Frisby on the Wreake
Encyclopedia
Frisby on the Wreake is a village in England
located near Melton Mowbray
in Leicestershire
.
The name of the village was coined by Danish
invaders in the 9th or 10th centuries and refers to the farm or settlement of the Frisians
. The "on the Wreake" suffix was added later to distinguish the village from another Frisby, near Billesdon
, about 8 mi (12.9 km) to the south east. Wreake refers to the River Wreake
. The name of the river has its origins in a Danish word referring to the "meandering" nature of the river.
The oldest building in the village is the Anglican
church, Saint Thomas
of Canterbury . At the time of its foundation the main road from Leicester
to Melton Mowbray passed through the village, entering from Hoby with Rotherby
to the south and leaving by Kirby Bellars
to the north. The village was bypassed to the east when the turnpike
, now the primary route A607, was built in the 18th century. he new route passed a medieval
cross that was perhaps a preaching place in early medieval times. This is still visible, though it is considerably eroded and damaged. There is another medieval market cross
in the village centre.
Frisby Mill was situated on the River Wreake (so called by the same Danes who named the village because the river meandered greatly) and was operating at the time of the Domesday Book
in 1086. The mill was rebuilt several times, though fell into disuse at the beginning of the 20th century. The channels to divert the river water to the mill may still be seen in the fields to the northwest of the village.
Farming was organised on the great field system. Each landowner was awarded a series of strips in the three different fields. This ensured everyone shared the best and worst land. The remains of the strips can still be seen, over a thousand years since they were first created. When the great fields were enclosed in the late 18th century, landowners were compensated by the award of blocks of land. The poorer owners often sold their holdings, which were usually very small, and consolidation into the present farms took place. The existing farms in the outlying fields were all created at this time. Originally the village lands were all worked from homes in the village itself and the remaining farmhouses in the village streets date back much further than those outside the village. As in many other Leicestershire villages, the new, consolidated blocks of land were planted with hawthorn hedges, Thus, most hedges between the Frisby fields are not more than 250 years old. Those by the roadside and along the parish
boundary are likely to be much older, as these were the lines that marked the medieval limits of the parish and its fields.
In the 18th century the village enjoyed a brief period of notoriety when the local clergyman agreed to marry couples from some distance away. This was at a time when wedding ceremonies were closely controlled by the church and state. It is likely that many of the marriages of couples from elsewhere went against the agreement of close relatives. The number of weddings at Thomas Becket increased substantially compared to earlier and later times and the village earned the later nickname of the Gretna Green
of the Midlands
.
Transport links were improved by the coming of the Melton Mowbray canal
at the end of the 18th Century and the Syston and Peterborough Railway
in the middle of the 19th Century. A condition of building the railway was that it should take over the canal.
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...
located near 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...
in 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...
.
The name of the village was coined by Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
invaders in the 9th or 10th centuries and refers to the farm or settlement of the Frisians
Frisians
The Frisians are a Germanic ethnic group native to the coastal parts of the Netherlands and Germany. They are concentrated in the Dutch provinces of Friesland and Groningen and, in Germany, East Frisia and North Frisia, that was a part of Denmark until 1864. They inhabit an area known as Frisia...
. The "on the Wreake" suffix was added later to distinguish the village from another Frisby, near Billesdon
Frisby, Leicestershire
Frisby is a hamlet, deserted medieval village and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 26. The modern hamlet is situated between Gaulby and Billesdon, the ancient village site is nearby to the south-east, and is a...
, about 8 mi (12.9 km) to the south east. Wreake refers to the River Wreake
River Wreake
The River Wreake is a river in Leicestershire, England. It is a tributary of the River Soar. The river between Stapleford Park and Melton Mowbray is known as the River Eye and becomes the Wreake below Melton Mowbray....
. The name of the river has its origins in a Danish word referring to the "meandering" nature of the river.
The oldest building in the village is the Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
church, Saint Thomas
Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion...
of Canterbury . At the time of its foundation the main road from 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...
to Melton Mowbray passed through the village, entering from Hoby with Rotherby
Hoby with Rotherby
Hoby with Rotherby is a civil parish in Leicestershire, England. In the 2001 census it had a population of 594. It includes the villages of Hoby, Rotherby, Ragdale and Brooksby. The parish is part of Melton local government district, and within the Rutland and Melton constituency.- External...
to the south and leaving by Kirby Bellars
Kirby Bellars
Kirby Bellars is a village and civil parish near Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, England.-History:The village is recorded in the Domesday Book under the name of Chirchebi....
to the north. The village was bypassed to the east when the turnpike
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
, now the primary route A607, was built in the 18th century. he new route passed a medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
cross that was perhaps a preaching place in early medieval times. This is still visible, though it is considerably eroded and damaged. There is another medieval market cross
Market cross
A market cross is a structure used to mark a market square in market towns, originally from the distinctive tradition in Early Medieval Insular art of free-standing stone standing or high crosses, often elaborately carved, which goes back to the 7th century. Market crosses can be found in most...
in the village centre.
Frisby Mill was situated on the River Wreake (so called by the same Danes who named the village because the river meandered greatly) and was operating at the time of the Domesday Book
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...
in 1086. The mill was rebuilt several times, though fell into disuse at the beginning of the 20th century. The channels to divert the river water to the mill may still be seen in the fields to the northwest of the village.
Farming was organised on the great field system. Each landowner was awarded a series of strips in the three different fields. This ensured everyone shared the best and worst land. The remains of the strips can still be seen, over a thousand years since they were first created. When the great fields were enclosed in the late 18th century, landowners were compensated by the award of blocks of land. The poorer owners often sold their holdings, which were usually very small, and consolidation into the present farms took place. The existing farms in the outlying fields were all created at this time. Originally the village lands were all worked from homes in the village itself and the remaining farmhouses in the village streets date back much further than those outside the village. As in many other Leicestershire villages, the new, consolidated blocks of land were planted with hawthorn hedges, Thus, most hedges between the Frisby fields are not more than 250 years old. Those by the roadside and along the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
boundary are likely to be much older, as these were the lines that marked the medieval limits of the parish and its fields.
In the 18th century the village enjoyed a brief period of notoriety when the local clergyman agreed to marry couples from some distance away. This was at a time when wedding ceremonies were closely controlled by the church and state. It is likely that many of the marriages of couples from elsewhere went against the agreement of close relatives. The number of weddings at Thomas Becket increased substantially compared to earlier and later times and the village earned the later nickname of the Gretna Green
Gretna Green
Gretna Green is a village in the south of Scotland famous for runaway weddings. It is in Dumfries and Galloway, near the mouth of the River Esk and was historically the first village in Scotland, following the old coaching route from London to Edinburgh. Gretna Green has a railway station serving...
of the Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
.
Transport links were improved by the coming of the Melton Mowbray canal
Melton Mowbray Navigation
The Melton Mowbray Navigation was formed when the River Wreake in Leicestershire, England, was made navigable upstream from its junction with the River Soar and the Leicester Navigation near Syston to Melton Mowbray, opening in 1797...
at the end of the 18th Century and the Syston and Peterborough Railway
Syston and Peterborough Railway
The Syston and Peterborough Railway was an early railway in England opened between 1845 and 1848 to form a branch from the Midland Counties Railway at Syston just north of Leicester to Peterborough.-Origins:...
in the middle of the 19th Century. A condition of building the railway was that it should take over the canal.