How Did Broughton Astley Get Its Name?
Broughton
Astley was formed as an amalgamation of three communities. When the Domesday
Book was written in 1086AD, shortly after the arrival in England of William
the Conqueror, there were references to the districts of Broctone, Sutone
and Torp.
Later
Broctone became known as Broughton, Sutone became Sutton or Sutton-In-The-Elms
and Torp became Primethorpe. The original names are of Saxon or Danish
style, typical of the period 560-900AD.
The seconyEd part of the village name, Astley, is taken from the family name of the Lords of the Manor of Broughton in the 13th century. They were called in various records 'de Astley', 'de Asteley' or 'de Esteley'. By the 14th century Broughton Astley had been more of less established as a single entity, but the matter of land ownership is complex and during that period not all the land of the village was under a single owner.
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St. Mary's Church
This is St. Mary's Church. It is the oldest building in Broughton Astley. In Medieval times the church would have been the most important building in the village, with residents paying tithe to the church. This is probably why the church is in the centre of the village, as the village has grown around this historic building. The brook flows past the church and in the springtime, daffodils grow at the side of the little stream. Services are held at the church every sunday, and Thomas Estey Community College hold small concerts in the church at Christmas. There is usually a Toc-H concert at Christmas, with Guides, Scouts and Girls and Boys Brigades singing and giving presents to help unfortunate people. The bells can often be heard throughout the village and wedins and chrstenings take place in the church too.
Old mill Primary school