Kibworth
Encyclopedia
Kibworth ˈ is an area of the Harborough
district of Leicestershire
, England, that contains two civil parishes—the villages of Kibworth Beauchamp ˈ and Kibworth Harcourt ˈ. According to the 2001 census, Kibworth Beauchamp has a population of 3,798, and Kibworth Harcourt has a population of 990. The two villages are split by the A6. Kibworth is close to Foxton Locks
, Market Harborough
, and Leicester
.
Kibworth has many shops and a post office, an award winning community newspaper (The Kibworth & District Chronicle), and between 2002 and 2007 many new shops appeared, including a new branch of Co-op UK
. There were also many new houses built on the edge of the village, with plans for 610 more to be built by 2012. The local Cricket
club won the ECB National Club Cricket Championship
in 2004. There are clubs for golf, bowls and football and also many dance schools in the village.
In 1270 Walter de Merton
, the founder of Merton College, Oxford, bought a large part of the parish of Kibworth Harcourt from Saer de Harcourt, who had been forced to sell the estate following his support for the unsuccessful "barons' rebellion" led by Simon de Montfort
. A large part of the parish has remained property of Merton College, Oxford
to the present day. There is a stained glass window depicting Walter de Merton in the bell tower of the parish church, St Wilfrid's, and the warden and scholars of the college are joint patrons with the Bishop of Leicester
.
On 23 July 1825 the ancient tower and spire of St Wilfrids collapsed.
The Midland Main Line
runs through the area. Kibworth railway station
, which served both villages, closed in 1968.
and BBC Two
presented by Michael Wood about the history of England
framed through Kibworth. A book of the same name has been published by Viking (Penguin Books). The series has been likened to Who Do You Think You Are? for a whole community. Villagers (Kibworth Improvement Team - KiT) have created a new website and were successful in obtaining a grant of £48,200 from the Heritage Lottery Fund
for a Kibworth Guide Booklet and online Archive to be produced during 2011 and 2012.
Harborough
Harborough is a local government district of Leicestershire, England, named after its main town, Market Harborough. Covering , the District is by far the largest of the eight district authorities in Leicestershire and covers almost a quarter of the County....
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, that contains two civil parishes—the villages of Kibworth Beauchamp ˈ and Kibworth Harcourt ˈ. According to the 2001 census, Kibworth Beauchamp has a population of 3,798, and Kibworth Harcourt has a population of 990. The two villages are split by the A6. Kibworth is close to Foxton Locks
Foxton Locks
Foxton Locks are ten canal locks consisting of two "staircases" each of five locks, located on the Leicester line of the Grand Union Canal about 5 km west of the Leicestershire town of Market Harborough and are named after the nearby village of Foxton....
, Market Harborough
Market Harborough
Market Harborough is a market town within the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England.It has a population of 20,785 and is the administrative headquarters of Harborough District Council. It sits on the Northamptonshire-Leicestershire border...
, and 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...
.
Kibworth has many shops and a post office, an award winning community newspaper (The Kibworth & District Chronicle), and between 2002 and 2007 many new shops appeared, including a new branch of Co-op UK
The Co-operative Food
The Co-operative Food, abbreviated sometimes to the Co-op, is a brand devised for the supermarket and convenience store business of the UK's consumers' co-operative movement. It is the name of the largest division of The Co-operative Group, and is used by other independent consumer co-operatives...
. There were also many new houses built on the edge of the village, with plans for 610 more to be built by 2012. The local Cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
club won the ECB National Club Cricket Championship
ECB National Club Cricket Championship
The ECB National Club Cricket Championship is a knockout club cricket competition in England. The most successful clubs have been Scarborough Cricket Club from Yorkshire, with five titles and Old Hill Cricket Club from the Metropolitan county of West Midlands , with four.-Winners:ECB National Club...
in 2004. There are clubs for golf, bowls and football and also many dance schools in the village.
In 1270 Walter de Merton
Walter de Merton
Walter de Merton was Bishop of Rochester and founder of Merton College, Oxford.-Life:Walter was born probably at Merton in Surrey or educated there; hence the surname. He came of a land-owning family at Basingstoke; beyond that there is no definite information as to the date or place of birth...
, the founder of Merton College, Oxford, bought a large part of the parish of Kibworth Harcourt from Saer de Harcourt, who had been forced to sell the estate following his support for the unsuccessful "barons' rebellion" led by Simon de Montfort
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, 1st Earl of Chester , sometimes referred to as Simon V de Montfort to distinguish him from other Simon de Montforts, was an Anglo-Norman nobleman. He led the barons' rebellion against King Henry III of England during the Second Barons' War of 1263-4, and...
. A large part of the parish has remained property of Merton College, Oxford
Merton College, Oxford
Merton College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor to Henry III and later to Edward I, first drew up statutes for an independent academic community and established endowments to...
to the present day. There is a stained glass window depicting Walter de Merton in the bell tower of the parish church, St Wilfrid's, and the warden and scholars of the college are joint patrons with the Bishop of Leicester
Bishop of Leicester
The Bishop of Leicester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Leicester in the Province of Canterbury.The first bishops of Leicester were originally prelates who administered an Anglo-Saxon diocese between the 7th and 9th centuries...
.
On 23 July 1825 the ancient tower and spire of St Wilfrids collapsed.
The Midland Main Line
Midland Main Line
The Midland Main Line is a major railway route in the United Kingdom, part of the British railway system.The present-day line links London St...
runs through the area. Kibworth railway station
Kibworth railway station
Kibworth railway station was opened in 1857 by the Midland Railway in 1857 on what is now the Midland Main Line.Plans had been made earlier in 1847 for a line from Leicester to Bedford, but had lapsed. However the Midland, running to Rugby at that time and dependent on the LNWR for its path into...
, which served both villages, closed in 1968.
Michael Wood's Story of England
In September 2010, Kibworth was the central feature of Michael Wood's Story of England, a documentary on both BBC FourBBC Four
BBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
and BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
presented by Michael Wood about the history of England
History of England
The history of England concerns the study of the human past in one of Europe's oldest and most influential national territories. What is now England, a country within the United Kingdom, was inhabited by Neanderthals 230,000 years ago. Continuous human habitation dates to around 12,000 years ago,...
framed through Kibworth. A book of the same name has been published by Viking (Penguin Books). The series has been likened to Who Do You Think You Are? for a whole community. Villagers (Kibworth Improvement Team - KiT) have created a new website and were successful in obtaining a grant of £48,200 from the Heritage Lottery Fund
Heritage Lottery Fund
The Heritage Lottery Fund is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage...
for a Kibworth Guide Booklet and online Archive to be produced during 2011 and 2012.