WILLOUGHBY WATERLEYS: Harborough Parish #32 of 91

WILLOUGHBY WATERLEYS – Willow Farm at the Water Meadows Next up in Harborough we have Willoughby Waterleys, a little east of the A426 between Leicester and Lutterworth. This one is defined by one Main Street running north to south, with farms, cottages and newer houses gathered around it. The name once appeared as Willoughby Waterless. Linguists link “Willoughby” to a “willow farm” whilst “Waterleys” points to wet meadows and low ground. Together they paint a picture of a place beside willow trees and a damp pasture In the Domesday Book, Willoughby lay in the old hundred of Guthlaxton. It had about twenty two households, five ploughlands and meadow recorded, which was a decent holding for the time. Esbiorn of Oadby held land before 1066, but by 1086 it belonged to Countess Judith This landscape would have been primarily woodland back then with some marshy areas and rough grazing chucked in for fun. Early farmers would have cleared patches near streams. By the late Saxon period it had become a settled farming village. Through the Middle Ages, Willoughby Waterleys’ land was divided between its lord, the church and several tenants. The parish became a rectory, later linked with nearby Peatling Magna in terms of church administration. Speaking of religion, the church of St Mary is the place that best defines Willoughby Waterleys today. Tucked away off the main street, it has Norman origins, with later thirteenth century work and a careful restoration in 1875. The building still seats around three hundred. ---- Willoughby Waterleys is also known for the General Elliott, a pub named for the defender of Gibraltar. It also has a former 1846 National School now used as a village hall, an old Primitive Methodist chapel, and several seventeenth century farmhouses Over the centuries, most people here have worked on the land, then later in trades and professional roles reached by road and rail. On the people theme, Willoughby Waterleys is also known as a “Thankful Village”, with no local men lost in the First World War. How about that old name, “Waterless”. Well records will show it was officially a name for the village, but some say it was a wry joke about wells that ran low in dry summers. There are ideas it maybe came about thanks to the draining of wet ground for better fields. Whatever the case, Willoughby Waterleys brings together a standard Leicestershire farming area, a Norman church, and a set of modest landmarks. Its name recalls willow trees and wet meadows, whilst its lanes still carry the steady rhythm of the working countryside. **** #WilloughbyWaterleys, #Leicestershire, #Harborough, #Lutterworth, #Churches, #Pubs, #Elliott, #Gibraltar, **** Some of the following music tracks may appear in this video: Brendan Perkins - “Foxsnow” (B. Perkins)    • Foxsnow   Brendan Perkins - “Mickey's House” (B. Perkins)    • Mickey's House   The Keyhouse - "Voices" (H. Flunder)    • Voices   The Keyhouse - "Circles" (H. Flunder)    • The Keyhouse - Circles (official audio)   Helen Flunder - "Sun" (H. Flunder)    • Helen Flunder - 'Sun' (Official Audio)   Helen Flunder - “Angels” (H. Flunder)    • Helen Flunder - Angels (Official Audio)   Helen Flunder - “C Song” (H. Flunder)    • Caistor and the Lincolnshire Wolds   Ending Song made by Suno AI I have me a Facebook page too!   / the-village-idiot-226069228730989   And now an INSTAGRAM - @andythevillageidiot Come and join The Village People! (Subscribers only!)   / 1037756120085304   Please consider buying me a coffee to support the channel! The more I get the faster I'll get to your parish! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thevilla... Join this channel to get access to perks:    / @thevillageidiot