Greasley
title: "Greasley" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["villages-in-nottinghamshire", "places-in-the-borough-of-broxtowe", "civil-parishes-in-nottinghamshire"] topic_path: "general/villages-in-nottinghamshire" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greasley" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox UK place"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| country | England |
| static_image_caption | St. Mary's Church, Greasley |
| coordinates | |
| official_name | Greasley |
| london_direction | SE |
| london_distance_mi | 110 |
| type | Civil parish |
| population | 11,241 |
| area_total_sq_mi | 7.63 |
| area_footnotes | |
| shire_district | Broxtowe |
| shire_county | Nottinghamshire |
| region | East Midlands |
| constituency_westminster | Broxtowe |
| post_town | NOTTINGHAM |
| postcode_district | NG16 |
| postcode_area | NG |
| dial_code | 0115 and 01773 |
| os_grid_reference | SK 4947 |
| population_ref | (2021) |
| static_image_name | GreasleyChurch.JPG |
| mapframe | yes |
| mapframe-zoom | 11 |
| mapframe-point | none |
| mapframe-wikidata | yes |
| website | greasleyparishcouncil.gov.uk |
| parts | Beauvale, Bogend, Giltbrook, Lower Beauvale, Moorgreen/Greasley, Newthorpe, Watnall |
| parts_type | Settlements |
| static_image_2_caption | Parish map |
| :: |
| country = England | static_image_caption = St. Mary's Church, Greasley | coordinates = | official_name = Greasley | london_direction = SE | london_distance_mi = 110 | type = Civil parish | population = 11,241 | area_total_sq_mi = 7.63 | area_footnotes = | shire_district = Broxtowe | shire_county = Nottinghamshire | region = East Midlands | constituency_westminster = Broxtowe | post_town = NOTTINGHAM | postcode_district = NG16 | postcode_area = NG | dial_code = 0115 and 01773 | os_grid_reference = SK 4947 | population_ref = (2021) | static_image_name = GreasleyChurch.JPG | mapframe = yes | mapframe-zoom = 11 | mapframe-point = none | mapframe-wikidata = yes | website = greasleyparishcouncil.gov.uk | parts = Beauvale, Bogend, Giltbrook, Lower Beauvale, Moorgreen/Greasley, Newthorpe, Watnall | parts_type = Settlements | parts_style = | p1 = | p2 = | static_image_2_caption = Parish map Greasley is a civil parish north west of Nottingham in Nottinghamshire, England. Although it is thought there was once a village called Greasley, there is no settlement of that name today as it was destroyed by the Earl of Rutland. The built up areas in the parish are Beauvale, Giltbrook, Moorgreen (often confused with Greasley), Newthorpe, Watnall and parts of Eastwood, Kimberley and Nuthall. There is also a small hamlet known as Bog-End. The parish is one of the largest in Nottinghamshire at 7.63 sqmi, the 2001 UK Census reporting it had a total population of 10,467, increasing to 11,014 in 2011, and 11,241 at the 2021 census.
Ghosts of Greasley
There are 11 reported ghosts in Greasley . Five of these are associated with the parish church of St. Mary's. The author D. H. Lawrence was a great lover of Greasley and many of its buildings and landmarks were inspirations for many of his written works. Since his death in 1930, many people have seen the image of a man in Victorian dress and a moustache. The apparition is seen in many parts of the village but he is mostly seen wandering the winding paths of the graveyard of St. Marys Church. Some have suggested that the ghost is that of D. H. Lawrence, revisiting some of the many places that he loved in his life. Another ghost seen in the churchyard is a lady wearing a white dress who is seen to drift in and around the gravestones. No one knows who she is but some have speculated that it is Ettie Hotton, a 32-year-old cotton spinner from Eastwood, who was found murdered in the road outside the church. Paranormal investigators have caught what they claim is the voice of a woman or child while carrying out E.V.P. (Electronic Voice Phenomona) experiments. One such recording is claimed to be the recording of a woman saying "Please Come With Me". --
Other ghosts said to inhabit the church are that of two children, dressed in Victorian era attire, who are seen to be playing together. Again the E.V.P. experiments carried out have revealed the presence of children's voices, though no children were present at the time. The fifth spirit that inhabits St. Mary's is that of a dark figure. It has been described as a monk or a man dressed in a black cloak. One female witness claimed to have spotted the apparition in 1976 and that the form had red eyes. Some people have claimed that they feel followed around the church, possibly by this apparition. The apparition is seen in three places – inside the church itself, standing at the main gates and in the oldest part of the graveyard.
Benjamin Drawater of Mansfield who was a surgeon on at least one of Captain Cook's voyages is buried in the church yard. Next door to St. Marys Church are the derelict remains of Greasley Manor Farm, also known as Greasley Castle. A strange white form, resembling a woman in a dress, has been seen floating around by people driving past on the main road. --
History
Greasley (then Griseleia) is mentioned in the Domesday Book as belonging to William Peverel and being worth ten shillings. The book includes reference to a church, a priest and woodland pasture. The present church of St Mary was built in the mid 15th century, and parts of the building were restored in 1753, 1772, 1832 and 1882. The nave and chancel were rebuilt in 1896, and there are 20th century vestries. The building is Grade II listed.
The remains of Greasley Castle, a medieval fortified manor house, have been incorporated into a range of farm buildings. To the north, on the edge of High Park Wood, are the remains of Beauvale Priory, founded in 1343, and one of only nine Carthusian monastic houses built in England. The prior and his predecessor were executed in 1535, following the passing of Henry VIII's Act of Succession, and the priory was dissolved in 1539. It was one of the first sites to be protected by its designation as a scheduled ancient monument on 10 April 1915, and in 1952, the buildings were individually given listed building protection. Nearby is Beauvale House, a small country house designed for Francis Cowper, 7th Earl Cowper by E. W. Godwin and constructed in 1871–73. It includes a service wing and stables, and is a grade II* listed structure.
To the west of the wood is Moorgreen Reservoir, built in 1794 to supply water for the Nottingham Canal, and still owned by the Canal & River Trust, as it now feeds the Erewash Canal. It is managed as a carp fishery by Greasley Estates, covers 38 acre and is up to 30 ft deep in places. The local author D H Lawrence used it as a setting in two of his books, calling it Willey Water in Women in Love and Nethermere in The White Peacock.
Notable people
- William Warburton, who later became the Bishop of Gloucester, was the vicar at Greasley from 1723 to 1725.
- John Barber, coalmaster and inventor, was born at Greasley Castle Farm and baptized in St Mary's on 22 October 1734.
- Mordecai Sherwin England and Notts cricketer was born here in 1851.
References
References
- See the [http://www.greasleypc.co.uk/lost-village-project/lost-village-greasley.pdf Lost Village of Greasley].
- "Greasley Parish Council".
- [http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=798380&c=greasley&d=16&e=15&g=478240&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1297339214741&enc=1&dsFamilyId=779 Neighbourhood Statistics]
- "Civil Parish population 2011". Office for National Statistics.
- {{NOMIS2011
- "Greasley parish".
- William was given a large number of manors in Nottinghamshire including [[Chilwell]], [[Toton]], [[Colwick]] and [[Kimberley, Nottinghamshire. Kimberley]].
- ''Domesday Book: A Complete Translation''. London: Penguin, 2003. {{ISBN. 0-14-143994-7 p.771
- {{NHLE
- "Greasley Castle". Pastscape.
- {{NHLE
- {{NHLE
- "Canal and River Navigations National Overview". Historic England.
- "Carp Fishing". Greasely Estate.
- "Lawrence in the East Midlands". Nottingham University.
- Doxey, Arnold. (1949). "The Story of Greasley Parish Church". Nottinghamshire History.
- Torrens, H. S.. "Barber, John (1734–1793)".
- "Brief profile of Mordecai Sherwin". Cricket Archive.
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::