire is a part of The Rayware Group. They make earthenware mixing bowls and baking ware...
pottery was founded at Church Gresley. Mason Cash has become a well-known English pottery, producing many kinds of ceramic mixing and baking ware. It acquired T.G. (Thomas Goodwin) Green in 2001 and became part of the Tabletop Group in 2004. T.G. Green went into administration in 2007 but in 2010 there were hopes to revive the business on a small scale.
From 1882 the local football club was Gresley Rovers, which competed in the Northern Premier League First Division
Northern Premier League First Division
The Northern Premier League First Division was a football league covering the north of England. After the creation of Conference North/South in the 2004-05 season it sat at level 8 of the English football league system....
and played at The Moat Ground, one of Church Gresley's landmarks. The club was relegated in 2009 to the East Midlands Counties League and is now Gresley FC. Its training pitch is the main football pitch
Association football pitch
An association football pitch is the playing surface for the game of association football made of turf. Its dimensions and markings are defined by Law 1 of the Laws of the Game, "The Field of Play".All line markings on the pitch form part of the area which they define...
of Church Gresley's Maurice Lea Memorial Park, which is named after Maurice Lea, who died at the age of 19 in France in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The most notable homegrown talent was goalkeeper Ted Clamp
Ted Clamp
Ted Clamp was an English footballer who gained considerable local renown as a goalkeeper for various teams during the 1940s, 50s and early 60s....
who played for the team before moving to Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
. There are also football pitches near the Swadlincote Ski Centre.
Opposite the park is Gresley Common, the venue for annual bonfire nights until 2003 and the local Scouts. There are many newly-planted woods nearby as part of the National Forest
National Forest, England
The National Forest is one of England’s most ambitious environmental projects. Across parts of Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire, are being transformed, blending ancient woodland with new planting to create a new national forest...
.