Goadby Marwood and the Beaumonts
Last month I visited the little village of Goadby Marwood to the east of us in Leicestershire for a Community Heritage Survey Weekend. They were carrying out metal detector and magnetometry surveys on the paddocks located behind cottages at the centre of the village and were inviting local people and visitors to help. I’m a member of the Goadby Marwood History Group (for reasons which will become apparent as you read on) and took the opportunity of visiting the village for the first time. We were shown how to use metal detectors to search for buried metal items and introduced to the magnetometer which detects and maps subsurface features by measuring variations in the Earth's magnetic field.
Goadby Marwood has a history of Roman occupation and it is believed a Roman Road runs through it, but the exact location is not known, so this project was in part to see if any signs of the road or Roman occupation could be found in this part of the village. The event was supported by Field Detectives and The Roman Road Research Association.
Goadby Marwood has a grade I listed church, St Denys, and a small building close by was originally a school and later a village hall owned by the church. The village have used it as a community centre but are now adding a kitchen with funds from the Heritage Lottery. The grant also covers a number of community-based events including this Heritage Survey weekend (which was free, including drinks and lunch!). You can read the results of the survey here (pdf) >>
But why was I interested in this small, and rather lovely, little village?
Well, the Maureward family were based at Goadby Marwood (Maureward) but owned large tracts of land in Leicestershire including Coleorton. The Maurewards became Lords of the Manor of Coleorton in 1230 which included 540 acres of farmland, 300 acres of woodland, St Mary’s Church and around 16 households.
Philippa Maureward was born around 1391 in Coleorton. She was the only daughter and heir of Thomas Maureward, a prominent soldier and MP for Leicestershire. Her mother was Elizabeth Oddingseles who had title of lands in Oxfordshire from her family and an earlier marriage.
In 1413 Philippa married Sir Thomas Beaumont Seigneur of Basqueville (son of Sir John de Beaumont, 4th Lord Beaumont and Catherine Everingham) so becoming Philippa Beaumont. In 1426 her father died and she inherited Coleorton Manor absolutely to be passed on to her children. The Beaumont family have been associated with Coleorton from that time.
The Maurewards held the Manor of Goadby until the death of Sir Thomas and the title passed to his son-in-law, Sir Thomas Beaumont. His son and heir, John Beaumont, was killed at the Battle of Towton in 1461 during the Wars of the Roses fighting for the Lancastrian King, Henry VI, and when the Yorkists prevailed forfeited his estates posthumously, although they were restored to his son, Sir John Beaumont in 1485 by Henry VII. The Beaumonts continued as Lords of Goady until George Villiers purchased the estate and title from his stepbrother, Nicholas Beaumont.
Beaumont’s School was originally built in 1702 in the same building as a “Hospital” or almshouse funded by a bequest from the 3rd Viscount Beaumont, but in 1867 a new building was needed – the current school building. So the bust would have been donated to the school after William Howley’s death. We don’t know the circumstances of this donation, but it is still there celebrating an important and interesting connection to Coleorton.