Guy's Cliffe

Guy's Cliffe (variously spelled with and without an apostrophe and a final "e") is a hamlet on the River Avon on the Coventry Road between Warwick and Leek Wootton in Warwickshire, England, near Old Milverton. in the civil parish of Leek Wootton and Guy's Cliffe. Formerly the smallest Parish in England, it was merged with Leek Wootton to become Leek Wootton and Guy's Cliffe Parish Council.

The name Guy's Cliffe originates from the name of the country house and estate that the land belonged to, which in turn was named after the cliff which the house itself was built on. The house has been in a ruined state since the late 20th century.

Guy's Cliffe has been occupied since Saxon times and derives its name from the legendary Guy of Warwick. Guy is supposed to have retired to a hermitage on this site, this legend led to the founding of a chantry. The chantry was established in 1423 as the Chapel of St Mary Magdelene and the rock-carved stables and storehouses still remain. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII the site passed into private hands.

The current, ruined house dates from 1751 and was started by Samuel Greatheed, a West India merchant and Member of Parliament for Coventry 1747-1761. Samuel Greatheed was one of the most prominent slave traders in the Caribbean and later received the large sum of £25,000 in compensation from the government following the abolition of the slave trade.

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