Editing Groby

{{Short description|Village in Leicestershire, England}}
{{more citations needed|date=August 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2015}}
{{Infobox UK place
| country = England
| official_name = Groby
| coordinates = {{coord|52.65824|-1.23267|display=inline,title}}
| civil_parish = Groby
| population = 6,796
| shire_district = [[Hinckley and Bosworth]]
| shire_county = [[Leicestershire]]
| region = East Midlands
| constituency_westminster = [[Mid Leicestershire (UK Parliament constituency)|Mid Leicestershire]]
| post_town = LEICESTER
| postcode_district = LE6
| postcode_area = LE
| dial_code = 0116
| os_grid_reference = SK5207
| static_image_name = Grobyvillagestamfordarms.jpg
| static_image_caption = The village centre in 2005
}}

'''Groby''' (pronounced "GROO-bee" {{audio|En-groby.ogg|listen}}) is a village in the [[Hinckley and Bosworth]] borough [[Leicestershire]], England. It is to the north west of [[Leicester]]. The population at the time of the 2011 census was 6,796.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukcensusdata.com/groby-e05005486#sthash.4Vd94LhS.dpbs|title=UK Census Data:Groby|access-date=17 July 2014|archive-date=26 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140726073625/http://www.ukcensusdata.com/groby-e05005486#sthash.4Vd94LhS.dpbs|url-status=live}}</ref>

The village saw a huge expansion during the 1970s along with the village of [[Glenfield, Leicestershire|Glenfield]]. The historic village centre retains some of its historic buildings, [[Cobblestone|cobbled]] lanes and [[thatch]]ed cottages. The church of St Philip and St James,<ref>{{cite web|title=St Philip and St James, Groby|url=http://stphilipandstjames.wixsite.com/grobychurch|access-date=13 March 2017|archive-date=14 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170314063158/http://stphilipandstjames.wixsite.com/grobychurch|url-status=live}}</ref> built in the lancet style by [[George Grey, 6th Earl of Stamford|George Harry Booth-Grey]], the sixth [[Earl of Stamford]], dates from 1840 and stands in the grounds of [[Groby Castle]].<ref name="Pevsner">{{cite book|last=Pevsner|first=Nikolaus |year=1960|series=The Buildings of England|title=Leicestershire and Rutland|publisher=Penguin Books|page=115}}</ref> The architect was [[William Railton]].<ref>{{NHLE |num=1115789 |accessdate=27 December 2011}}</ref> Additionally the village was also home to the former [[Groby Old Hall]], the stone-built parts of which are thought to have been part of the castle's outer buildings.<ref name="Pevsner"/>

==History==
[[File:Groby church.jpg|thumb|right|Groby parish church]]
[[File:Hunt meeting outside Stamford Arms Groby.jpg|thumb|right|The village centre around 1920, The Stamford Arms, former home of the [[Everards Brewery|Everard family]] became a pub in 1921. According to Groby Heritage Group, the tall chimney belonged to a quarry.]]
Groby was mentioned in [[Domesday Book]] of 1086, when it was described as having "land for 4 ploughs, 10 villagers with 1 Freeman and 5 smallholders have 3 ploughs...the value was 20s; now 60s." Ulf is shown as the lord of Markfield, Groby, Blaby and Ratby in the [[Hundred (county division)|hundred]] of [[Guthlaxton]] in Leicestershire in 1066.<ref name=doom>{{cite web|url=http://domesdaymap.co.uk/place/SK5207/groby/|title=Open domesday:Groby|work=domesdaymap.co.uk|access-date=17 July 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140725041249/http://domesdaymap.co.uk/place/SK5207/groby/|archive-date=25 July 2014|df=dmy-all}}</ref>  By 1086, the lord was [[Hugh de Grandmesnil]] who was also associated with the hundreds of Goscote, Guthlaxton and Gartree in Leicestershire.<ref name=doom/><ref name="lrv">{{cite book|title=The Leicestershire & Rutland Village Book|year=1989|publisher=Countryside Books|isbn=1-85306-056-9|pages=79–80}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Morris, John|year=1979|title=The Domesday Book: Leicestershire|publisher=Phillimore & Co Ltd|isbn=978-0-85033-332-9|page=232a|display-authors=etal}}</ref> The estate was held by the [[Baron Ferrers of Groby|Ferrers]] family until 1445 when it passed to the Grey family. By 1800 the village had expanded with the population reaching 250, and by 1920 it had reached 1,000.<ref name="lrv" /> Employment in the village was largely in the local granite quarries and in farming.<ref name="lrv" /> The seventh Earl of Stamford and 3rd Earl of Warrington employed the London architect Mr M.J. Dain of Dain and Parsons to design the Jacobean style mansion to replace the former hunting lodge the Grey family used at Groby when they were hunting in Leicestershire, this mansion was built by the local builder of Groby Mr Thomas Rudkin, Bradgate House was completed in 1856 and built to the north-west of the village and referred to as the Calendar House because it had 365 windows, 52 rooms, and 12 main chimneys. The Earls niece Mrs Katherine Henrietta Venezia Grey sold the Leicestershire estates in 1925, she inherited these in 1905, including Bradgate House, which was demolished (although the ruins of its extravagant stable block remain), from which many villagers bought their homes.<ref name="lrv" /> Plots of land in the area were subsequently sold to builders, leading to a significant expansion of the village.<ref name="lrv" />

Historically, the village is noted for its connection with two Queens of England. [[Groby Old Hall]], built in the 15th century, was owned by the Grey family whose estate included [[Bradgate Park]].<ref name="Pevsner" /> [[John Grey of Groby|Sir John Grey of Groby]] married [[Elizabeth Woodville]].  After his death, in battle, she married [[Edward IV of England]]. Bradgate Park was the childhood home of [[Lady Jane Grey]], who became [[House of Tudor|Queen of England]] for nine days in 1553. The Grey family held the barony until it was forfeited in 1554.  [[Thomas Grey, Lord Grey of Groby]] became MP for Leicester in 1641 and fought on the side of Parliament in the [[English Civil War]].  In 1649 Grey was the only aristocrat of the [[List of regicides of Charles I|59 signatories of the death warrant]] of Charles I.

There is no definitive explanation of the roots of the village's name, but its '-by' ending implies a link to Viking rule during the period of the [[Danelaw]]. Also, groo is a Viking word for pit, which may well refer to the quarry situated next to the village. The Domesday entry lists the village as 'Grobi'. The ''Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names'' also shows the names ''Groubi'' or ''Groebi'' in the 12th century. Furthermore, it suggests the name is from a ''tarn'' perhaps with the [[Old Norse|Old Scandinavian]] name ''grōf''; and that the [[Old Norse]] ''gróf'' means "a torrent and a gully formed by it." The dictionary also says, "It is identical with [ [[Gothic language]] ] ''gróba'', [ [[Old High German]] ] ''grouba'' 'pit, hollow'."<ref>{{cite book|last=Ekwall|first=E.|title=The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names|edition=4th |year=1980}}</ref>

==Education==
There are four [[schools]], [[Lady Jane Grey]] Primary, [[Elizabeth Woodville]] Primary and Martinshaw County Primary, whilst [[Brookvale Groby Learning Campus]] is located on a [[campus]] to the west of the village, and attracts students from Groby and surrounding villages including [[Ratby]], [[Kirby Muxloe]], [[Glenfield, Leicestershire|Glenfield]], and sometimes [[Markfield]] and [[New Parks]]. There is also a [[The Scout Association|Scout troop]] based on the edge of Martinshaw [[Ancient woodland|Woods]].

==Industry==
The old quarry in the village centre is now an [[industrial estate]] - mostly owned by the company [[GE Sensing]] formerly Druck Ltd, which makes [[Pressure sensor|pressure transducers]].

Groby [[Quarry]] is located on the narrow lane which leads through to Newtown Linford, and is still used to quarry [[granite]].

==Groby Pool==
[[File:Groby Pool 2006-08-29 038web.jpg|thumb|Groby Pool]]
Groby Pool, "reputedly the largest natural expanse of open water in Leicestershire" is a {{convert|38|acre|ha|adj=on|abbr=off}}  lake located opposite the quarry on Newtown Linford Lane.  It is owned by [[Hanson plc|Hanson quarries]] and managed by [[English Nature]] and became an [[SSSI]] in 1956.  Due to lack of drainage, "it is one of the most significant wildlife areas in Leicestershire."  The origins of the pool are debated.  Theories include that it resulted from the damming of Slate Brook by monks from [[Leicester Abbey]] or that it was a Roman clay-pit for pottery production. 
There is a public car park a few minutes' walk to the southeast, and it is possible to walk along the east side nearest the lane, although access elsewhere is restricted. Visitors are requested NOT to feed the birds as it changes the water balance and damages wildlife.  The pool has a strict no fishing rule.<ref name="note 1">Source, Groby pool SSSI information board at pool edge just beyond car park.</ref> In 2017, a number of notices were erected around the pool perimeter advising visitors NOT to paddle or swim due to [[blue green algae]].

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{Commons category-inline|Groby}}
*[http://www.grobyonline.tk/ Grobyonline, News and articles about Groby]
*[http://www.leicestershireparishcouncils.org/groby/ Groby Parish Council]
*[http://www.groby.org.uk/ The Groby Directory]

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[[Category:Villages in Leicestershire]]
[[Category:Civil parishes in Leicestershire]]
[[Category:Hinckley and Bosworth]]