Monks Kirby
Encyclopedia
Monks Kirby is a village
and civil parish in north-eastern Warwickshire
, England
. The population of the parish is 434 (2001 census).
Monks Kirby is located around one mile east of the old Fosse Way
, around 8 miles north-west of Rugby
, seven miles north-east of Coventry
and six miles west of Lutterworth
. Administratively it forms part of the borough of Rugby
. One of the largest and most important villages in this part of Warwickshire in the medieval and early modern period, by the nineteenth century Monks Kirby had become a small farming community. Monks Kirby is today an attractive, wealthy commuter village with many residents working in Coventry, Birmingham, Leicester and London.
The priory
is long since ruined but the church remains, seeming out of proportion to the size of the village. The first church at the site was founded in 917
by Ethelfleda
, daughter of Alfred the Great
. After the Norman Conquest, King William gave vast areas of land to one of his knights, Geoffrey de la Guerche, a Breton, who had supported him in the invasion of England. A carved stone head still visible at the back of the church is said to be of Geoffrey de la Guerche. Geoffrey rebuilt the ruined Saxon church and dedicated it to the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Denis the Patron Saint of France in 1077 (the church's 900th anniversary was celebrated in 1977). He also endowed it with a Benedictine prior and seven monks from the abbey of St Nicholas at Angers, France. The church was substantially rebuilt in around 1380 and in 1415 Henry V transferred the priory to the Carthusians of the Isle of Axholme
, Lincolnshire.
The 100 years war with France also caused the dedication of the church to be changed to St Edith of Polesworth
, a Warwickshire Saint (the connection with St Denis
was revived in the 19th century for the chapel of St Denis, built in the neighbouring village of Pailton
).
The Carthusian Order having been dissolved in 1538 in the Reformation
, the priory and its property was given by the King to Thomas Mannyng, Bishop of Ipswich. The property changed hands several times over the course of the following 80 years until it arrived with Basil, Lord Feilding who was created Earl of Denbigh in 1622. The Denbigh family owned most of the village and the land around it until the mid-twentieth century, and they continue to live nearby (see below).
Meanwhile, the rectory and the advowson
of the vicarage were granted by Henry VIII to his foundation of Trinity College Cambridge in December 1546. Trinity College continues to be involved in the church's affairs today but divested itself of substantial landholdings around Monks Kirby following the Second World War.
Up to the industrial revolution and the coming of the railways, Monks Kirby was one of the most important villages in this part of Warwickshire. Early in the 17th century the hundred of Knightlow (one of the county's main administrative divisions, which included all of modern day Coventry) was reorganized on a basis of four High Constables' divisions — Kenilworth, Monks Kirby, Rugby, and Southam. Monks Kirby retained its high constable until 1828.
The ecclesiastical parish of Monks Kirby still includes several neighbouring villages: Pailton
, Stretton-under-Fosse
, Newbold Revel, Copston and Easenhall
. Historically, there was also a further hamlet in the parish of Monks Kirby: the village of Cestersover
, abandoned in the middle ages.
St Joseph's Church, built in the late 1980s. The cemetery on the outskirts of Monks Kirby is a Roman Catholic burial site, originally a private graveyard for the Feilding family (the family of the Earls of Denbigh, many of whom practice Roman Catholicism following the conversion of the 8th Earl
in 1850). Today the Catholic cemetery is used for burials from St Joseph's.
- whose family once owned most of the homes in the village and much of the land around it - lives on his ancestral estate Newnham Paddox neighbouring the village. The large mansion house of Newnham Paddox was demolished after the family was hit by heavy death duties in 1952, though landscaped gardens designed by Capability Brown
remain. The current Earl lives in smaller house on the same site.
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...
and civil parish in north-eastern Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, 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 population of the parish is 434 (2001 census).
Monks Kirby is located around one mile east of the old Fosse Way
Fosse Way
The Fosse Way was a Roman road in England that linked Exeter in South West England to Lincoln in Lincolnshire, via Ilchester , Bath , Cirencester and Leicester .It joined Akeman Street and Ermin Way at Cirencester, crossed Watling Street at Venonis south...
, around 8 miles north-west of Rugby
Rugby, Warwickshire
Rugby is a market town in Warwickshire, England, located on the River Avon. The town has a population of 61,988 making it the second largest town in the county...
, seven miles north-east of Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
and six miles west of Lutterworth
Lutterworth
Lutterworth is a market town and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England. The town is located in southern Leicestershire, north of Rugby, in Warwickshire and south of Leicester. It had a population of 8,293 in the 2001 UK census....
. Administratively it forms part of the borough of Rugby
Rugby (borough)
Rugby is a local government district with borough status in eastern Warwickshire, England.The borough comprises the town of Rugby where the council has its headquarters, and the rural areas surrounding the town....
. One of the largest and most important villages in this part of Warwickshire in the medieval and early modern period, by the nineteenth century Monks Kirby had become a small farming community. Monks Kirby is today an attractive, wealthy commuter village with many residents working in Coventry, Birmingham, Leicester and London.
History
Monks Kirby is dominated by the priory church of St Edith, a site of Christian worship since at least the 10th century AD.The priory
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...
is long since ruined but the church remains, seeming out of proportion to the size of the village. The first church at the site was founded in 917
917
Year 917 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.- Asia :* The Great Yue Kingdom, later renamed Southern Han, is founded by Liu Yan in Guangdong and Guangxi.- Europe :...
by Ethelfleda
Ethelfleda
Æthelflæd , was the eldest daughter of King Alfred the Great of Wessex and Ealhswith, wife of Æthelred, ealdorman of Mercia, and after his death, ruler of Mercia...
, daughter of Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great was King of Wessex from 871 to 899.Alfred is noted for his defence of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of southern England against the Vikings, becoming the only English monarch still to be accorded the epithet "the Great". Alfred was the first King of the West Saxons to style himself...
. After the Norman Conquest, King William gave vast areas of land to one of his knights, Geoffrey de la Guerche, a Breton, who had supported him in the invasion of England. A carved stone head still visible at the back of the church is said to be of Geoffrey de la Guerche. Geoffrey rebuilt the ruined Saxon church and dedicated it to the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Denis the Patron Saint of France in 1077 (the church's 900th anniversary was celebrated in 1977). He also endowed it with a Benedictine prior and seven monks from the abbey of St Nicholas at Angers, France. The church was substantially rebuilt in around 1380 and in 1415 Henry V transferred the priory to the Carthusians of the Isle of Axholme
Isle of Axholme
The Isle of Axholme is part of North Lincolnshire, England. It is the only part of Lincolnshire west of the River Trent. It is between the three towns of Doncaster, Scunthorpe and Gainsborough.- Description:...
, Lincolnshire.
The 100 years war with France also caused the dedication of the church to be changed to St Edith of Polesworth
Polesworth
Polesworth is a large village and civil parish in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England. In the 2001 census it had a population of 8,439, inclusive of the continuous sub-villages of St Helena, Dordon and Hall End directly to the south...
, a Warwickshire Saint (the connection with St Denis
Denis
Saint Denis is a Christian martyr and saint. In the third century, he was Bishop of Paris. He was martyred in connection with the Decian persecution of Christians, shortly after A.D. 250...
was revived in the 19th century for the chapel of St Denis, built in the neighbouring village of Pailton
Pailton
Pailton is a village and civil parish in Warwickshire, England. Its population in 2001 was recorded as 482. The village was originally known as Pailington....
).
The Carthusian Order having been dissolved in 1538 in the Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
, the priory and its property was given by the King to Thomas Mannyng, Bishop of Ipswich. The property changed hands several times over the course of the following 80 years until it arrived with Basil, Lord Feilding who was created Earl of Denbigh in 1622. The Denbigh family owned most of the village and the land around it until the mid-twentieth century, and they continue to live nearby (see below).
Meanwhile, the rectory and the advowson
Advowson
Advowson is the right in English law of a patron to present or appoint a nominee to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, a process known as presentation. In effect this means the right to nominate a person to hold a church office in a parish...
of the vicarage were granted by Henry VIII to his foundation of Trinity College Cambridge in December 1546. Trinity College continues to be involved in the church's affairs today but divested itself of substantial landholdings around Monks Kirby following the Second World War.
Up to the industrial revolution and the coming of the railways, Monks Kirby was one of the most important villages in this part of Warwickshire. Early in the 17th century the hundred of Knightlow (one of the county's main administrative divisions, which included all of modern day Coventry) was reorganized on a basis of four High Constables' divisions — Kenilworth, Monks Kirby, Rugby, and Southam. Monks Kirby retained its high constable until 1828.
The ecclesiastical parish of Monks Kirby still includes several neighbouring villages: Pailton
Pailton
Pailton is a village and civil parish in Warwickshire, England. Its population in 2001 was recorded as 482. The village was originally known as Pailington....
, Stretton-under-Fosse
Stretton-under-Fosse
Stretton-under-Fosse is a village and civil parish in the English county of Warwickshire. In 2001 its population was recorded as 185.The village contains a number of old cottages along its main street. Just outside Stretton is an old manor house Newbold Revel, which is now used as a training...
, Newbold Revel, Copston and Easenhall
Easenhall
Easenhall is a small village and parish in Warwickshire, England. It is located three miles north-west of the town of Rugby and a mile south of the M6 motorway. According to the United Kingdom Census 2001 the parish had a population of 231 in 96 houses....
. Historically, there was also a further hamlet in the parish of Monks Kirby: the village of Cestersover
Cestersover
Cestersover is a deserted village in Warwickshire, England, now in the civil parish of Pailton.-History:It was a hamlet of Monks Kirby and was site of a watermill, a sizeable village and a chapel...
, abandoned in the middle ages.
Roman Catholic Community
There is also the CatholicRoman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
St Joseph's Church, built in the late 1980s. The cemetery on the outskirts of Monks Kirby is a Roman Catholic burial site, originally a private graveyard for the Feilding family (the family of the Earls of Denbigh, many of whom practice Roman Catholicism following the conversion of the 8th Earl
Rudolph Feilding, 8th Earl of Denbigh
Rudolph William Basil Feilding, 8th Earl of Denbigh, 7th Earl of Desmond was a British peer, succeeding to his titles on the death in 1865 of his father, the 7th Earl of Denbigh...
in 1850). Today the Catholic cemetery is used for burials from St Joseph's.
The Earls of Denbigh
The Earl of DenbighEarl of Denbigh
Earl of Denbigh is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1622 for the courtier and soldier William Feilding, 1st Viscount Feilding. He was Master of the Great Wardrobe under King James I and also took part in the Expedition to Cádiz of 1625...
- whose family once owned most of the homes in the village and much of the land around it - lives on his ancestral estate Newnham Paddox neighbouring the village. The large mansion house of Newnham Paddox was demolished after the family was hit by heavy death duties in 1952, though landscaped gardens designed by Capability Brown
Capability Brown
Lancelot Brown , more commonly known as Capability Brown, was an English landscape architect. He is remembered as "the last of the great English eighteenth-century artists to be accorded his due", and "England's greatest gardener". He designed over 170 parks, many of which still endure...
remain. The current Earl lives in smaller house on the same site.