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Long Clawson is a small village in Leicestershire, England. The population is included in the civil parish of Clawson, Hose and Harby.
Contents
Map of Long Clawson, Melton Mowbray, UK
There is some debate about the origin of the village's name; one theory is that there were once two villages named Clawson and Claxton, which grew together and became Long Clawson. The "Long" part of the name may have arisen from it being over a mile in length, although the main road through the village has 14 sharp bends.
Situated in the Vale of Belvoir, the village is surrounded by farmland with rich soil ideal for pasture. Milk from local dairy farms is used for production of Stilton cheese. The Long Clawson dairy is one of the largest producers of this cheese.
The village features in the 1086 Domesday Book as Clachestone, but there is evidence of much earlier settlements. Embedded into the tarmac footpath against the wall of the Manor House is an ancient megalith. The Long Clawson Stone is approximately 3 feet long and allegedly a fragment of a larger ancient stone. The Manor House itself has an ancient fish pond that is still stocked.
Like many larger village settlements, the number of businesses in the village has declined in recent years. Once possessing five pubs, numerous small stores and traders, along with its own police presence, the village now only has one pub, the Crown and Plough and a few shops. The community is strong and thriving, however, with a growing population. Around 100 new houses were built in the village in the early part of the 21st century and the primary school has doubled the number of its pupils. Local demographic information shows the population to be 970 as of 2003.
A traditional saying about Long Clawson and Hose (a nearby smaller village) is "There are more whores in Hose than honest women in Long Clawson"; this is thought to contain puns on the village names and items of clothing.
Religion
The village churches include the Anglican church of St Remigius, a Methodist church and a Baptist Church (dating from 1845) The latter two are 20th century red brick buildings, and the Primitive Methodist chapel of 1868 is now a private residence.
The parish church of Saint Remigius dates from around the 14th century and its walls, like those of the nearby manor house, are of a local stone which is a rich red in hue. The church, which seats 300, was restored in 1893, and contains a medieval effigy of the crusader William Bozon.
The present Methodist Church was opened in 1956. Methodism was introduced into the village by a Mrs Hind through her contact with the Wesleyan Society in 1797. After joining a small society at Nether Broughton she formed a society in Long Clawson, meetings being held in the kitchen of her home. Later a licence was obtained and William Parkes's home was registered for public worship. It became known as 'The Consecrated Barn'. The first chapel was built in 1801, and in 1816 was improved by the addition of a gallery. In 1840 a new chapel was built on the present site at a cost of £1100. In 1873 a schoolroom and a Minister's vestry were added. A manse was built alongside the chapel in 1887. In 1954 the chapel burnt down. A committee was quickly formed to raise funds for a replacement and on 25 June 1955 the foundation stone for the new building was laid. The new chapel opened on 29 September 1956.
Long Clawson Dairy
One of only six dairies in England where Stilton cheese is manufactured, Long Clawson Dairy was founded in 1911 by 12 farmers from the Vale of Belvoir.
The company has prospered and today is supplied by over 40 farms, all from within the Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire area. As Stilton is protected by a PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) it can only be made with milk from these counties. Long Clawson Farms range in size, producing between 350,000 to over 4 million litres of milk per year.
The dairy employs about 200 people and produces 6,700 tonnes of cheese in 60 varieties every year. Exports account for about 20% of the company's business. The company had a turnover of about £54m in 2008.
Long Clawson Dairy was awarded a total of 11 trophies at the International Cheese Awards 2011, which took place at the Nantwich Show in Cheshire, including 'Reserve Champion UK' and 'Reserve Supreme Champion' for the dairy's 'Blue Stilton'.
Other landmarks
The village has a recently restored windmill that dominates the skyline from the south. The windmill, located at Mill Farm, has a characteristic Lincolnshire-style cap (white painted ogee-shaped) and is a Grade II listed building.