Griffydam

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Griffydam is a hamlet within the parish of Worthington, Leicestershire . [1]

Worthington, Leicestershire a village located in North West Leicestershire, United Kingdom

Worthington is a village and civil parish in North West Leicestershire, England, about 4 miles (6.4 km) north of the town of Coalville and a similar distance north-east of the market town of Ashby-de-la-Zouch. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 1,461. The village is about 5 miles (8 km) from East Midlands Airport and junction 23a of the M1 motorway where it meets the A42 road. The parish also includes the hamlet of Newbold.

Contents

History

Griffydam is most famously associated with a chalybeate well, or sacred spring, which lies along a path below the main road through the village. According to tradition, the name Griffydam derives from a combination of the terms Griffin (an ancient mythical beast with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle) and Dam, a contained water source. An old local legend tells of how such a creature zealously guarded the well, forcing villagers to walk several miles for their water, until one day it was slain by a chivalrous passing knight.[ citation needed ]

Chalybeate

Chalybeate waters, also known as ferruginous waters, are mineral spring waters containing salts of iron.

Griffin Legendary animal

The griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body, tail, and back legs of a lion; the head and wings of an eagle; and sometimes an eagle's talons as its front feet. Because the lion was traditionally considered the king of the beasts and the eagle the king of birds by the Middle Ages the griffin was thought to be an especially powerful and majestic creature. Since classical antiquity, Griffins were known for guarding treasure and priceless possessions.

The placename actually derives from 'Griffith's-Dam'. A man-made pond and remnants of the bank built for this dam can still be seen, below the lane called 'The Tentas'. [2] Several nineteenth century trade directories refer to the settlement as 'Griffth's-Dam' [3]

The name 'Griffydam' occurs as early as 1764, when it is referred to as being noted for its mineral water, as a place near Ashby-de-la-Zouch. [4] It is also referred to as Griffy-dam in Edmund Gibson's revised (1722) edition of William Camden's "Britannia". [5]

Ashby-de-la-Zouch A small market town in Leicestershire, England

Ashby-de-la-Zouch, often shortened to Ashby, is an English market town and civil parish in North West Leicestershire, close to the Derbyshire border. It is twinned with Pithiviers in north-central France. Its 2001 census population of 11,410 increased to 12,370 in 2011. Ashby-de-la-Zouch Castle had importance in the 15th–17th centuries. In the 19th century the town's main industries were ribbon manufacture, coal mining, and brickmaking. It was served by the Leicester–Burton upon Trent line of the Midland Railway from 1849. The civil parish includes the hamlets of Shellbrook to the west and Boundary to the north-west. Nearby villages include Lount, Normanton le Heath, Smisby, Packington, Donisthorpe, Oakthorpe, Moira, Measham and Coleorton. Swadlincote, Burton-upon-Trent, Melbourne and Coalville are within 10 miles (16 km), with Derby 11 12 miles (19 km) due north. Ashby lies at the heart of The National Forest, about 24 miles (39 km) south of the Peak District National Park, on the A42 between Tamworth and Nottingham.

Edmund Gibson British bishop

Edmund Gibson was a British divine who served as Bishop of Lincoln and Bishop of London, jurist, and antiquary.

William Camden 16th/17th-century English antiquarian

William Camden was an English antiquarian, historian, topographer, and herald, best known as author of Britannia, the first chorographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Annales, the first detailed historical account of the reign of Elizabeth I of England.

In 1863, it was described as comprising approximately 200 acres (0.81 km2) and belonged to the Earl of Stamford and J Curzon, Esq. [6]

Earl of Stamford title in the Peerage of England

Earl of Stamford was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1628 for Henry Grey, 2nd Baron Grey of Groby. This Grey family descended through Lord John Grey, of Pirgo, Essex, younger son of Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset, and younger brother of Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk ; Suffolk was executed for treason in 1554 forfeiting his titles.

The place is also well known for once having had a popular nightclub called 'The Traveller's Rest'. Originally a public house, this was converted into a nightspot late in the twentieth century and was finally closed in about 2000, much to the relief of local residents. [7]

Religion

Griffydam has one of the country's earliest Methodist Chapels, built in 1778. It is claimed that before the chapel was built John Wesley came to preach in the village when he was staying with his friend, Selina, Countess of Huntingdon at Castle Donington. It is said that Beaumont, the local squire of Coleorton, decided to disrupt the event by gathering together a band of local men, priming them with ale and arming them with truncheons. The gang-leader was John Massey, a local collier, renowned pugilist and terror of North Leicestershire.[ dubious ] Massey is said to have approached the slightly built preacher "savagely", but Wesley continued his sermon. Massey decided to hear a little of what was being said before giving the signal to attack, but the attack never came, for he was converted on the spot. [8]

A Wesleyan Reform Church, opened in 1858, lies alongside the Rempstone Road and is known as 'The Chapel in the Valley'.

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References

  1. County council land charges page Archived 30 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine .
  2. Hartley, Robert F: 'The Mediaeval Earthworks of North West Leicestershire: A Survey', 1984.
  3. White, William - 'History, Gazetteer and Directory of Leicestershire',1863 & 1877.
  4. Luckombe, Philip, The Beauties of England: Or, A Comprehensive View of the Antiquities of this Kingdom, 1764.
  5. https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/c/camden/william/britannia-gibson-1722/
  6. White, William - 'History, Gazetteer and Directory of Leicestershire',1863.
  7. Planning Report, NWLDC, 2001
  8. 'The United Benefice of Breedon and Worthington', Website, article, 'Speaking in Tongues' by Steve Andrews

Coordinates: 52°45′43″N1°23′20″W / 52.762°N 1.389°W / 52.762; -1.389