Cranoe is a small village and civil parish

Civil parish

In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...

 in the Harborough

Harborough

Harborough is a local government district of Leicestershire, England, named after its main town, Market Harborough. Covering , the District is by far the largest of the eight district authorities in Leicestershire and covers almost a quarter of the County....

 district of Leicestershire

Leicestershire

Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...

, 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 parish had a population of 35 in 2001.

The Village

Despite its small size, Cranoe was once a thriving village, with a post office (now Post Office Cottage), a pub (the Cardigan Arms, now Cardigan Cottage), and a school (now The School House on School Lane) which used to cater to three surrounding villages: Glooston

Glooston

Glooston is a small village and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 54....

, Welham

Welham, Leicestershire

Welham is a small village and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England, north-east of Market Harborough. The village is situated on the north bank of the River Welland, which forms the border with the neighbouring county of Northamptonshire.According to the 2001 census...

 and Hallaton

Hallaton

Hallaton is a village and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 523....

. The village still has two farms and is surrounded by sloping green fields, populated by sheep almost all year round.

The village has declined in the twentieth century, leaving just a handful of cottages and the church.

The population in 1901 was 98. By 1951 there were 41 inhabitants. There are only two remaining residents of Cranoe who remember it in its former glory, one of whom used to live in Glooston, and used to walk to school in Cranoe every day before it was closed in favour of Hallaton C of E school. By rights Cranoe should be classed as a hamlet if it were rated on the number of houses and residents; however the survival of the parish church of St Michael

St Michael

St Michael was a brand that was owned and used by Marks & Spencer from 1928 until 2000.-History:The brand was introduced by Simon Marks in 1928, after his father and co-founder of Marks & Spencer, Michael Marks. By 1950, virtually all goods were sold under the St Michael brand...

 means that it retains status as a village.

The land on which Cranoe now sits is owned by the Brudenell Estate, hence all the property apart from the church is rented from them, including both farms.

In 2006, one of the larger stained-glass windows from the church was stolen.

Bottlekicking

Cranoe has never picked a definite side when playing in the annual tournament of "Bottle-kicking

Bottle-kicking

Bottle-kicking is an old Leicestershire custom that takes place in the village of Hallaton each Easter Monday. Records of bottle-kicking date to the late 18th century, but the custom is thought to originate much earlier, from before the Christian era....

", deciding not to choose between Hallaton

Hallaton

Hallaton is a village and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 523....

 and Medbourne

Medbourne

Medbourne is a village in Leicestershire.Each year it competes with nearby Hallaton during the Bottle-kicking event on Easter Monday. It is believed that Medbourne, which lay on the Gartree Road was a large market settlement at the time of Roman Britain....

, but acting more as a freelance force, helping whichever side is losing until the last minute, when they then switch (if necessary) to the winning side.

External links

• harborough.gov.uk