Gumley is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the Harborough district, in the county of

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...

, England, United Kingdom. The closest town is Market Harborough. The population of the civil parish (including Laughton) at the 2011 census was 209. The name Gumley is a contraction of the

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...

''Gutmundesleah'' – meaning Godmund's clearing.

History

The village is first mentioned in 749. King Æthelbald of Mercia (r.716-757) held a

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word '' synod'' comes from the Ancient Greek () ; the term is analogous with the Latin word . Originally, ...

at Gumley in that year, at the instigation of

Saint Boniface Boniface, OSB (born Wynfreth; 675 –5 June 754) was an English Benedictines, Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of Francia during the eighth century. He organised significant foundations of ...

, to answer accusations that he had been oppressing churches and monasteries. The outcome was that Æthelbald 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 to

serfdom Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery. It developed du ...

. King Offa visited Gumley in 772 and 779 for the witanagemot of the kings of

Mercia Mercia (, was one of the principal kingdoms founded at the end of Sub-Roman Britain; the area was settled by Anglo-Saxons in an era called the Heptarchy. It was centred on the River Trent and its tributaries, in a region now known as the Midlan ...

. On the south side of Gumley Covert there is a pond called "the Mot" which may be an

site. The pond stands in a small natural amphitheatre near a mound surmounted with trees. After the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...

Gumley was given to Countess Judith, the Conqueror's niece. At that time there were twenty inhabitants. In the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

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 the

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

. Gumley's population peaked in 1821 when 281 residents were engaged working the land as well as making

lace Lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open weblike pattern, made by machine or by hand. Generally, lace is split into two main categories, needlelace and bobbin lace, although there are other types of lace, such as knitted o ...

and stockings. Now there are about 105 people on the electoral roll. Because Gumley has been surrounded by

pasture Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing. Types of pasture Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, c ...

predominantly, the

ridge and furrow Ridge and furrow is an Archaeology, archaeological pattern of ridges (Medieval Latin: ''sliones'') and troughs created by a system of ploughing used in Europe during the Middle Ages, typical of the open field system, open-field system. It is a ...

method of working the land is particularly well preserved and its fields are subject to preservation orders.

Gumley Hall

Gumley Hall was built in 1764 for Joseph Cradock (d. 1826). It consists of a large three storey red brick central block, flanked by two-story pavilions connected to the main block by quadrant walls. Internally many of the features, including the main staircase with its cast-iron balustrade, appear to date from the earlier 19th century. These were probably inserted between 1823 and 1833 by Sir Edmund Cradock-Hartopp who apparently took over the house in an unfinished condition. South of the hall and opening upon the village street the red-brick stables built round a courtyard were erected by Capt. Whitmore; the clock tower in the style of an Italian campanile bears the inscription ''Incorrupta Fides'' and a weathercock dated 1870. Cradock laid out the gardens and plantations of Gumley Hall in imitation of the Parc de Saint-Cloud, and in the summer months they became a fashionable resort for the gentry of Leicester, particularly those who came to take the mineral waters of its 'spa', a chalybeate spring found in 1789. Cradock moved in the literary society of

Goldsmith A goldsmith is a Metalworking, metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Modern goldsmiths mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, they have also made cutlery, silverware, platter (dishware), plat ...

, Johnson, and Burke, and built a theatre at Gumley which was used for amateur productions and by Garrick. The owners of Gumley Hall in the 19th century, were not always resident. There were at least two periods when the hall was in the hands of tenants-the 1860s and the 1890s. The Cradock-Hartopps let it to Lt.-Col. Dottin Maycock (1816–79) before he moved to Foxton Lodge, and then to Viscount Ingestre (1830–77) before he succeeded as 19th Earl of Shrewsbury in 1868. After many structural alterations in 1869-70, the new owner, Capt. Whitmore, came into residence. From c. 1890, when he moved to Essex, he let the hall to a succession of tenants: Thomas Keay Tapling (1855–91), M.P. for South Leicestershire; James Coats (1834–1913), of J. & P. Coats, Ltd.; and from 1893 Mrs. Emma Bellville, who afterwards moved to Stoughton Grange. In 1897 the hall was bought by the Murray Smiths, who lived there until 1940. One of their

governess A governess is a woman employed as a private tutor, who teaches and trains a child or children in their home. A governess often lives in the same residence as the children she is teaching; depending on terms of their employment, they may or ma ...

es was Evelyn Cheesman, later a celebrated entomologist and traveller. G. A. Murray Smith then moved into the Rectory, which was no longer required by the incumbent. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the Hall was used to train resistance fighters and

Special Operations Executive Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a British organisation formed in 1940 to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in German-occupied Europe and to aid local Resistance during World War II, resistance movements during World War II. ...

and afterwards Leonard Cheshire was given the use of the Hall for those servicemen returning homeless after demobilisation. The Hall became increasingly dilapidated and was demolished in 1964.

Other buildings

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 the Victorian era in 1874 and is a good example of the Decorated style. There is a service every Sunday with a family service once a month. At the Engine House gas was manufactured for the Hall. There was a

Post Office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

and part of the

bakery A bakery is an establishment that produces and sells flour-based baked goods made in an oven such as bread, cookies, cakes, doughnuts, bagels, Pastry, pastries, and pies. Some retail bakeries are also categorized as Coffeehouse, cafés, servi ...

remains as outbuildings of Westfield. The

butcher A butcher is a person who may Animal slaughter, slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat, or participate within any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat and poultry for sale in retail or wholesale ...

s shop was at the 'Js' where it was preserved as a museum until recently. There were two

public house A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...

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 II listed structures in the village include Hall Farm, Rose Cottage and Fenleigh House, Stone House, Leys Farm and the village pump. The Motte

Castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

, a tree-ringed mound to the west of Gumley is a

Scheduled Monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

. 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 a

fish and chips Fish and chips is a hot dish consisting of batter (cooking), battered and fried fish, served with French fries, chips. Often considered the national dish of the United Kingdom, fish and chips originated in England in the 19th century. Today, ...

evening in February and a summer

barbecue Barbecue or barbeque (often shortened to BBQ worldwide; barbie or barby in Australia and New Zealand) is a term used with significant regional and national variations to describe various cooking methods that employ live fire and smoke to coo ...

in August as well as other social events.

Village activities

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 1853, traditionally holds its opening meet in Gumley in October. Gumley Cricket Club is a village cricket team based in Gumley, Leicestershire, England. The club has two senior teams, the Saturday XI currently play in the Leicestershire and Rutland Cricket League and a Sunday XI team that play friendly fixtures against an established selection of clubs.

Notable people

* John Henry Overton (1835 – 1903), cleric and church historian * Thomas Horton (soldier) (1603 – 1649), Roundhead soldier * Andrew Matthews (entomologist) (1815 – 1897), clergyman and entomologist * Morton Eden, 1st Baron Henley (1752 – 1830), diplomat * Thomas Tapling (30 October 1855 – 11 April 1891) businessman, politician and philatelist * Alfred Coleman (cricketer)

References

External links

www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Gumley and surrounding area
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British History Online - history of Gumley
{{authority control Villages in Leicestershire Civil parishes in Harborough District