- Gumley
Gumley is a
village inLeicestershire ,England ,United Kingdom . The closest town isMarket Harborough . The name Gumley is a contraction of theAnglo-Saxon “Gutmundesleah” – meaning Godmund’s clearing.History
The village was mentioned in the historic documents first in 749. King
Aethelbald of Mercia (r.716-757) held asynod at Gumley in that year, at the instigation ofPope Boniface , to answer accusations that he had been oppressing churches and monasteries. The outcome was that Aethelbald released the Church from all public burdens except the three common burdens of providing military service, and building and repairing bridges and fortresses. These obligations arguably initiated changes in the land tenurial system of England and eventually led toserfdom .King
Offa visited Gumley in 772 and 779.After the
Norman Conquest Gumley was given toCountess Judith , the Conqueror’s niece. At that time there were twenty inhabitants. In themedieval period there were dwellings below the village towards Thornhill Farm, of which little remains apart from some surface irregularities and cobbles on the footpath passing by Too Cottage. There were also houses by the ‘holloways’ in Crow Spinney beside theparish church .Gumley’s population peaked in 1821 when 281 residents were engaged working the land as well as making
lace andstockings . Now there are about 105 people on theelectoral roll .Because Gumley has been surrounded by
pasture predominantly, themedieval ridge and furrow method of working the land is particularly well preserved and its fields are subject to preservation orders.St Helen s church mostly dates from the 14th century with later additions. The tenor bell was cast around 1520. The interior of the church was restored in theVictorian era in 1874 and is a good example of theDecorative style. There is a service every Sunday with a family service once a month.Gumley Hall
Gumley Hall was built by Joseph Cradock, the young heir of a wealthy
Leicester family, in 1764. The Hall stood by the church overlooking the lake. The stable block, with itsItalianate tower, was added later and redeveloped in the 1990’s. The Murray-Smiths, a publishing family, bought Gumley Hall in 1898.During the
Second World War the Hall was used to train resistance fighters andSpecial Operations Executive and afterwardsLeonard Cheshire was given the use of the Hall for those servicemen returning homeless afterdemobilisation . The Hall became increasingly dilapidated and was demolished in 1964.At the Engine House
gas was manufactured for the Hall. There was aPost Office and part of thebakery remains as outbuildings of Westfield. TheButcher s shop was at the ‘Js’ where it was preserved as a museum until recently. There were twopublic house s in the 1840s, the Hartopp Arms and the Bluebell, which later became ‘The Bell.’ Only two of seven farms in Gumley are left.Grade 2 listed structures in the village include Hall Farm, Rose Cottage and Fenleigh Cottage, Stone House, Leys Farm and the village pump. The
Motte Castle , a tree ringed mound to the west of Gumley is aScheduled Monument .The
Village Hall was opened in 1969 on the site of Gumley’s former school, which closed in 1933. It is run as a charitable trust and has a small committee open to anyone from the village who cares to join. There is afish and chips evening in February and a summerbarbecue in August as well as other social events.Gumley Women’s Institute was founded in 1918 and is one of the oldest in the whole country. Meetings are still held most months in the Village Hall.
The Fernie
Hunt , founded in 1919, traditionally holds its opening meet in Gumley in October.Gumley Cricket Club Gumley has a village
cricket team. [ [http://gumley.play-cricket.com/home/home.asp? - offical site] ]Gumley Cricket Club is a village cricket team based in Gumley, Leicestershire, England. The club has three teams, the Saturday and Sunday XI's play friendly fixtures against an established selection of clubs. The Midweek XI competes in the Market Harborough District Midweek Evening League and Knockout competitions.References
External links
* [http://www.geograph.org.uk/search.php?i=2750717 www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Gumley and surrounding area]
* [http://www.leicesterchronicler.com/gumley.htm Leicester Chronicler website info on Gumley]
* [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22051 British History Online - history of Gumley]
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