Bunny is a
village
A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...
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 ...
located in the
Rushcliffe
Rushcliffe is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in south Nottinghamshire, England. Its council is based in West Bridgford. The borough also includes the towns of Bingh ...
borough of
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...
, England. The parish had a population measured at 689 in the
2011 census, increasing to 715 residents at the
2021 census. It is on the
A60, south of
Nottingham
Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...
, south of
Bradmore and north of
Costock.
History
The place-name 'Bunny' is first attested 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, where it appears as ''Bonei''. It appears in Episcopal Registers as ''Buneya'' in 1227. The name means either 'reed island' or 'island on the river Bune'.
There has been a settlement on the site since
pre-Norman times, perhaps as far back as the days of the
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...
. The
parish Church of St Mary is 14th century. The most significant building in the village is
Bunny Hall, probably built in the 1570s and occupied by the
Parkyns family for three hundred years.
Sir Thomas Parkyns, 2nd Baronet (1662–1741), known as the Wrestling Baronet, built what is now the north wing to his own design circa 1723–25. He also built the school and almshouses. Thomas Parkyns was a devotee of wrestling and organised an annual wrestling match in Bunny Park (prize a gold-laced hat). These matches continued until 1810. His book on the subject ''The Inn-Play: or, the Cornish Hugg-Wrestler'' was published in 1713 and reprinted many times.
The following is an excerpt from a description of Bunny as published in 1813:
20th and 21st century
The Hall was sold circa 1990, but remained unoccupied and had become semi-derelict by 2005. It was occupied and under restoration in 2006. A small section of the grounds now houses a new group of luxury homes.
See also
*
Listed buildings in Bunny, Nottinghamshire
Gallery
File:Almeshouse Bunny.JPG, Almshouse
An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) is charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the Middle Ages. They were often built for the poor of a locality, for those who had held ce ...
File:St Mary's Bunny.JPG, St Mary's Church, Bunny
File:Rancliffe Arms Bunny.JPG, Rancliffe Arms
File:Bunny, Nottinghamshire, approach to Hall.JPG, The approach to Bunny Hall
References
External links
Bunny Village History Society
Villages in Nottinghamshire
Rushcliffe
{{Nottinghamshire-geo-stub
Civil parishes in Nottinghamshire