Shearsby
Shearsby is a rural village in the English county of Leicestershire. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 240.[1]
It is in the Harborough district around nine miles due south of Leicester and north east of Lutterworth.
In the early 17th century the Vicar of St Mary Magdelene, and also Rector of Knaptoft was John Moore, a Puritan who wrote A Mappe of Man's Mortalite in 1617 and often struggled to maintain his principles against the authorities within the Church of England. In November 1604 he was brought before the ecclesiastical court for nonconformity, refusing to wear the surplice, and summoned a further four more times in 1605. He was finally discharged by the court in 'hope of conformity'.[2]
Listed Buildings
These are the listed buildings at Shearsby:
- Back Lane - Cobblestones
- Church Lane - Bean Hill Farmhouse and garden wall
- Church Lane - Church of St Mary Magdelene
- Church Lane - Limetree Cottage
- Church Lane - Wheathill Farmhouse and Little Wheathill
- Church Lane - Yeomans Cottage
- Main Street - Woodbine Cottage
- Mill Lane - Rose Cottage
- Shearsby Road - Milestone 500 yards north of Shearsby Road
All are Grade II, apart from the Church of St Mary Magdalene which is Grade II*.[3]
Shearsby Spa
A holy well on the road south and west of the village – between the main Leicester-Northampton road (now the A5199) and Bruntingthorpe – was converted into a spa that was popular during the first half of the 19th century.[4] The waters were held to be efficacious in treating skin diseases, indigestion, rheumatism, bilious and nervous disorders. Analysis of the mineral content revealed the major constituents to be sodium sulphate and sodium chloride.[5] As early as 1855 it was reported to have fallen out of popularity. Nonetheless the 'Bath Hotel and Shearsby Spa' (SP621900) remains in business at its site.
References
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- ↑ "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
- ↑ Rev Stephen Copson, The Identification of a Parliamentary Army Chaplain: John Moore of Leicestershire, Leicestershire Archaeological and History Society (1994)
- ↑ Fuller details of the full set can be found by typing "Shearsby" into the search facility at Historic England - The List
- ↑ The Holy Wells of Leicestershire and Rutland
- ↑ British Association for the Advancement of Science. A Guide to Leicester and District. Leicester: Edward Shardlow, 1907
Coordinates: 52°30′43″N 1°04′59″W / 52.512°N 1.083°W