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Ashby Folville is a village and former
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 below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...
, now in the parish of Gaddesby, in the Melton district of Leicestershire, England, south west of
Melton Mowbray Melton Mowbray () is a town in Leicestershire, England, north-east of Leicester, and south-east of Nottingham. It lies on the River Eye, known below Melton as the Wreake. The town had a population 27,670 in 2019. The town is sometimes promo ...
. In 1931 the parish had a population of 123.


History

The village of 'Ashby' was 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 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manus ...
as consisting of twenty-four villagers, three smallholders, two slaves, one priest and being owned by the
Countess Judith Judith of Lens (born in Normandy between 1054 and 1055, died c1090) was a niece of William the Conqueror. She was a daughter of his sister Adelaide of Normandy, Countess of Aumale and Lambert II, Count of Lens. Life In 1070, Judith married Ea ...
. By the time of the Leicestershire Survey of 1124-29 the manor had passed from Judith to her daughter
Maud, Countess of Huntingdon Maud, Countess of Huntingdon ( 1074 – 1130/1131), or Matilda, was Queen of Scotland as the wife of King David I. She was the great-niece of William the Conqueror and the granddaughter of Earl Siward. Biography Maud was the daughter of Wa ...
and her husband King
David I of Scotland David I or Dauíd mac Maíl Choluim ( Modern: ''Daibhidh I mac haoilChaluim''; – 24 May 1153) was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians from 1113 to 1124 and later King of Scotland from 1124 to 1153. The youngest son of Mal ...
. On 1 April 1936 the parish was abolished and its were merged with Gaddesby.


The Folville Family

The Folville element of the placename comes from a family that had its seat here since at least 1137 when its lordship was held of the Honour of Huntingdon by Fulk de Folville. The family name, ultimately derived from Folleville in the French region of Picardy, was attached to several other sites in Leicestershire, including the deserted village of Newbolt Folville. They seem to have gained most their estate at the beginning of the 12th century. Several of their possessions, such as Ashby and the manor at Teigh in Rutland, were in the hands of other parties at the time of the Domesday survey, but had passed to the Folvilles by the reign of
Stephen Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...
(1135-1154). The family were certainly well-established in Leicestershire by the mid 13th century. In 1240 a member of the family donated a large sum to the church at Cranoe. The Folvilles were rebels during both Barons Wars; Sir William Folville (died about 1240) had his lands seized for his part in the
First Barons' War The First Barons' War (1215–1217) was a civil war in the Kingdom of England in which a group of rebellious major landowners (commonly referred to as barons) led by Robert Fitzwalter waged war against King John of England. The conflict resulte ...
in 1216 and Sir Eustace Folville (murdered in 1274) was one of the knights appointed to enforce the
Provisions of Oxford The Provisions of Oxford were constitutional reforms developed during the Oxford Parliament of 1258 to resolve a dispute between King Henry III of England and his barons. The reforms were designed to ensure the king adhered to the rule of law and ...
in 1258 and stoutly defended
Kenilworth Castle Kenilworth Castle is a castle in the town of Kenilworth in Warwickshire, England managed by English Heritage; much of it is still in ruins. The castle was founded during the Norman conquest of England; with development through to the Tudor pe ...
after the Battle of Evesham in 1265. The family gained renown during the reign of Edward II, when they ambushed and killed the Baron of the Exchequer, Roger de Beler.
Hugh le Despenser, 1st Earl of Winchester Hugh le Despenser (1 March 126127 October 1326), sometimes referred to as "the Elder Despenser", was for a time the chief adviser to King Edward II of England. He was created a baron in 1295 and Earl of Winchester in 1322. One day after being ...
had been stealing people's lands in Leicestershire, using Roger de Beler as an enforcer, and in 1325 de Beler had threatened the Folville family with violence. By the beginning of 1326 much of the country had turned against Edward and the Despencers and preparations for a rebellion led by Edward's wife, Queen Isabella and Roger Mortimer had started. The Folville family, headed by Eustace Folville, and encouraged by Sir
Roger la Zouch Sir Roger la Zouch was the instigator of the murder of Roger de Beler and also MP for Leicestershire in 1324, 1331 and 1337 and Sheriff of Warwickshire and Leicestershire during the 1330s. Ancestry Roger was the son of Roger la Zouch, Lord of ...
, Lord of
Lubbesthorpe Lubbesthorpe is a hamlet and parish in the district of Blaby within Enderby on the outskirts of Leicester, on the west side of the M1 motorway and the River Soar.
murdered de Beler before fleeing to Paris. Following Isabella and Mortimer's successful invasion of England, Edward III was crowned and rebels were pardoned including the Folville family who were celebrated locally with the Folville Cross, said to be located at the site of de Beler's murder. The Folville Gang flitted in and out of outlawry for many years, but, apart from
Richard Folville Richard Folville (died 1340–1) was a member of the infamous Folville Gang captained by his older brother Eustace. Biography Richard was the fourth of 7 sons born to Sir John Folville (died 1310) of Ashby Folville, Leicestershire. In 1321 he ...
, vicar of Teigh, who was beheaded in his own churchyard, they ended with their freedom intact. The manor of Ashby eventually passed via marriage from the Folvilles to the Woodfords and then Smiths.


Landmarks

After World War II, a resettlement camp for
displaced people Forced displacement (also forced migration) is an involuntary or coerced movement of a person or people away from their home or home region. The UNHCR defines 'forced displacement' as follows: displaced "as a result of persecution, conflict, g ...
from Poland was established in a former US Army base in the grounds of Ashby Folville Manor."Polish reunion is resounding success", ''Melton Times'' 14 Sept 2010
/ref>


Religious sites

St Mary's Church, Ashby Folville is a
Grade I listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
. The Ashby Folville estate was bought in 1890 by Herbert Smith-Carington, then mayor of
Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engla ...
(died 1917), who built cottages and a village institute and restored the church. The old wooden roofs of the nave and the new oak panels of the chancel and screen of the Woodford chapel are among the features of interest. In the chancel are memorials to Ralph Woodford (a descendant of the Folvilles) and Elizabeth Woodford. Monuments in the Woodford chapel include a stone knight known as "Old Folville" and the fine monument of Sir Francis Smith and his wife. Stained glass windows by Veronica Whall and
Edward Woore Edward Woore or Davie Woore (1880–1960) was a British stained glass artist''Edward Woore. ...
were erected in memory of members of the Smith-Carington family.


References

;Cites ;Sources * * * * * * * *


External links

* * {{Authority control
Villages in Leicestershire Former civil parishes in Leicestershire Borough of Melton