Freeby
Encyclopedia
Freeby
is a village and civil parish
in the Melton district of Leicestershire
, England
, about three miles east of Melton Mowbray
. The parish has a population of about 300 http://www.leics.gov.uk/Freeby.pdf.
and Stapleford
.
Once a part of Melton Mowbray parish the village was originally known as “Fretheby” and “Fredebi” around the age of Edward the Confessor. The village, however was referred to as “Frieby” as late as 1816 All the [properties, except the united reform church, still belong to the Freeby estate. It was granted as a manor to Hugh Despencer in the 13th century and remained a manor estate to the present day. The estate later passed to Lord de Ros, presumably at the demise of Despensers. Hugh the elder was hanged in Bristol in 1326 for his aid to Edward the 2nd who had fled Isabellas and Mortimers’ invasion and coup whilst Hugh Despenser the Younger was, after trial, hung, drawn and quartered in 1326. In 1568 the lord of the manor of Freeby was Edward, 3rd Earl of Rutland and thirty years later the manor passed to Thomas Hartopp of that ancient family of Leicestershire. Sir John Hartopp, third baronet (1658) became M.P. for Leicestershire (1678-1681) left an endowment for the education of dissenting ministers and employed the non conformist Isaac Watts.
The estate was sold by Sir J. W. Cradock Hartopp, Bart., to Mr. Daniel Thwaites
(of the Lancashire Thwaites brewery) upon whose death in 1888 it passed to Elma Amy, his only daughter, the wife of Robert Yerburgh
, M.P. The estate was part of many others owned by Mrs Yerburgh and under management of the Woodfold Estates Company Management. Mrs. Yerburgh died in 1946 and from 1955 the estates and brewery were managed separately from adjacent offices at Eanam, Blackburn.
The church would seat 200 except that it has been closed for some considerable time because of its small congregation and its state of repair. English Heritage, after a survey of churches say, "The church serves a small community, who have maintained it extremely well over the years, but some of the stonework needs urgent repairs. English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund is providing a scheme of repair grants to places of worship like St Mary's.” The church has been found unsafe and closed.. Photographs in the gallery show the extent of the damage to some extent but the author has no access to the interior.
At present the villagers use the chapel, built prior to 1881, which is a delightful small building with a double arched window and porch a short walk across the road from St Marys. There is a preservation order, 24th Aug 1999, Melton Borough Council, on a dozen trees on the north side of the church graveyard
- only 52 of which are known. These villages and parishes sent men to fight in the Great War, 1914-1918, and all of them came back alive.
, Born Southampton 17th July 1674 died 25 November 1748 Stoke Newington. Essayist, academic, author and the writer of over 700 hymns, some as well known as “When I survey the Wondrous Cross” and “Oh God our help in ages past”. As a non conformist Watts was denied entry into Oxford or Cambridge yet his treatise on Logic became a popular teaching handbook. He became, in 1696, a minister to the Hartopp family of Stoke Newington and Freeby and preached in the United Reform Church in the village until 1699.
is a 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 Melton 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...
, about three miles east of Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray is a town in the Melton borough of Leicestershire, England. It is to the northeast of Leicester, and southeast of Nottingham...
. The parish has a population of about 300 http://www.leics.gov.uk/Freeby.pdf.
History
Apart from Freeby itself, the parish also includes the villages of Saxby, Wyfordby, BrentingbyBrentingby
Brentingby is a village in Leicestershire, England....
and Stapleford
Stapleford, Leicestershire
Stapleford is a village in the Melton district of Leicestershire, England, east of Melton Mowbray. It is just south of the River Eye, and is part of the civil parish of Freeby....
.
Once a part of Melton Mowbray parish the village was originally known as “Fretheby” and “Fredebi” around the age of Edward the Confessor. The village, however was referred to as “Frieby” as late as 1816 All the [properties, except the united reform church, still belong to the Freeby estate. It was granted as a manor to Hugh Despencer in the 13th century and remained a manor estate to the present day. The estate later passed to Lord de Ros, presumably at the demise of Despensers. Hugh the elder was hanged in Bristol in 1326 for his aid to Edward the 2nd who had fled Isabellas and Mortimers’ invasion and coup whilst Hugh Despenser the Younger was, after trial, hung, drawn and quartered in 1326. In 1568 the lord of the manor of Freeby was Edward, 3rd Earl of Rutland and thirty years later the manor passed to Thomas Hartopp of that ancient family of Leicestershire. Sir John Hartopp, third baronet (1658) became M.P. for Leicestershire (1678-1681) left an endowment for the education of dissenting ministers and employed the non conformist Isaac Watts.
The estate was sold by Sir J. W. Cradock Hartopp, Bart., to Mr. Daniel Thwaites
Daniel Thwaites
Daniel Thwaites was an English brewer and a Liberal Party politician from Blackburn in Lancashire. He owned what is now Thwaites Brewery, and sat in the House of Commons from 1875 to 1880....
(of the Lancashire Thwaites brewery) upon whose death in 1888 it passed to Elma Amy, his only daughter, the wife of Robert Yerburgh
Robert Yerburgh
Robert Armstrong Yerburgh DL JP , was a British Conservative Party politician.Robert was the son of Reverend Richard Yerburgh and Susan Higgin, and was educated at Rossall School, Harrow School and then University College, Oxford. He was elected to the House of Commons for Chester in 1886, a seat...
, M.P. The estate was part of many others owned by Mrs Yerburgh and under management of the Woodfold Estates Company Management. Mrs. Yerburgh died in 1946 and from 1955 the estates and brewery were managed separately from adjacent offices at Eanam, Blackburn.
Today
The buildings in the village show a certain similarity of age and construction commensurate with estate management. This can be seen in window frames and doors, the use of ironstone and brick building materials with limestone decoration. At the T junction to the west of the village, set upon a bank, is a terrace of six houses known as Sykes Row. The red brick and tiled roof construction with decorative window arches are striking. Ivy House Farm, the Old Barn and Woodbine Cottage are opposite and as the road dips down into the village the church can be glimpsed behind the mature trees that border its north and west walls. As the visitor proceeds along the road such cottages as Primrose, Highfield and Laburnum Cottage grace the sides with their unspoilt red brick and tile construction and well kept gardens. Further along Manor Farm and Glen Farm, working farms, display wonderful building features such as working sash windows. The Manor Farmhouse is Grade 2 listed. Since 1994 Freeby has been under the protection of the Freeby Conservation Area which covers 3.38 hectares sand was designated by Melton Borough Council. The settlement is relatively unspoilt as an agricultural village, certainly worthy of preservation and its buildings and rural nature are a credit to English heritage. Most of the village, other than some farm buildings, are encompassed in the conservation area.The Church
The church dates from the 14th Century and is a grade one listed building mostly in the Early English style. The Anglican register starts around 1604 but is fragmented until the beginning of the 19th century. It is dedicated to St Mary. Like so many medieval churches it has been repaired and altered many times, the last thorough restoration around 1894. As with many churches in this area its construction is of ironstone and limestone ashlar. The aisles were added some time later and the tower is of 16th century limestone construction. Ornamental medieval corbels adorn each south window and the church has a north door. The church is built on a prominence on the north side of the road through the village and that is apparently its downfall. That hill is not solid rock and, according BBC video is sand which has resulted to constant repairs throughout the last 700 years as the church settles.The church would seat 200 except that it has been closed for some considerable time because of its small congregation and its state of repair. English Heritage, after a survey of churches say, "The church serves a small community, who have maintained it extremely well over the years, but some of the stonework needs urgent repairs. English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund is providing a scheme of repair grants to places of worship like St Mary's.” The church has been found unsafe and closed.. Photographs in the gallery show the extent of the damage to some extent but the author has no access to the interior.
At present the villagers use the chapel, built prior to 1881, which is a delightful small building with a double arched window and porch a short walk across the road from St Marys. There is a preservation order, 24th Aug 1999, Melton Borough Council, on a dozen trees on the north side of the church graveyard
Saxby
Saxby is a small village in the parish of Freeby. Saxby is one of the Thankful VillagesThankful Villages
Thankful Villages are settlements in both England and Wales from which all their then members of the armed forces survived World War I. The term Thankful Village was popularised by the writer Arthur Mee in the 1930s...
- only 52 of which are known. These villages and parishes sent men to fight in the Great War, 1914-1918, and all of them came back alive.
Famous Residents
Isaac WattsIsaac Watts
Isaac Watts was an English hymnwriter, theologian and logician. A prolific and popular hymnwriter, he was recognised as the "Father of English Hymnody", credited with some 750 hymns...
, Born Southampton 17th July 1674 died 25 November 1748 Stoke Newington. Essayist, academic, author and the writer of over 700 hymns, some as well known as “When I survey the Wondrous Cross” and “Oh God our help in ages past”. As a non conformist Watts was denied entry into Oxford or Cambridge yet his treatise on Logic became a popular teaching handbook. He became, in 1696, a minister to the Hartopp family of Stoke Newington and Freeby and preached in the United Reform Church in the village until 1699.