Gaddesby
| Gaddesby | |
|---|---|
 St Luke's Church |
|
 Gaddesby
|
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| Gaddesby shown within Leicestershire | |
| Population | 762 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | SK688131 |
| Civil parish |
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| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LEICESTER |
| Postcode district | LE7 |
| Dialling code | 01664 |
| Police | Leicestershire |
| Fire | Leicestershire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| EU Parliament | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
Gaddesby is a village and civil parish in the Melton borough of Leicestershire, England. The population of the civil parish (including Ashby Folville and Barsby) at the 2011 census was 762. It is located around 5.5 miles (8.9 km) southwest of Melton Mowbray and 8 miles (13 km) northeast of Leicester.
Gaddesby has 170 households and a population of around 450, while the parish, which includes the nearby villages of Ashby Folville and Barsby, has a total population of 762 according to the 2011 Census. Recent housing development has made Gaddesby a popular, rural dormitory for Leicester.
Gaddesby's name is derived from the Old Norse words gaddr and by, indicating that it was a settlement during the Danish occupation of England between the 9th and 11th centuries.
It is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Gadesbi, a mainly pastoral village with a mill, within the hundred of Goscote.
St. Luke's Church was originally built as a Norman chapel - a single space without a tower. It was part of the soke of Rothley from the tenth century. The two aisles, North and South, the tower and the Chancel were added in the thirteenth century and elaborated in the next two hundred years. The church is reputed to have some of the finest examples of fourteenth century stonework in the country which adorn the South West corner on the outside of the Knights Templar's chapel. The oak pews in the nave are probably fifteenth century and the limestone font dates from 1320. There is a peal of eight bells, the earliest dated 1562.
The size of the church attests to the importance of the village during the period of its development. Gaddesby had grown as a result of the importance of the wool industry in East Leicestershire. Indeed, it had a weekly market and an annual fair from the fourteenth century. As the wool industry declined and the Western half of the county rose in prominence during the Industrial Revolution so Gaddesby settled back into being a rural backwater.
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Wikipedia