Lowesby
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Lowesby is a small parish and township situated in the district of
Harborough Market Harborough is a market town in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England, close to the border with Northamptonshire. The population was 24,779 at the 2021 census. It is the administrative headquarters of the Harborough dis ...
in
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 ...
. It is 8 miles east of the county capital,
Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
, and 90 miles north of
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
.


Geography

Lowesby parish is located 500 feet (150 metres) above sea level in a relatively hilly region. Other than Queniborough brook there are no other sites of topographic interest in Lowesby, partially due to the intensive farming in the area. Local farming may have been influenced by the geology of the area which is predominantly Lower Jurassic Mudstones and minor carbonates. Lowesby Hall was first owned by Richard Wallaston from the mid 17th century and remained in his family until Anne Wallaston married into the Fowke family, in whose hands the Hall remained well into the 20th century. It is now under private ownership.


Governance

The Rutland and Melton District, which includes Lowesby, is represented by
Alicia Kearns Alicia Alexandra Martha Kearns (born 11 November 1987) is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Rutland and Stamford, previously Rutland and Melton, since 2019 and Shadow Minister for Home Affa ...
(
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
), who has held the seat since 2019. The councillor for Harborough is Michael Rook (Conservative), who was elected in May 2007. The county councillor for Lowesby is Simon Galton (Liberal Democrat).


History

The name Lowesby stems from Old Norse and is thought to mean Lausi's farm or settlement, which refers to the owner and subsequent land use. The manor of Lowesby is recorded in the
Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
of 1086 as containing two plough teams consisting of five men each. The manor was held from
Countess Judith Judith of Lens (born Normandy, between 1054 and 1055 - died Fotheringhay, c. 1090) was a niece of William the Conqueror. She was a daughter of Lambert II, Count of Lens and Adelaide of Normandy (Countess of Aumale), the sister of William ...
, a niece of
William the Conqueror William the Conqueror (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was D ...
, by a
Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norma ...
named Hugh Burdet (or Bourdet/Bordet), originally from Cuilly in
Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
, who made Loseby his seat for many generations. The Burdets founded Loseby parish church and gave its
advowson Advowson () or patronage is the right in English law of a patron (avowee) to present to the diocesan bishop (or in some cases the ordinary if not the same person) a nominee for appointment to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, a ...
to the
Order of St Lazarus The Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem, also known as the Leper Brothers of Jerusalem or simply as Lazarists, was a Catholic military order founded by Crusaders during the 1130s at a leper hospital in Jerusalem, Kingdom of Jerusalem, whose car ...
based at
Burton Lazars Burton Lazars is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Burton and Dalby, in the Borough of Melton, Melton district, in the county of Leicestershire, England. It is south-east of Melton Mowbray, having a population of c.450 in ...
which they supported for many generations until relations soured in about 1290 when the Order started to appropriate part of the parish's
tithes A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Modern tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques or via onli ...
. Riots broke out over the ensuing years, Loseby's vicar was
excommunicated Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to deprive, suspend, or limit membership in a religious community or to restrict certain rights within it, in particular those of being in communion with other members of the con ...
and
William Burdet Sir William Burdet (died pre-1309) of Lowesby in Leicestershire, England, was a Member of Parliament for the county seat of Leicestershire. Career and Life The Burdet family had been dedicated supporters of the Order of St Lazarus's English h ...
's actions "polluted" the churchyard by bloodshed in 1297. Gradually calm was restored to the parish and in 1298 Sir William Burdet agreed to pay for the reconsecration of the church and reconfirmed his family's grants to the Order but relations were never the same again. In 1831 agriculture was by far the most prominent industry, with 64% of the male population of the age of 20 employed in this sector. However, fifty years later, this number had dropped to 40%, and while agriculture was still the most common employment, the remainder of the population was working in other occupations, including as coachmen, gardeners for the manor, or as machinists. The parish's main land use in 2001 is still farming but just 9% of the population now work in agriculture and the manor no longer provides employment.


Transport

Lowesby railway station has been closed since 7 December 1953, and is now part of a farm. It was the first station to open on the Great Northern Railway route to Leicester on 15 May 1882.


Economy

The tertiary sector, otherwise described as the service sector, is the dominant area of employment in Lowesby with 62% (50 people) of the population working in this area. There has also been a movement into scientific and technical industries, which employs 10% of those working in tertiary industry in Lowesby.


Demography

The population of Lowesby Parish was 127 in 2011. This level of population has not always been constant throughout the parish's history. The population of Lowesby grew by almost 100 people during the first fifty years of the 19th century. By the time of the 1851 census, a UK-wide railway network had almost been completed. Coupled with minor depressions and a second phase of British industrialisation, it may have led to a decline in the local population. The population has not recovered since then, with Lowesby having averaged approximately one hundred inhabitants during the 20th century.


References


External links

{{authority control Villages in Leicestershire Civil parishes in Harborough District