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] reducing to 509 at the 2011 census.[4]
| Elmesthorpe | |
|---|---|
 The partially ruined St Mary's Church, Elmesthorpe | |
  Elmesthorpe Location within Leicestershire | |
| Population | 509 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | SP4696 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Leicester |
| Postcode district | LE9 |
| Police | Leicestershire |
| Fire | Leicestershire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
History edit
The village's name means 'outlying farm/settlement of Æthelmaer or Ailmer'.[5]
The village has been inhabited from at least Roman times as there is evidence of Roman occupation within the parish.[6]
In 1297, Elmesthorpe was home to numerous farms and 40-50 families. The Black Death and a failing economy caused the village to depopulate and for a time 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 officers sheltering within the church, and the soldiers camping outside.[2][7]
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 were 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 workers' cottages and an inn built by The Earl of Lovelace, with designs by architect C.F.A. Voysey.[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."[8]
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 saw both the railway station and the shoe factory close.[2]
References edit
- ^ a b c d "Church History". Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Written by members of the Leicestershire & Rutland Federation of Women's Institutes. The Leicestershire & Rutland Village Book. Countryside Books. Archived from the original on 26 August 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- ^ "Leicestershire Small Area Population and Household Estimates 2001–2004" (PDF). Leicestershire County Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 November 2008. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
- ^ "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Archived from the original on 11 October 2016. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
- ^ "Key to English Place-names". kepn.nottingham.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 26 August 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- ^ "Elmesthorpe Parish Council". Archived from the original on 16 September 2013. 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. Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
External links edit
Media related to Elmesthorpe at Wikimedia Commons