Diseworth 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 authority ...

, now in the parish of

Long Whatton and Diseworth Long Whatton and Diseworth, formerly just Long Whatton is a civil parish in the North West Leicestershire district of Leicestershire, England. The parish includes the villages of Long Whatton and Diseworth. The population of the parish at the 20 ...

, in the

North West Leicestershire North West Leicestershire is a local government district in Leicestershire, England. The population of the Local Authority at the 2011 census was 93,348. Its main towns are Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Castle Donington, Coalville and Ibstock. The dist ...

district, in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

county of

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...

. It is south of

East Midlands Airport East Midlands Airport is an international airport in the East Midlands of England, close to Castle Donington in northwestern Leicestershire, between Loughborough (), Derby () and Nottingham (); Leicester is () to the south and Lincoln () nort ...

and off Junction 23A of the M1 motorway. A village of some 670 residents, it is located 14 km to the north-west of Loughborough and 2.5 km to the south-east of

Castle Donington Castle Donington is a market town and civil parish in Leicestershire, England, on the edge of the National Forest and close to East Midlands Airport. History The name 'Donington' means 'farm/settlement connected with Dunna'. Another suggest ...

. The settlement is in the

, and lies within an undulating agricultural landscape and occupies a shallow valley created by the Diseworth Brook as it flows eastwards before becoming Long Whatton Brook and proceeding to its confluence with the River Soar. The four principal streets of the village - Grimes Gate, Hall Gate, Clements Gate and Lady Gate - meet at The Cross; a staggered crossroads close to the Church of St Michael's and All Angels. Page Lane runs parallel to Lady Gate. The Green running along the southern edge of the settlement gives access into Hall Gate - via The Bowley -and into Lady Gate. Diseworth Brook flows to the south of Hall Gate and is joined by tributaries to the east of Shakespear Close and near Town End. The famous astrologer and occultist,

William Lilly William Lilly (9 June 1681) was a seventeenth century English astrologer. He is described as having been a genius at something "that modern mainstream opinion has since decided cannot be done at all" having developed his stature as the most imp ...

was born in Diseworth on 1 May 1602.

Diseworth Heritage Trust

The Diseworth Heritage Trust is a charitable trust, registered in the UK (No. 1112223) that is dedicated to preserving the historical and architectural heritage of the village of Diseworth in

, England, and its surrounding area, from its earliest origins to the present. The Trust was responsible for the restoration of the redundant

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

Chapel building in Diseworth (originally built in 1752, and therefore one of the oldest in the county), as a local Heritage centre, which will provide a variety of facilities for education and entertainment. This was made possible by sponsorship from local and national organisations, including the Heritage Lottery Fund. The Trust welcomes members with a general interest in

local history Local history is the study of history in a geographically local context, often concentrating on a relatively small local community. It incorporates cultural and social aspects of history. Local history is not merely national history writ small bu ...

, as well as those directly associated with the village. The Trust works closely with the Diseworth and Long Whatton History Societies, and other organisations to develop interest in local history.

Diseworth's History

The village's name means 'farm/settlement of Digoth'. Archaeological evidence shows that the site of Diseworth was inhabited in the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

and

Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

periods. Its position in a sheltered valley next to the brook is a classic setting for early settlement, and the development of

farmsteads A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...

. Diseworth has had many variations on its name, but almost always with the suffix 'worth', meaning enclosed settlement. At the time of the

Norman conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conque ...

, Diseworth was sufficiently important to be part of an award to a Norman knight, and appear 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 manusc ...

. William Lovett held some 360 acres in Diseworth, although his tenure did not last for long. By the early 12th century, land around Diseworth was held by the Earls of

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

and

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

, and by Robert de Ferrers. Many disputes over the ownership of the land followed in the period up to the late 15th century, when in 1487 the estate was declared the property of

Sir Henry Colet Sir Henry Colet (died 1505) was twice Lord Mayor of London. Life He was the third son of Robert Colet of Wendover, Buckinghamshire. He came to London in youth; he was apprenticed to a mercer, and soon became one of the wealthiest members of the ...

. The nearby Langley Priory had exercised considerable control over the parish church and the villagers, many of whom worked for the nuns. Benefactors who donated land to the Priory often chose land in Diseworth. Shortly before the dissolution of the Priory, along with other religious properties and land in England, Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII, purchased a considerable part of the village to found what became Christ's College, Cambridge. For the next five hundred years Diseworth was dominated by the owners of Langley Priory estate and Christ's College, and saw the villagers paying rent to either the Reverend Gentlemen of Christ's, or the new owners of Langley: first the Grays, then the Cheslyns and then the Shakepears. The college sold their interest in Diseworth in 1920, but there remain a few farms and houses still owned by landlords. In 1931 the parish had a population of 345. On 1 April 1936 the parish was abolished and merged with Long Whatton. Today, Diseworth is still notable for having several active farms contained within the village itself, although its proximity to

is a constant reminder that its future prosperity is also dependent on the trade generated by its position in the M1 corridor, close to

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

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 north-west of London, south-east ...

and

Notable people

, astrologer

References

External links

Diseworth Website

Diseworth Heritage Centre

Diseworth Village Hall
* {{coord, 52.81527, N, 1.33377, W, region:GB_source:enwiki-osgb36(SK450244), display=title Villages in Leicestershire Historic preservation Charities based in Leicestershire Former civil parishes in Leicestershire North West Leicestershire District