Stonton Wyville
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Stonton Wyville is a small village and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 21. The village is about eleven miles (17 km) south east of Leicester[1]. Nearby places include Kibworth Harcourt, Tur Langton, Church Langton, and Shangton.
The buildings include a church, a manor house, a rectory and a farm that used to be the Fox and Hounds Inn.
[edit] History
In 1086, the Domesday book shows that Stonton Wyville was part of the estates of Hugh de Grandmesnil[2]. Stonton was amongst a hundred manors that had been given to Hugh for his assistance at the Battle of Hastings.
"The same man holds of Hugh 6 carucates of land in Stonton Wyville. There is land for 4 ploughs. In demesne are 2 ploughs and 2 slaves and 15 villans with a priest and 2 bordars have 4 ploughs. There are two mills rendering 5s4d and 8 acres of meadow, woodland 6 furlongs long and 4 fourmongs broad. It was worth 40s now 60s"[2].
There were two mills then and there were still two in 1605. One of the mills was still working in 1846 but not by 1863[1]. Which is regrettable as they could have used it to power a threshing machine ...
In 1494, the last William Wyville died. Stonton Wyville is named after him and his ancestors who had been instrumental in the village since the Domesday Book where they had been under tenants[2].
On 25th February, 1628 Thomas Brudenell (whose family had married into the Wyvilles) was created Baron Brudenell of Stonton. There was a move to rename the vilage Stonton Brudenell, but this never stuck[1]. (Thomas went on to be first Earl of Cardigan).
In January 1862 there was an inquest held at the Fox and Hounds Inn into the deaths of several villagers who had died in a dreadful boiler explosion. Killed in the explosion "on the spot, Thomas Lee, about 40 years of age, was blown over 40 yards into a ditch. William Woolman, about 65 years of age was blown fully fifty yards..."[3] and Samuel Ashby. George Woolman died of his injuries on the same day. It appears from the inquest that 13 people had been gathered around a steam engine[4] that was being used to power a small threshing machine that they had hired from a Mr Butcher of Debdale Wharf.
Stonton Wyville must have been much larger in the past. It is officially recognised as a "shrunken or deserted medieval village"[5].
[edit] References
- ^ a b c [1] 'Stonton Wyville', A History of the County of Leicestershire: Volume 5: Gartree Hundred (1964), pp. 308-12 Date accessed: 21 February 2007
- ^ a b c Domesday Book: A Complete Transliteration. London: Penguin, 2003. ISBN 0-14-143994-7
- ^ "Contemporary newspaper account - January 1862
- ^ Stationary Engine home page
- ^ Ancient Monuments list
[edit] External Links
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