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47-732: Measham is a large village in the North West Leicestershire district in Leicestershire , England, near the Derbyshire , Staffordshire and Warwickshire boundaries. It lies off the A42 , 4 + 1 ⁄ 2 miles (7.2 km) south of Ashby de la Zouch , in the National Forest . Historically it was in an exclave of Derbyshire absorbed into Leicestershire in 1897. The name is thought to mean "homestead on

94-499: A Catholic church were built. The latter, funded by a local lady aristocrat, has since been demolished for housing. Measham continued to grow residentially and industrially in the 20th and 21st centuries. Large council and private housing estates were built and the population reached 4,849 in 2001. Development of a British Car Auctions site in the south-west of the village after the Second World War prompted what has become

141-492: A charter including Measham among several churches and chapelries it possessed. The original chapel of ease dated from 1172, but the present St Laurence's Church was built in 1340, under the auspices of Repton Priory. On 24 March 1311, King Edward II granted charters to William de Bereford, Lord of the Manor of Measham, to hold a market and a fair. The charters allowed for a market on Tuesdays and an annual three-day fair around

188-648: A grand-prix circuit and a major venue for music festivals. The area has a long history of mineral extraction, with coal , brick clay, gravel and granite amongst the products. All the deep coal mines in the area have closed, but opencast mining still continues. The district is also home to part of the Battlefield Line and the Ibstock Brick . The neighbouring districts are Charnwood , Hinckley and Bosworth , North Warwickshire , Lichfield , South Derbyshire , Erewash and Rushcliffe . The district

235-464: A leisure centre were also built in the last decade, and there are plans to resuscitate the canal. Due to housing being constructed along the original route through Measham, the canal will follow the route of the old railway, with a wharf, adjacent visitors' centre, shops and cafés planned for the village centre. Measham has a long pottery history: extraction of clay was recorded in the 13th century. The Measham Ware associated with canals and narrow boats

282-584: A number of pits and stone features such as broken quern stones and a fragment of a carved sandstone cross shaft. The Biddles also re-opened a mound containing a mass grave containing the remains of at least 264 individuals which they also believed to be associated with the Viking army. The bones were disarticulated and mostly jumbled together. Forensic study revealed that the individuals ranged in age from their late teens to about forty, 80% were male where sex could be determined. Five associated pennies fit well with

329-477: A personal motto. Most commonly seen are teapots, often with a miniature-teapot shape as a finial. Earliest known production was in 1870 by William Mason of Church Gresley (later Mason Cash ); this list refers to pieces as Motto Ware , later also Barge Ware due to canal associations. Measham Ware was popular with canal people. On passing through Measham on the Ashby Canal , they would place their order for

376-477: A personalised teapot as they passed through and collect it on their next visit. Measham Ware was also popular among farm labourers in Norfolk and Suffolk : after harvesting in their own counties, they often travelled to Burton Upon Trent to work in the maltings and other industries associated with brewing. Measham Ware became a popular gift to take home. Locals often bought them as wedding gifts, passing them down

423-609: A road journey that competes with freight and heavy-haulage vehicles especially to the south and east. Since 2013 Norton Motorcycles has its head office in Donington Hall , Castle Donington . BMI (British Midland), an airline, was headquartered in Donington Hall. The airline moved its headquarters to Donington Hall in 1982. The subsidiary bmibaby also had its head office in Donington Hall. Prior to its disestablishment, Excalibur Airways had its head office on

470-415: A shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Since 1974 political control of the council has been as follows: The leaders of the council since 2003 have been: Following the 2023 election the composition of the council was: The Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and two of the independent councillors sit together as the "Alliance Group" which forms

517-519: A surviving section of the ANJR, now runs services to Shenton via Market Bosworth . It had been hoped to extend this to Snarestone , but nothing came of it. Leicestershire County Council recently renovated the station building as part of the Ashby Canal restoration, to serve as premises for the Measham Museum. In 2011 UK Coal received planning permission to develop an opencast coal mine on

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564-892: Is King Æthelbald of Mercia , under whose reign the building was first constructed, and for whom it was first converted to a mausoleum . Upon the burial of St Wigstan, the crypt became a shrine and place of pilgrimage. It has been suggested that the crypt at Repton later influenced the design of both the spiral-columned shrine of Edward the Confessor and the Cosmati Coronation Pavement in Westminster Abbey , both commissioned by Henry III , based on close correspondence of their dimensions and design. The cruciform Anglo-Saxon church itself has had several additions and restorations throughout its history. These include Medieval Gothic north and south aisles in

611-563: Is a village and civil parish in the South Derbyshire district of Derbyshire , England, located on the edge of the River Trent floodplain, about 5 miles (8 km) north of Swadlincote . The population taken at the 2001 census was 2,707, increasing to 2,867 at the 2011 census. Repton is close to the county boundary with neighbouring Staffordshire and about 5 miles (8 km) northeast of Burton upon Trent . The village

658-563: Is based at Measham Leisure Centre. Measham hosts the National Forest Taekwondo group, which started in 2013 and trains at the Church Hall. It welcomes all practitioners from the age of eight up, and covers training in all areas of this Olympic sport, from self-defence to the traditional patterns. In birth order: North West Leicestershire Castle Donington is notable as the location of Donington Park ,

705-777: Is noted for St Wystan's Church , for Repton School , for the Anglo-Saxon Repton Abbey and for the medieval Repton Priory . Christianity was reintroduced to the Midlands at Repton, where some of the Mercian royal family under Peada were baptised in AD ;653. Soon a double abbey under an abbess was built. In 669 the Bishop of Mercia translated his see from Repton to Lichfield . Offa , King of Mercia, seemed to resent his own bishops paying allegiance to

752-743: The Archbishop of Canterbury in Kent who, while under Offa's control, was not of his own kingdom of Mercia. Offa therefore created his own Archdiocese of Lichfield , which presided over all the bishops from the Humber to the Thames . Repton was thus the forebear of the archdiocese of Lichfield, a third archdiocese of the English church: Lichfield, the other two being Canterbury and York. This lasted for only 16 years, however, before Mercia returned to being under

799-603: The Ashby and Nuneaton Joint Railway (ANJR) opened to Measham in 1873, with through services to Burton-on Trent, Leicester, Ashby-de-la-Zouch , Moira and Shackerstone , allowing changes for Coalville and Loughborough via Hugglescote . The station closed in 1931, but the line stayed open until 1970, when British Rail closed the Shackerstone–Measham section. The stub to Moira remained for coal traffic from Donisthorpe Colliery until 1981. The Battlefield Line Railway ,

846-636: The River Mease ". The village was once part of Derbyshire before being transferred to Leicestershire. The name Meas-Ham suggests it was founded in the Saxon period between 350 and 1000 CE. Just before the Norman Conquest of 1066, the village belonged to "Earl Algar". The Domesday Book of 1086 has it belonging directly to the King , as part of a royal estate centred at Repton . Its taxable value

893-485: The 1730s. A Temperance Hall built in 1852 now serves as the Age Concern building. In 1839 the village received an official visit from Queen Adelaide , who in her widowhood frequented the area, staying at nearby Gopsall Park , home of her previous Lord Chamberlain , The Earl of Howe . Queen Street was named in her honour after her visit. By 1848 the population had reached 1,615. A further Methodist chapel and

940-589: The Archbishopric of Canterbury. At the centre of the village is the Church of England parish church dedicated to Wystan (or Wigstan) of Mercia. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle also reports that 873–74 the Great Heathen Army overwintered at Repton. The first indications of Viking presence at Repton were discovered by accident in the late 17th century by Thomas Walker who found a pit of bones in

987-512: The De Measham family, which held it until 1308. Given the ownership by the crown and then the Earls of Chester, neither actually resident, it appears the De Measham family held the manor as feudal tenants , rather than formal owners, probably in return for military service. By the 13th century, the rights to the church appear to have passed to Repton Priory , as in 1272 King Henry III issued

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1034-513: The Westminster Industrial Estate. The 20th century also brought periods of sharp decline. Passenger services on the Ashby and Nuneaton Joint Railway ceased in 1931. Freight traffic continued until 1971, after which the line was dismantled. Ashby Canal similarly closed in 1957. The traditional industries began to die, with the boot and shoe factory closing in the 1960s and Measham Colliery in 1986. The 1960s saw many of

1081-543: The area receive better TV signals from the Sutton Coldfield TV transmitter which broadcast BBC West Midlands and ITV Central (West) from Birmingham . Some eastern parts of the district are still able to receive the Waltham TV transmitter to get BBC East Midlands and ITV Central (East) from Nottingham . Radio stations for the area are: Most of the district is covered by civil parishes. Parts of

1128-462: The coffin. The church is notable for its Anglo-Saxon crypt , which was built in the 8th century AD as a mausoleum for the Mercian royal family. Wystan, or Wigstan, was a prince of Mercia who was murdered by his guardian in 849, in the reign of Wiglaf . His remains were buried in the crypt at Repton and miracles were ascribed to them. Repton proceeded to become a place of pilgrimage ; Wigstan

1175-475: The council's administration. The next election is due in 2027. Since the last boundary changes in 2015 the district has comprised 38 wards , each of which elects one councillor . Elections are held every four years. The district is coterminous with the North West Leicestershire parliamentary constituency . The council meets at Stenson House on London Road in Coalville. The building was built in 1934 as

1222-440: The district balances the agro-rural economy with the end of labour-intensive deep coal-mining. Alternative employment opportunities exist within the district in the services and distributive sectors, together with local or nearby manufacturing and extractive/transformative/construction industries. The lack of rail services to/from Leicester , Loughborough and other nearby centres limits access for employment, commerce and leisure to

1269-465: The district is also covered by civil parishes , which form a third tier of local government. The council has been under no overall control since the 2023 election , being run by an alliance of the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and two of the independent councillors, led by Conservative councillor Richard Blunt. The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as

1316-569: The festival of the Translation of St Thomas the Martyr (7 July). By 1817 both market and fair had ceased. This medieval settlement is thought to have been mainly agricultural, but coalmining is known to have taken place as early as the 13th century. Indeed, William De Bereford died getting coal; records of his death show the village's coal resources to have been worth 13s 4d (£0.67) a year. In 1355, Edmund de Bereford, son of William, died leaving

1363-637: The former Coalville Urban District covering the main part of Coalville and the Thringstone area are unparished areas . The parish councils for Ashby-de-la-Zouch and Ashby Woulds have declared their parishes to be towns, allowing them to take the style "town council". (Whilst Ibstock is a post town and Castle Donington is sometimes called a town, neither parish council has formally declared them to be towns.) The parishes are: 52°43′01″N 1°22′12″W  /  52.71694°N 1.37000°W  / 52.71694; -1.37000 Repton Repton

1410-435: The generations at weddings. Production of Measham Ware ended around 1910–1914, although modern reproductions have been produced more recently. There is a large collection in the Measham Museum. London's Victoria and Albert Museum also has an example on display. The nearest main line railway station is Atherstone (11 miles, 18 km). Others nearby are Burton-on-Trent , Leicester , Tamworth and Nuneaton . A branch of

1457-608: The grounds of East Midlands Airport in Castle Donington. Prior to its disestablishment, Orion Airways had its head office on the grounds of East Midlands Airport. In 2011 Coalfield Resources plc were given permission to develop an opencast coal mining pit on the site of the former Minorca colliery between Measham and Swepstone on a seam which will be 1 mi (1.6 km) across and extract 1,250,000 tonnes (1,380,000 tons) of coal over five years, and 250,000 tonnes (280,000 tons) of clay. In terms of television,

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1504-497: The headquarters of the old Coalville Urban District Council. Following the creation of North West Leicestershire in 1974 the building was significantly extended to the rear. In 2022 the extension was closed pending demolition, and the council opened a new customer services centre on Belvoir Road, retaining and refurbishing the 1934 front part of Stenson House to be used for meetings and civic functions. North West Leicestershire has experienced steady population growth in recent times as

1551-538: The manor of Measham to three heirs: Joan de Ellesfield, John de Maltravers and Margaret de Audley. During the 15th century, the manor came into the hands of Walter Blount, 1st Baron Mountjoy . In 1454, the manor was in the possession of Sir William Babington at the time of his death; and in 1474 it was in the possession of John Babington (presumably his son). In 1596 Measham was dismissed by William Wyrley as "a village belonging to Lord Shefield , in which are many coal mines , [but] little else worthy of remembrance." It

1598-427: The overwintering date of 873–74 and this date was later confirmed by a reassessment of the radiocarbon dates. An early 18th century account describes how, in the last quarter of the 17th century, Thomas Walker, a workman looking for stone, opened the mound and found the skeleton of a "nine foot tall" man in a stone coffin in the remains of a building. According to the account, human bones had been neatly stacked around

1645-487: The site of the former Minorca colliery on the outskirts of Measham. Measuring 1 mile (1.6 km) by .5 miles (0.80 km), it will yield 1,250,000 tonnes (1,380,000 tons) of coal over five years, and 250,000 tonnes (280,000 tons) of clay . The development was opposed by some local residents worried about environmental effects and vehicle noise. The local football team, Measham Welfare Football Club, fields various teams and offers football to local children of 6–18. The club

1692-587: The vicarage garden. A hogback tombstone was discovered sometime during 1801-1802 in the western part of the churchyard. An extensive programme of archaeological excavations, led by Martin Biddle and his wife, Birthe, that took place between 1974 and 1988 led the Biddles to identify the Viking camp with a D-shaped earthwork that they identified on a bluff, overlooking an arm of the River Trent. In more recent times

1739-461: The view that the entire Viking army spent the winter in this small (0.4 ha.) D-shaped enclosure has been challenged. A new set of excavations led by Cat Jarman and Mark Horton began in 2015 with a geophysical survey of the vicarage conducted which revealed new structures. During the 2016–2017 excavations, ground-penetrating radar surveys revealed more possible structures that were subsequently excavated and proved to be grave deposits. These contained

1786-528: The village's fine buildings demolished, including the Manor House, Measham Hall and the Vicarage. Development has resumed in recent years. Years of neglect and disrepair at Measham's former railway station ended when it was turned into new premises for the Measham Museum. The old engine sheds have become industrial workshops and the engine yards a millennium garden and public green space. A new library and

1833-514: Was also on the main Birmingham– Nottingham road (later the A453 ). It became a hub of local industry, famous for its brickworks: Joseph Wilkes's "Jumb Bricks" were enlarged to reduce payments of brick tax . The village industry included banking, breweries, coal mines and brick-making (with clay from local clay pits), a tramway, and boot, lace, cotton, carding and bleach mills. A market hall

1880-451: Was assessed at a mere 2 geld units, containing land for three ploughs, 20 acres (8.1 hectares) of meadow, and a square furlong (10 acres, 4.0 hectares) of woodland. The manor passed from the crown to the Earls of Chester . In 1235 it was in the possession of Clementia (Clemence de Fougères), widow of Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester . Measham Museum states that the manor belonged to

1927-541: Was bought by Rev. Thomas Fisher. In 1767, William Abney built an alternative manor at Measham Field, north-east of the village, which by 1817 had passed to his son Edward. This would become known as Measham Hall , a seven-bay mid-Georgian mansion. However, the advent of coalmining caused the Hall to suffer subsidence. It was demolished by the National Coal Board in 1959. By the early 19th century, Measham church

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1974-539: Was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 , covering the whole area of five former districts plus a single parish from a sixth, which districts were all abolished at the same time: The new district was named North West Leicestershire, reflecting its position in the wider county. North West Leicestershire District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Leicestershire County Council . Much of

2021-515: Was later canonised and became the patron saint of the church. At the north edge of the village is St Wystan's Church, an Anglo-Saxon church dedicated to the Anglo-Saxon Saint Wystan (or Wigstan) and designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building . The 8th-century crypt beneath the church was the original burial place of Saint Wigstan , as well as his grandfather, King Wiglaf of Mercia . Also buried there

2068-535: Was made from the last quarter of the 19th century until about 1914 (other sources say 1910), not in Measham, but in nearby villages, mainly Church Gresley . It is thought to have gained the attribute Measham from large sales by Mrs Anne Bonas from a shop in Measham High Street. Measham ware has a dark brown Rockingham glaze with white-clay additions colourfully painted, usually with flowers and often

2115-500: Was omitted altogether from Richard Blome's gazetteer of market towns in 1673. In 1563 the manor belonged to Walter Blount, 1st Baron Mountjoy . However, by 1616 it had passed to Sir Francis Anderson , only to return to the Sheffield family, as it was owned by Edmund Sheffield, 2nd Duke of Buckingham and Normanby in 1712. The manor passed to William Wollaston . He sold it in 1780 to Joseph Wilkes for £50,000, on whose death it

2162-464: Was said to have been built by Wilkes about the turn of the 19th century, but by 1817 the market had ceased and the market-house at 58 High Street was being converted into a dwelling. This later became known as Cross House. The original market place was an area to the rear in Queen Street, now a car park. The village Baptist chapel was built in 1811, although Baptist ministers had been active since

2209-482: Was still associated with Repton parish, as a "parochial chapelry". Around the time of Joseph Wilkes, Measham went through a prosperous period associated with the Industrial Revolution . This lasted into the 20th century. At the beginning of the 19th century, Ashby Canal was built through the village. The Ashby and Nuneaton Joint Railway followed, opening towards the end of the century. The village

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