{{Short description|Village and civil parish in the Charnwood district of Leicestershire, England}} {{About|the village|the surname|Beeby (surname)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2015}} {{Use British English|date=July 2015}} {{Infobox UK place | country = England | coordinates = {{coord|52.669|-1.020|display=inline,title}} | official_name = Beeby | static_image_name = All Saints' Church, Beeby - geograph.org.uk - 497003.jpg | static_image_caption = All Saints Church, Beeby | population = 115 | civil_parish = | shire_district = Charnwood | shire_county = Leicestershire | region = East Midlands | post_town = Leicester | postcode_area = LE | postcode_district = LE7 | dial_code = 0116 | os_grid_reference = SK6626408298 | london_distance_mi = | constituency_westminster = Melton and Syston }}
'''Beeby''' is a village and civil parish in the Charnwood district of Leicestershire, England, with a population of 115 according to the 2011 census.<ref>{{cite web|title=(Parish):Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics|url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11120544&c=Beeby&d=16&e=62&g=6444323&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1395758764426&enc=1|work=Neighbourhood statistics|publisher=Office for National Statistics|accessdate=2014-03-25|archive-date=27 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327234205/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11120544&c=Beeby&d=16&e=62&g=6444323&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1395758764426&enc=1|url-status=live}}</ref> It is situated north-east of Leicester, nearer to the villages of Keyham and Hungarton in the neighbouring district of Harborough and lies along the Barkby Brook. This small rural hamlet can be succinctly described as "a series of scattered houses that remain of the shrunken medieval village".<ref>{{cite book|last=Pevsner|first=Nikolaus|title=The Buildings of England- Leicestershire and Rutland|date=1985|publisher=Yale University Press|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UYlQ6DJdJ4AC&q=The+Buildings+of+England+-+Leicestershire+and+Rutland++Pevsner&pg=PA11|isbn=0300096186|access-date=24 November 2020|archive-date=13 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813062511/https://books.google.com/books?id=UYlQ6DJdJ4AC&q=The+Buildings+of+England+-+Leicestershire+and+Rutland++Pevsner&pg=PA11|url-status=live}}</ref> The parish also includes the hamlet of '''Little Beeby''', which consists of several houses within the settlement and is located 200m south east of the All Saints Church.<ref>{{cite book|last=Pevsner|first=Nikolaus|title=The buildings of England: Leicestershire and Rutland|date=2014-04-27|publisher=The Penguin Group|location=Great Britain|page=95|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UYlQ6DJdJ4AC&q=Beeby+Belvoir+castle&pg=PA95|isbn=978-0300096187|access-date=24 November 2020|archive-date=13 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813062544/https://books.google.com/books?id=UYlQ6DJdJ4AC&q=Beeby+Belvoir+castle&pg=PA95|url-status=live}}</ref>
==History== The villages name is of Anglo-Saxon origin. In the Domesday Book of 1086, the place name was recorded as "Bebi" and derives from the Old English pre-7th Century "beo", meaning bee, plus the Old Norse "byr", a settlement or village; hence, "bee settlement".<ref>{{cite web|title=Name Database: Beeby|url=https://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Beeby|publisher=1980 - 2014 Name origin search|accessdate=2014-03-28|archive-date=28 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140328042426/https://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Beeby|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Leicestershire/Beeby|title=Key to English Place-names|website=kepn.nottingham.ac.uk|access-date=13 August 2021|archive-date=1 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210701191521/http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Leicestershire/Beeby|url-status=live}}</ref>
In the 1870s John Marius Wilson described Beeby in the Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales as:
:"a parish in Barrow-upon-Soar district, Leicester; on an affluent of the river Wreak, 4 miles SE of Syston r. station, and 5½ NE of Leicester. Post Town, Hungarton, under Leicester. Acres, 1,020. Real property, £2,620. Pop., 119. Houses, 26. The property is divided among a few. Beeby House is a chief residence. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Peterborough. Value, £282.* Patron, Earl Shaftesbury. The church is good."<ref>{{cite book|last=Wilson|first=John Marius|title=Gazetteer of England and Wales|date=1870–1872|publisher=Imperial|location=Edinburgh|url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/descriptions/871660|accessdate=27 February 2014|archive-date=3 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140303150631/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/descriptions/871660|url-status=live}}</ref>
The Parish registers of Beeby commence in 1540, one of the oldest in the county. There was no mention, however, of the name Beeby in the register, as at this time you would only adopt the name 'Beeby' if you were a property or land owner.<ref>{{cite web|title=Research about the name and village of Beeby|url=http://www.beebehistory.co.uk/places/beeby/beeby2.htm|work=Registered Families|publisher=Roger Beeby of Leicester|accessdate=2014-04-27|archive-date=3 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303222809/http://www.beebehistory.co.uk/places/beeby/beeby2.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
Many of the buildings in the village date back to the eighteenth and nineteenth century, mostly designed with Georgian and Victorian periods of architecture indicated by its structure materials. There is no known ancient architectural potential in Beeby, however, within the fields surrounding the conservation area there is underlying archaeological interest where there is evidence of a larger medieval settlement. According to a census report in 1801 there were 25 houses in Beeby, which has risen by only 3 in the following 200 years.<ref>{{cite web|title=Vision of Britain|url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10370310/cube/HOUSEHOLDS|work=Total households, as defined by the relevant census|publisher=University of Portsmouth|accessdate=2014-04-27|archive-date=27 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427184825/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10370310/cube/HOUSEHOLDS|url-status=live}}</ref> At present, many of the 28 buildings in Beeby are grade listed and sell between the prices of £150,000 for small cottages up to £700,000 for the Georgian and Victorian country houses.<ref>{{cite web|title=Right move|url=http://www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/Beeby.html|work=Property Prices in Beeby, Leicestershire|publisher=Land Registry|accessdate=2014-04-27|archive-date=27 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427211612/http://www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/Beeby.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The village of Beeby is referenced in ''Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction'' as the home of the Flowers family.<ref>Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction</ref>
==Demographics==
===Population=== thumb|Total Population of Beeby Civil Parish, Leicestershire, as reported by the Census of Population from 1881 to 2011 The population of Beeby has always been very small and has changed very little since the Domesday survey in 1098.<ref>{{cite web|last=Beeby|first=Roger|title=Research about the name and village of Beeby|url=http://www.beebehistory.co.uk/places/beeby/beeby2.htm|work=Population since Domesday|publisher=Roger Beeby of Leicestershire|accessdate=2014-04-27|archive-date=3 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303222809/http://www.beebehistory.co.uk/places/beeby/beeby2.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> According to a population census in 1801 it was home to 124 people which rose to 139 in 1851 (the highest recorded since the first population census).<ref>{{cite web|title=Beeby: Population Statistics|url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10370310/cube/TOT_POP|work=Historical Statistics|publisher=University of Portsmouth|accessdate=2014-04-26|archive-date=27 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427010201/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10370310/cube/TOT_POP|url-status=live}}</ref> This number then fell to 95 in 1991 (the lowest recorded). Population records date back to the 14th century to show there were 96 inhabitants at the time of the Poll Tax in 1377 and a population of 86 at the time of the Ecclesiastical census in 1676. At present Beeby has a population of 115 (60 males and 55 females) 16 of which are children.<ref>{{cite web|title=Neighbourhood statistics: Accommodation Type|url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=11120544&c=Beeby&d=16&e=61&g=6444323&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1398611178188&enc=1&dsFamilyId=2570|work=Household count|publisher=Office for National Statistics|accessdate=2014-04-27|archive-date=27 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427202823/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=11120544&c=Beeby&d=16&e=61&g=6444323&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1398611178188&enc=1&dsFamilyId=2570|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Age by single year, 2011|url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=11120544&c=Beeby&d=16&e=61&g=6444323&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1398611178188&enc=1&dsFamilyId=2545|work=Neighbourhood Statistics|publisher=Office for National Statistics|accessdate=2014-04-27|archive-date=28 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140428000645/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=11120544&c=Beeby&d=16&e=61&g=6444323&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1398611178188&enc=1&dsFamilyId=2545|url-status=live}}</ref> thumb|Occupational employment for Beeby, Leicestershire, as reported by the 1881 census report
===Occupational statistics=== The Domesday book census taken in 1086 indicates that there were 21 villains ('peasants', bound to the Lord of the Manor), 5 Sokemen (freemen enjoying extensive rights over land) and 2 servants.<ref>{{cite web|title=Open Domesday: Beeby|url=http://opendomesday.org/place/SK6608/beeby/|publisher=Anna Powell-Smith|accessdate=13 January 2016|archive-date=18 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818024656/http://opendomesday.org/place/SK6608/beeby/|url-status=live}}</ref> The first census in 1801 simply divided people into those involved in agriculture and those in trade and manufacturing. It was only in the 1841 census that first gathered occupational data.<ref>{{cite web|website=Vision of Britain Through Time|title=Beeby CP/AP: Social Status, based on 1831 occupational statistics|url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10370310/cube/SOC1831|publisher=University of Portsmouth|accessdate=2014-03-27|archive-date=27 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427010029/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10370310/cube/SOC1831|url-status=live}}</ref> According to occupation data reports published in 1881, of Beeby's 108 inhabitants, the majority of males worked in agriculture and females in domestic service.<ref>{{cite web|website=Vision of Britain Through Time|url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10370310/cube/OCC_ORDER1881|title=Beeby CP/AP: Occupation data|publisher=University of Portsmouth|accessdate=13 January 2016|archive-date=3 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303220138/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10370310/cube/OCC_ORDER1881|url-status=live}}</ref> The children of this parish would have attended school in Barkby's Public Elementary School, about 2 miles to the west of Beeby and still do in the present day.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/LEI/Beeby|title=Schools attended by the children of Beeby|publisher=Uk and Ireland Genealogy|accessdate=13 January 2016|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304202950/http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/LEI/Beeby|url-status=live}}</ref> Many of Beeby's residents at present work in agriculture and retail, commuting to Leicester for work.<ref>{{cite web|title=Industry, Beeby|url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=11120544&c=Beeby&d=16&e=61&g=6444323&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1398611178188&enc=1&dsFamilyId=2513|work=Neighbourhood Statistics|publisher=Office for National Statistics|accessdate=2014-04-27|archive-date=28 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140428000542/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=11120544&c=Beeby&d=16&e=61&g=6444323&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1398611178188&enc=1&dsFamilyId=2513|url-status=live}}</ref> The nearest train stations to Beeby are Syston (3.19 miles away) or Leicester (5.09 miles away).<ref>{{cite web|title=Train stations near Beeby|url=https://maps.google.co.uk/|publisher=Google Maps|accessdate=2014-04-27|archive-date=27 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427212959/https://maps.google.co.uk/|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Geography==
===Topography=== thumbnail|Beeby, Leicestershire The physical and historical development of the hamlet has been strongly influenced by the local topography and its relative isolation. Beeby is situated within an established agricultural landscape largely in pastoral use. Until 1904 the east-west route was the only route through the hamlet, which was referred to as the Main Road or Barkby Road, connecting the village to Barkby (neighbouring village) and South Croxton. The other roads that now run through Beeby are Hungarton Road, situated to the east and Scraptoft Road, to the south giving the village a more direct link to the outskirts of Leicester.<ref>{{cite web|title=Transportation Routes through Beeby|url=http://www.bing.com/maps/#Y3A9NTAuNzk4OTAxfi0xLjA5MTIwMCZsdmw9NiZzdHk9ciZlbz0wJnE9QmVlYnklMkMlMjBMZWljZXN0ZXIlMkMlMjBVbml0ZWQlMjBLaW5nZG9t|work=Beeby, Leicestershire|publisher=Bing Maps|accessdate=2014-04-27|archive-date=5 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180505025009/https://www.bing.com/maps#Y3A9NTAuNzk4OTAxfi0xLjA5MTIwMCZsdmw9NiZzdHk9ciZlbz0wJnE9QmVlYnklMkMlMjBMZWljZXN0ZXIlMkMlMjBVbml0ZWQlMjBLaW5nZG9t|url-status=live}}</ref> This isolation has mitigated the villages growth over time. This as well as several clusters of cottages and Brewery cottages mixed with informal and open grouping of farmhouses and their associating buildings are features which give this isolated village its character and appeal.
===Conservation Area=== The Conservation Area was designated in September 1975 and it covers an area of around 6.4 ha (15.8 acres) of gradually sloping land either side of a small tributary stream to the Barkby Brook. This extends along the Main Street and to Barkby Road and essentially relates to the physical extent of the settlement as it was at the end of the nineteenth century. The conservation area is protected by the Regional Spatial Strategy for the East Midlands (RSS) which advises local authorities to develop strategies that avoid damage to the region's cultural assets.<ref>{{cite web|title=Regional Spatial Strategy for the East Midlands (RSS)|url=http://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council-services/ep/planning/plansandguidance/regional-planning/|accessdate=2014-03-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327221434/http://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council-services/ep/planning/plansandguidance/regional-planning/|archive-date=27 March 2014|url-status = dead}}</ref>
==Historic sites and landmarks== '''All Saints Church: '''The Anglican parish church is dedicated to All Saints and seats 100 people.<ref>{{cite web|title=Beeby church history|url=http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/LEI/Beeby|work=Information about All Saints church|publisher=Uk & Ireland Genealogy|accessdate=2014-04-27|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304202950/http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/LEI/Beeby|url-status=live}}</ref> It stands alone looking over parkland within the village.<ref>{{cite web|title=Britain Express|url=http://www.britainexpress.com/attractions.htm?attraction=4173|work=All Saints Church|publisher=Britain Express|accessdate=2014-04-26|archive-date=15 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215152342/http://www.britainexpress.com/attractions.htm?attraction=4173|url-status=live}}</ref> It was built with orange ironstone in the fourteenth century with the interior featuring a thirteenth century font and decorated with carvings that date throughout the churches history.<ref>{{cite web|title=Beeby All Saints Church|url=http://www.britainexpress.com/attractions.htm?attraction=4173|publisher=David Ross|accessdate=2014-03-27|archive-date=15 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215152342/http://www.britainexpress.com/attractions.htm?attraction=4173|url-status=live}}</ref> The tower was added to the building in the fifteenth century.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Churches Conservation Trust |url=http://www.visitchurches.org.uk/Ourchurches/Completelistofchurches/All-Saints-Church-Beeby-Leicestershire/ |publisher=visitchurches.org |accessdate=2014-03-27 |archive-date=15 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215151505/http://www.visitchurches.org.uk/Ourchurches/Completelistofchurches/All-Saints-Church-Beeby-Leicestershire/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The church has a truncated steeple (often referred to as the 'Beeby Tub'), unfinished due to the legend of two stonemasons quarrelling and falling to their death.<ref>{{cite web|title=Researches about the name and village of Beeby|url=http://www.beebehistory.co.uk/places/beeby/beeby2.htm|work=All saints church steeple|publisher=Roger Beeby of Leicester|accessdate=2014-04-27|archive-date=3 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303222809/http://www.beebehistory.co.uk/places/beeby/beeby2.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> The churches slightly raised setting ensures that it is the focal point for views from all directions across the valley.
'''The Manor House, Beeby:''' A grade II listed building dating back to the late 18th century, located on the west side of the main street.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Manor house, beeby|url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-189501-the-manor-house-beeby-leicestershire|work=British listed buildings|publisher=English Heritage|accessdate=2014-03-28|archive-date=28 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140328041400/http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-189501-the-manor-house-beeby-leicestershire|url-status=live}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist|40em}}
{{commons category|Beeby}} {{Towns and villages of Charnwood}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Villages in Leicestershire Category:Civil parishes in Leicestershire Category:Borough of Charnwood