Great Bowden is a village and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England. It is north-east of and a suburb of Market Harborough, although originally the parish of Great Bowden included Harborough. The population is around 1,000, being measured at the 2011 census as 1,017.[1] Places nearby include Market Harborough, Little Bowden, Sutton Bassett, Foxton and Thorpe Langton.
| Great Bowden | |
|---|---|
 Great Bowden Village Sign | |
  Great Bowden Location within Leicestershire | |
| Population | 1,017 (2011 Census) |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | MARKET HARBOROUGH |
| Postcode district | LE16 |
| Police | Leicestershire |
| Fire | Leicestershire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
Anglo-Saxon origins
editThe village was included in the Domesday Book, under the name 'Bugedone' and was worth 40 shillings per year to the King. 'Bugedone', is a combination of the Old English female personal name 'Bucga' and the word 'dun' (meaning 'a hill, a flat-topped hill, an open upland expanse').[2] It is one of the older villages in Leicestershire since it has Anglo-Saxon origins (it is older than the much larger market town of Market Harborough, which lies nearby). Great Bowden was the centre of a large soke, which is known to have existed during the time of Edward the Confessor.[3]
Parish
editThe first mention of a parish church in Great Bowden was in 1220.[4] St Peter and St Paul, the current parish church, includes features from the 13th century, but it was considerably altered in the 15th century.[4] In 1886-87 the building was restored by Talbot Brown and Fisher, architects from Wellingborough.[4] The churchyard contain gravestones that date from the 17th century.[5]
The Great Bowden parish historically included Market Harborough and parts of St Mary in Arden.[4] In 1613, St Mary in Arden was unified with Market Harborough[6] The chapelry of Market Harborough was made a separate civil parish in 1866.[7]
In 1879 Great Bowden, Market Harborough and Little Bowden were united as a local government district.[8] Such districts were reconstituted as urban districts in 1894.[9] Great Bowden remained a civil parish until 1927, but as an urban parish it had no parish council of its own, instead being administered directly by Market Harborough Urban District Council. The three parishes within the urban district were combined into a single parish of Market Harborough in 1927.[10]
Market Harborough Urban District and civil parish were abolished in 1974 and the area become part of the larger Harborough District. A new parish of Great Bowden, focussed on the village itself, was created in 1995 covering a much smaller area than the historic parish.[11]
Education
editThe National school was built adjoining the parish church in 1839,[4] and opened on 2 December 1839,[5] In 1930, it became solely a primary school and older children were educated in Market Harborough.[4] The National school building remained in use until the school relocated to Gunnsbrook Close in 1983.[12] On 1 July 2012 the school became an academy.[12]
Listed buildings
editThere are 73 listed buildings and structures.[5]
Site of scientific interest
editGreat Bowden Borrowpit is a 2.4-hectare (5.9-acre) site of special scientific interest.
References
edit- ^ "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Offivce for National Statistics. Archived from the original on 11 October 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
- ^ Bourne, Jill (2003). Understanding Leicestershire & Rutland Place Names. Wymeswold: Heart of Albion Press. ISBN 1-872883-71-0.
- ^ "Victoria County History, A History of the County of Leicestershire: Volume 5, Great Bowden". Archived from the original on 12 June 2007. Retrieved 20 June 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f "Great Bowden | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 1 June 2017. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- ^ a b c "The List Search Results for Great bowden | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Archived from the original on 24 September 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- ^ "St Mary in Arden". specialcollections.le.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 2 September 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- ^ "Market Harborough Township / Chapelry / Civil Parish". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ Annual Report of the Local Government Board. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 1880. p. 501. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ Local Government Act 1894
- ^ "Great Bowden Ancient Parish / Civil Parish". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ "The Harborough (Parishes) Order 1995" (PDF). Local Government Boundary Commission for England. The National Archives. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ a b "Parents Handbook 2017 to 18" (PDF). Great Bowden Academy: A Church of England Primary School. 2017. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
External links
edit- Great Bowden Historical Society
- Great Bowden village website Archived 11 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine
