Appleby Magna

Appleby Magna is a village and civil parish in the North West Leicestershire district, in the county of Leicestershire, England. It includes the small hamlets of Appleby Parva and Little Wigston.

Location

The parish has a total collective population of 1,084 spread across 500 properties, with Appleby Magna its largest settlement.
Historically, Appleby was one of the largest and wealthiest parishes in Leicestershire, which was reflected by its large church. However, the village and its population have remained fairly small by restricting large-scale development.
The village lies on the edge of the ancient boundary between the kingdom of Mercia and the Danelaw. The land itself has been inhabited from the early Neolithic period. The village developed in the pre-Saxon era.
The name "Appleby" is derived from aeppel and by.
The village sits on the outskirts of the National Forest and is bordered by the Gopsall Park Estate.
The Ashby-de-la-Zouch Canal passes within a mile of the village, as do the M42 and A444.

History

Prehistoric times

There is evidence of human settlement in Appleby from the early Neolithic period, 6,000 years ago. There was no single settlement, but a scattering of round houses, whose inhabitants farmed the land south of the River Mease. In the same area there is an oval ditch of a 6-acre enclosure, which was revealed by crop marks. In 1966, archaeologists found prehistoric pottery on the site.
A short distance to the east, near the White House Farm, crop marks revealed a rectangular enclosure believed to be an Iron Age site. To the east of the parish, on Birdshill Gorse, a further ring ditch was discovered, believed to be from the Bronze Age.

Roman era

There is evidence of further activity within the village during the Roman period, including evidence of a villa or farm and a temple, although it is unclear whether there was a formal village-like settlement during this period.
A Romano-British farm dating from the 4th century was discovered during construction of a hotel in Appleby Fields, next to Junction 11 of the M42. Artifacts included coins from the reigns of Constantine I and Magnentius ; pottery fragments dating from the late 4th century; and evidence of corn drying ovens and three farm buildings. Roof tiles, a corroded knife blade, copper pins, an iron hobnail, and fragments of quern stones were also found, as well as animal bones indicating that cattle, sheep, pigs, cats and dogs were kept on the farm. A separate collection of Roman coins was earlier found in the grounds of Appleby Hall.
Appleby is near three known Roman roads: Watling Street, 10 miles south of the village; Bath Lane, 5 miles north of the village; and Salt Street, which forms the parish's south boundary. The name of the neighbouring village of Stretton en le Field suggests that a Roman road ran through the parish, but this has not been confirmed.
It has also been suggested that the site of St Michael's and All Angels' church was originally that of a Roman temple.

Saxon era

The village was in the Saxon kingdom of Mercia, only 8 miles from its capital, Tamworth. During this period, the settlement of Appleby Magna grew around the Meadow Brook, and the first Christian church was built on the site of St. Michael's and All Angels church. It was a wooden chapel, on the site of the present St. Helen's Chapel within the church. The village is centred on the narrowest part of the shallow valley surrounding the Meadow Brook. The manor house and church were built on opposite sides of the brook, and the village grew up around them.

After the Norman invasion

Appleby appears three times in the Domesday Book, with Appleby Magna and Appleby Parva recorded separately. Appleby Magna is listed as partly in Derbyshire and partly in Leicestershire, where Appleby Parva is listed as being in Leicestershire
The whole parish has been part of Leicestershire since 1897. The village belonged to the Abbey of Burton, Henry de Ferrers and Lady Godiva, of Coventry, and was worth 90 shillings.
There is thought to have been some local ethnic divide, with Appleby Magna inhabited by primarily Anglo-Saxon villagers, and Appleby Parva inhabited by a small group of Normans.
There are records of a rector at Appleby from at least 1207. The site of this early church is on the site of St. Helen's Chapel in the current church. It was a small and simple building capable of holding only two or three dozen worshipers.

Late Middle Ages

St. Helen's Chapel is the earliest surviving building in the village. It dates from before the early 14th century, but its exact date of construction is unknown. From the mid-14th century it was used as a private chapel for the de Appleby family, lords of the manor of Appleby, who resided in the adjacent manor house. The de Appleby / Appleby family were lords of the manor from the early 12th century until the 16th century.
The chapel was built on the site of the earlier religious buildings and the site was already used as a burial site.
The church was enlarged to its present size in the early 14th century and was named St. Michael's and All Angels church. St. Helen's Chapel was incorporated into the north east section of the church and served as both a private chapel and burial site for the de Appleby family. Most of the tombs have been removed but the Alabaster effigies of Sir Edmund de Appleby and his wife Joan, dating from 1375, still survive. The chapel would eventually become known as the de Appleby Chapel although it is currently used as the church vestry.
The earliest currently surviving fragments of the manor house, date from Sir Edmund's time when the manor was enlarged into a large, moated, fortified, courtyard house. A rectory which stood opposite the church, a tithe barn which stood on the eastern wall of the churchyard and two water mills, one by the Moat House and one at Mease-Meadow were all constructed in the same era, although none survive.

Tudor and Jacobean period

It was during the Tudor era that the downfall of the de Appleby family occurred. Sir George de Appleby was killed following the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh in Scotland in 1547. His wife, Joyce, was burned as a Protestant martyr in Lichfield. Their eldest son, George, sold the manor in 1549 and later drowned. His nephew, Francis, died childless.
It was at the end of the Tudor period that the next influential family, the Moores, entered the village. Charles Moore is recorded as "Lord of the manor of Appleby Parva" in 1599, although the exact date of his arrival to the village is unknown.
Charles' second son, Sir John Moore, is responsible for the village's most famous building, the Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School. Since his elder brother, Charles, was expected to inherit the family estates, as the second son Sir John was expected to make his own way in the world. Sir John, and all subsequent generations of younger sons, went to London to make a living as merchants. Sir John was unquestionably the most successful, becoming friends with Charles II, as well as Lord Mayor and subsequently Alderman of London.
Sir John Moore died childless, but before his death chose to use his money for the benefit of the children of his home parish, Appleby. Sir John commissioned Sir Christopher Wren to design a school building to be built in Appleby Magna. The work was carried out by a Member of Wren's company, Sir William Wilson, and was completed in 1697; Sir John did not live to see its completion.
The Moore family held considerable influence in the village until the 20th century, with members of the family being both Lord and Squire of the Manor, and Rector of St Michael's and All Angels' church.

Georgian and Victorian times

The parish was enclosed in 1771 by Parliamentary Agreement after a series of piecemeal exchanges
File:5 Appleby Hall 1912 crop.jpg|right|Appleby Hall with the old Appleby House obscured. Built by George Moore in 1836 - now demolished.|thumb
The Moore family ushered in a period of building in the village, the school being the first of the family's constructions. In 1770, the family demolished the old manor at Appleby Parva and by 1790 had built Appleby House, a large Georgian style house. This was remodelled between 1832 and 1838 into a Classical styled mansion known as Appleby Hall. Appleby House was retained as part of the new hall, and large stables, outbuildings and lodges were built.
During the Moores' time as rectors in Appleby Magna, the old rectory was demolished and a new Georgian rectory was built on the northern fringe of the village.
The "Misses Moores" built the almshouses in 1839, to save their elderly servants from having to go into the workhouse.
The village grew considerably during the Georgian and Victorian times. As well as many houses and several farms, a new primary school was built in 1845, and two Baptist chapels were built in 1820 and 1826.
Before re-alignment of the county boundaries in 1897, the parish was divided between two counties, the antiquarian William Burton observing in 1622 that it was "upon the verie edge of the countie of Derby, with which it is so intermingled that the houses... cannot be distinguished which be of eyther shire."
The 1801 national census recorded a total population of 935, evenly divided between the two counties. Appleby's 19th-century inhabitants were engaged in framework knitting and stocking manufacture. The village had 14 farms, with many more in the surrounding villages. Agricultural labouring was popular work in the 19th century. The village sits on the edge of the South Derbyshire Coalfields, and coal mining became an increasingly important area of employment up to the mid-20th century.

Village landmarks

St. Michael's and All Angels' Church

The site of St. Michael's and All Angels' Church has been a site or religious devotion since antiquity. It is said that a Roman temple occupied the site during the Roman occupation.
A Christian church was built upon the site during the Saxon era. This was a small wooden chapel, constructed on the site of St. Helen's Chapel within the current church. It is described as:

...a small building capable of holding only two or three dozen people. There were no side aisles, only a small box-like nave with a small chancel to the east... There were no seats for the public, who would have had to stand throughout the services, though there may have been benches against the wall for the infirm.... The altar was at the east end of the nave or just inside the chancel. In the case of the nave altar, the priest probably stood under the chancel arch and celebrated the mass facing the people. If the altar was just east of the chancel arch, the priest may still have celebrated westward from a position in the middle of the chancel.

The earliest surviving portion of the present church is St. Helen's Chapel, which is also the earliest surviving building in the village; dating from the 13th or very early 14th century, but its exact date of construction is unknown. From the mid-14th century it was used as a private chapel for the de Appleby family, lords of the manor of Appleby, who resided in the adjacent manor house. The de Appleby family were lords of the manor from the early 12th century until the 16th century.
The rest of the church dates from the early 14th century, when the church was extended to the current size and dedicated to St. Michael's and All Angels' Church. St. Helen's Chapel was incorporated into the north east section of the church and served as both a private chapel and burial site for the de Appleby family. Most of the tombs have been removed but the alabaster effigies of Sir Edmund de Appleby and his wife Joan, dating from 1375, still survive. The chapel would eventually become known as the de Appleby Chapel although it is currently used as the church vestry.