Groby
Encyclopedia
Groby is a large English
village
in the county of Leicestershire
, to the north west of the city of Leicester
. The population at the time of the 2001 census was 7,301.
. The southern side is dominated by new housing estate
s, built upon what was formerly farming land between the historic part of Groby and the neighbouring village of Glenfield
. The old village centre still retains some character, with some cobbled
lanes and thatched cottages. The church of St Philip and St James, built in the lancet style by George Harry Grey
, the seventh Earl of Stamford
, dates from 1840 and stands on the site of Groby Castle
. The architect was William Railton
. No remains are left of the castle, other than a slight rise in ground to the east of the main church building, and the manor house (Groby Old Hall), the stone-built parts of which are thought to have been part of the castle's outer buildings. In April 2010 archaeologists from the popular Channel 4
television show, Time Team
excavated the area behind the old hall and the Church. They were looking for Groby Castle. The episode was aired on 20 March 2011.
The ancient main street through the centre of the village running south to Leicester
and north towards Coalville
was classified as the A50
under the British road numbering scheme
, but this road has now bypassed much of the village due to two road schemes in the 1980s and 90s. The village also has easy access to the A46
Leicester Western Bypass and the M1
(J22 North and J21a South).
Groby was mentioned in Domesday Book
of 1086, when it was described as having "land for 4 ploughs, 10 villagers with 1 Freeman and 5 smallholders have 3 ploughs...the value was 20s; now 60s." The estate was held by the Ferrers
family until 1445 when it passed to the Grey family. By 1800 the village had expanded with the population reaching 250, and by 1920 it had reached 1,000. Employment in the village was largely in the local granite quarries and in farming. In the mid 19th century, the whole village was owned by the Earl of Stamford, who had the church and the original village school built, the latter to replace the cottage in which local children had previously been taught (now known as 'The Old School House'). He also had Bradgate House
built in the 1850s, a large country house to the north-west of the village. A later Earl sold part of the estate in 1925, including Bradgate House, which was demolished (although the ruins of its extravagant stable block remain), with many villagers buying their homes. Plots of land in the area were subsequently sold to builders, leading to a significant expansion of the village.
Historically, the village is noted for its connection with two Queens of England. Groby Old Hall
, built in the 15th century, was owned by the Grey family whose estate included Bradgate Park
. Sir John Grey of Groby
married Elizabeth Woodville
. After his death, in battle, she married Edward IV of England
. Bradgate Park was the childhood home of Lady Jane Grey
, who became Queen of England for nine days in 1553. The Grey family held the barony until it was forfeited in 1554.
There is no definitive explanation of the roots of the village's name, but its '-by' ending implies a link to Viking rule during the period of the Danelaw
. Also, groo is a Viking word for pit, which may well refer to the quarry situated next to the village. The Domesday entry lists the village as 'Grobi'. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Placenames also shows the names Groubi or Groebi in the 12th century. Furthermore, it suggests the name is from a tarn perhaps with the Old Scandinavian name grōf; and that the Old Norse
gróf means "a torrent and a gully formed by it." The dictionary also says, "It is identical with [ Gothic language
] gróba, [ Old High German
] grouba 'pit. hollow'."
, Pricegate, Chaplins (traditional family butcher), a bakery, greengrocers, Cathy Stevens Jewellery, Mark Jarvis, Wilson & Sons Newsagent, Barclays Bank, Alliance and Leicester, Flint. There is also a fish and chip
shop as well as other takeaways, a pub (the Stamford
Arms) and various other shops. The Lawnwood shopping parade has Henson's hardware shop, Greens sandwich shop and a hairdresser. The village also contains a Budgens
supermarket
a few minutes away from the village centre.
and Groby Community College are located on a campus
to the west of the village, and attract students from Groby and the surrounding villages including : Ratby, Kirby Muxloe and Glenfield. There is also a very successful Scout troop
based on the edge of Martinshaw Woods
, named Chomolugma Explorer Scout Group.
formerly Druck Ltd, which makes pressure transducers
.
Groby Quarry
is located on the narrow lane which leads through to Newtown Linford, and is still used to quarry granite
. Lawn Wood Quarry, on the A50, is now largely disused and is being filled in with landfill.
at Groby Pool has long been a tradition for local people. The pool has a strict no fishing rule.
.
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...
village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in the county 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...
, to the north west of the city of Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
. The population at the time of the 2001 census was 7,301.
Description
The village has expanded vastly since the 1970s and is now part of the Leicester Urban AreaLeicester Urban Area
The Leicester Urban Area is a conurbation based around the city of Leicester in Leicestershire, England.While it has no formal definition as an administrative area, it is defined by the Office for National Statistics with a population of 441,213 at the time of the 2001 census...
. The southern side is dominated by new housing estate
Housing estate
A housing estate is a group of buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Accordingly, a housing estate is usually built by a single contractor, with only a few styles of house or building design, so they tend to be uniform in appearance...
s, built upon what was formerly farming land between the historic part of Groby and the neighbouring village of Glenfield
Glenfield, Leicestershire
Glenfield is a village and civil parish in Leicestershire, England. It is part of the Blaby district, and has a population of about 10,000. Its location at the northwestern fringe of the city of Leicester effectively makes it a suburb, although it is politically and administratively separate...
. The old village centre still retains some character, with some cobbled
Cobblestone
Cobblestones are stones that were frequently used in the pavement of early streets. "Cobblestone" is derived from the very old English word "cob", which had a wide range of meanings, one of which was "rounded lump" with overtones of large size...
lanes and thatched cottages. The church of St Philip and St James, built in the lancet style by George Harry Grey
George Grey, 7th Earl of Stamford
George Harry Grey, 7th Earl of Stamford, 3rd Earl of Warrington was an English peer.George Harry Grey was born in Enville, Staffordshire, the son of George Harry Grey, Baron Grey of Groby . He succeeded his father as 9th Baron Grey of Groby in 1835...
, the seventh Earl of Stamford
Earl of Stamford
Earl of Stamford was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1628 for Henry Grey, 2nd Baron Grey of Groby. This Grey family descended through Lord John Grey, of Pirgo, Essex, younger son of Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset, and younger brother of Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk Earl...
, dates from 1840 and stands on the site of Groby Castle
Groby Castle
Groby Castle was situated in the large village of Groby to the north-west of the city of Leicester.-History:After the Norman Conquest, the area came into the possession of Hugh de Grantmesnil. Groby was one of 67 manors Grantmesnil held in Leicestershire according to the Domesday Book...
. The architect was William Railton
William Railton
William Railton was an English architect, best known as the designer of Nelson's Column. He was based in London with offices at 12 Regent Street for much of his career.He was a pupil of the London architect and surveyor William Inwood....
. No remains are left of the castle, other than a slight rise in ground to the east of the main church building, and the manor house (Groby Old Hall), the stone-built parts of which are thought to have been part of the castle's outer buildings. In April 2010 archaeologists from the popular Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
television show, Time Team
Time Team
Time Team is a British television series which has been aired on Channel 4 since 1994. Created by television producer Tim Taylor and presented by actor Tony Robinson, each episode features a team of specialists carrying out an archaeological dig over a period of three days, with Robinson explaining...
excavated the area behind the old hall and the Church. They were looking for Groby Castle. The episode was aired on 20 March 2011.
The ancient main street through the centre of the village running south to Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
and north towards Coalville
Coalville
Coalville is a town in North West Leicestershire, England, with a population estimated in 2003 to be almost 33,000. It is situated on the A511 trunk road between Leicester and Burton upon Trent, close to junction 22 of the M1 motorway where the A511 meets the A50 between Ashby-de-la-Zouch and...
was classified as the A50
A50 road
The A50 is a major trunk road in England. It runs from Warrington to Leicester; however, it was once a much longer route.-Current route:...
under the British road numbering scheme
Great Britain road numbering scheme
The Great Britain road numbering scheme is a numbering scheme used to classify and identify all roads in Great Britain. Each road is given a single letter, which represents the road's category, and a subsequent number, with a length of between 1 and 4 digits. Originally introduced to arrange...
, but this road has now bypassed much of the village due to two road schemes in the 1980s and 90s. The village also has easy access to the A46
A46 road
The A46 is an A road in England. It starts east of Bath, Somerset and ends in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, but it does not form a continuous route. Large portions of the old road have been lost, bypassed, or replaced by motorway development...
Leicester Western Bypass and the M1
M1 motorway
The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
(J22 North and J21a South).
History
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...
of 1086, when it was described as having "land for 4 ploughs, 10 villagers with 1 Freeman and 5 smallholders have 3 ploughs...the value was 20s; now 60s." The estate was held by the Ferrers
Baron Ferrers of Groby
The peerage title Baron Ferrers of Groby was created in the Peerage of England in 1300 when William Ferrers, 1st Baron Ferrers of Groby was summoned to parliament. He was a grandson of William de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby. In 1475 the eighth baron was created the Marquess of Dorset, with which...
family until 1445 when it passed to the Grey family. By 1800 the village had expanded with the population reaching 250, and by 1920 it had reached 1,000. Employment in the village was largely in the local granite quarries and in farming. In the mid 19th century, the whole village was owned by the Earl of Stamford, who had the church and the original village school built, the latter to replace the cottage in which local children had previously been taught (now known as 'The Old School House'). He also had Bradgate House
Bradgate House
Bradgate House was built in 1856 for the seventh Earl of Stamford, George Harry Grey. Intended as a replacement for the Bradgate House of 1520, built by his ancestor Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset and home of Lady Jane Grey, the house was built in a Jacobean style on a site 2 miles south west...
built in the 1850s, a large country house to the north-west of the village. A later Earl sold part of the estate in 1925, including Bradgate House, which was demolished (although the ruins of its extravagant stable block remain), with many villagers buying their homes. Plots of land in the area were subsequently sold to builders, leading to a significant expansion of the village.
Historically, the village is noted for its connection with two Queens of England. Groby Old Hall
Groby Old Hall
thumb|Groby Old HallGroby Old Hall is partly a 15th century brick built manor house and grade II* listed building located very near the site of Groby Castle in the village of Groby in Leicestershire....
, built in the 15th century, was owned by the Grey family whose estate included Bradgate Park
Bradgate Park
Bradgate Park is a public park in Charnwood Forest, in Leicestershire, England, just northwest of Leicester. It covers 850 acres . The park lies between the villages of Newtown Linford, Anstey, Cropston, Woodhouse Eaves and Swithland. The River Lin runs through the park, flowing into Cropston...
. Sir John Grey of Groby
John Grey of Groby
Sir John Grey, of Groby, Leicestershire was a Lancastrian knight, the great-great-grandfather of Lady Jane Grey.-Titles:...
married Elizabeth Woodville
Elizabeth Woodville
Elizabeth Woodville was Queen consort of England as the spouse of King Edward IV from 1464 until his death in 1483. Elizabeth was a key figure in the series of dynastic civil wars known as the Wars of the Roses. Her first husband, Sir John Grey of Groby was killed at the Second Battle of St Albans...
. After his death, in battle, she married Edward IV of England
Edward IV of England
Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
. Bradgate Park was the childhood home of Lady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey , also known as The Nine Days' Queen, was an English noblewoman who was de facto monarch of England from 10 July until 19 July 1553 and was subsequently executed...
, who became Queen of England for nine days in 1553. The Grey family held the barony until it was forfeited in 1554.
There is no definitive explanation of the roots of the village's name, but its '-by' ending implies a link to Viking rule during the period of the Danelaw
Danelaw
The Danelaw, as recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , is a historical name given to the part of England in which the laws of the "Danes" held sway and dominated those of the Anglo-Saxons. It is contrasted with "West Saxon law" and "Mercian law". The term has been extended by modern historians to...
. Also, groo is a Viking word for pit, which may well refer to the quarry situated next to the village. The Domesday entry lists the village as 'Grobi'. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Placenames also shows the names Groubi or Groebi in the 12th century. Furthermore, it suggests the name is from a tarn perhaps with the Old Scandinavian name grōf; and that the Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
gróf means "a torrent and a gully formed by it." The dictionary also says, "It is identical with [ Gothic language
Gothic language
Gothic is an extinct Germanic language that was spoken by the Goths. It is known primarily from the Codex Argenteus, a 6th-century copy of a 4th-century Bible translation, and is the only East Germanic language with a sizable Text corpus...
] gróba, [ Old High German
Old High German
The term Old High German refers to the earliest stage of the German language and it conventionally covers the period from around 500 to 1050. Coherent written texts do not appear until the second half of the 8th century, and some treat the period before 750 as 'prehistoric' and date the start of...
] grouba 'pit. hollow'."
Shopping
The village centre has a few shops, including a Co-op supermarket, Co-op ChemistsThe Co-operative Pharmacy
The Co-operative Pharmacy is the trading name of National Co-operative Chemists Ltd., a subsidiary of the Co-operative Group. Established in 1945, it is the third largest chemist in the United Kingdom and the largest in Wales...
, Pricegate, Chaplins (traditional family butcher), a bakery, greengrocers, Cathy Stevens Jewellery, Mark Jarvis, Wilson & Sons Newsagent, Barclays Bank, Alliance and Leicester, Flint. There is also a fish and chip
Fish and chips
Fish and chips is a popular take-away food in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada...
shop as well as other takeaways, a pub (the Stamford
Earl of Stamford
Earl of Stamford was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1628 for Henry Grey, 2nd Baron Grey of Groby. This Grey family descended through Lord John Grey, of Pirgo, Essex, younger son of Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset, and younger brother of Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk Earl...
Arms) and various other shops. The Lawnwood shopping parade has Henson's hardware shop, Greens sandwich shop and a hairdresser. The village also contains a Budgens
Budgens
Budgens Stores Ltd is a chain of foodstores in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1872 by John Budgen, who opened the first store at Maidenhead, Berkshire. Budgens supermarket chain operates over 227 stores and employs over 6,000 staff...
supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
a few minutes away from the village centre.
Education
There are five schools, Lady Jane Grey Primary, Elizabeth Woodville Primary and Martinshaw County Primary, whilst Brookvale High SchoolBrookvale High School
Brookvale High School is a mixed middle school school in the village of Groby in Leicestershire, England providing education for students aged 11-14. Its catchement is Groby and the nearby villages of Ratby, Kirby Muxloe, and Newtown Linford and it shares a campus with Groby Community College...
and Groby Community College are located on a campus
Campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
to the west of the village, and attract students from Groby and the surrounding villages including : Ratby, Kirby Muxloe and Glenfield. There is also a very successful Scout troop
The Scout Association
The Scout Association is the World Organization of the Scout Movement recognised Scouting association in the United Kingdom. Scouting began in 1907 through the efforts of Robert Baden-Powell. The Scout Association was formed under its previous name, The Boy Scout Association, in 1910 by the grant...
based on the edge of Martinshaw Woods
Ancient woodland
Ancient woodland is a term used in the United Kingdom to refer specifically to woodland that has existed continuously since 1600 or before in England and Wales . Before those dates, planting of new woodland was uncommon, so a wood present in 1600 was likely to have developed naturally...
, named Chomolugma Explorer Scout Group.
Industry
The old quarry in the village centre is now an industrial estate - mostly owned by the company GE SensingGE Sensing
GE Measurement & Control Solutions is an affiliate business of General Electric specializing in the design and manufacture of sensing elements, devices, instruments, and systems that enable customers to monitor, protect, control, and validate the safety of their critical processes and...
formerly Druck Ltd, which makes pressure transducers
Pressure sensor
A pressure sensor measures pressure, typically of gases or liquids. Pressure is an expression of the force required to stop a fluid from expanding, and is usually stated in terms of force per unit area. A pressure sensor usually acts as a transducer; it generates a signal as a function of the...
.
Groby Quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
is located on the narrow lane which leads through to Newtown Linford, and is still used to quarry granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
. Lawn Wood Quarry, on the A50, is now largely disused and is being filled in with landfill.
Groby Pool
Groby Pool, an SSSI is located opposite Groby Quarry on Newtown Linford Lane. It is privately owned, by the owners of Pool House. However, there is a public car park and it is possible to walk along the side nearest the road, which has been opened. Feeding the ducksWaterfowl
Waterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans....
at Groby Pool has long been a tradition for local people. The pool has a strict no fishing rule.
Local villages and towns
- LeicesterLeicesterLeicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
- the nearest city, 5 miles along the A50. - GlenfieldGlenfield, LeicestershireGlenfield is a village and civil parish in Leicestershire, England. It is part of the Blaby district, and has a population of about 10,000. Its location at the northwestern fringe of the city of Leicester effectively makes it a suburb, although it is politically and administratively separate...
- 1 mile along the A50 towards Leicester, a village/suburb bordering the city. - Newtown LinfordNewtown LinfordNewtown Linford is a linear village in Leicestershire, England.It is located in a valley in the Charnwood Forest area, and has four access roads. The first is from Anstey, then there are roads which lead to the A50 at Groby and at Markfield...
(and Bradgate ParkBradgate ParkBradgate Park is a public park in Charnwood Forest, in Leicestershire, England, just northwest of Leicester. It covers 850 acres . The park lies between the villages of Newtown Linford, Anstey, Cropston, Woodhouse Eaves and Swithland. The River Lin runs through the park, flowing into Cropston...
- small tourist "honeypot" in CharnwoodCharnwood (borough)Charnwood is a borough of northern Leicestershire, England. It is named after Charnwood Forest, which it contains. Loughborough is the largest town in the district and serves as the borough's administrative and commercial centre.-History:...
); 2 miles away. - Field HeadField HeadField Head is a small settlement situated along the A511 on the edge of the Charnwood Forest in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England. It is mainly a ribbon development along the A511 from the top of Bradgate Hill to the Coach and Horses public house. However, in the 1960s...
- on A50 towards Markfield, part of Groby Parish. - MarkfieldMarkfieldMarkfield is a commuter village sitting within both the National Forest and Charnwood Forest and in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England. The settlement dates back to at least the time of the Norman conquest and is mentioned in the Domesday Book under the name...
- 3 miles along A50 towards Coalville. M1 Junction 22. - RatbyRatbyRatby is a commuter village and civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire. It is situated to the west of Leicester, and just south of the motorway. It has a population of about 4,000. The Roman name for Leicester was Ratae Corieltauvorum...
- 1/2 a mile away along Ratby Lane / Sacheverell Way, the other side of the M1. - AnsteyAnstey, LeicestershireAnstey is a large semi-industrialised village in Leicestershire, England, located north west of Leicester in the borough of Charnwood. Its population was about 6,000 at the 2001 census although this is likely to have increased...
- Large village along Anstey Lane or A46 LWB. - Kirby MuxloeKirby MuxloeKirby Muxloe is a town and civil parish west of Leicester. Its proximity to the city causes it to form part of the Leicester Urban Area. The Leicester Forest East parish border runs along the Hinckley Road A47...
-Village with unfinished castle of Lord Hastings, 3 miles South of Groby
Field Head
Groby Parish also includes most of the settlement of Field HeadField Head
Field Head is a small settlement situated along the A511 on the edge of the Charnwood Forest in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England. It is mainly a ribbon development along the A511 from the top of Bradgate Hill to the Coach and Horses public house. However, in the 1960s...
.