Plungar is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Redmile, and the Melton district of Leicestershire, England. It is about north of the market town of Melton Mowbray and west from Grantham. Plungar is adjacent to the Grantham Canal and stands in the Vale of Belvoir. In 1931 the parish had a population of 205.
History The Plungar name derives through the name "Plunard", itself from the Old English "plume" with the Old English "gara" or Old Scandinavian "garthr", meaning "Triangular plot where plum trees grow" or plum tree enclosure.Mills, Anthony David (2003); A Dictionary of British Place Names, Oxford University Press, revised edition (2011), p. 370.
In 1870 Plungar was a village and civil parish, and part of the district of Bingham. Parish area was with a population of 251, and 59 houses. At the time a Wesleyan chapel was recorded.
Several Plungar children were educated at a free school in Barkestone. It had two rooms with a school house for a master and mistress. By 1830 the school had taught 14 children from Barkestone and 12 from Plungar, chosen by parish churchwardens. The lord of the manor was the Duke of Rutland. The population in 1830 was 280, including seven farmers, two tailors, two shoemakers, a bricklayer, a shopkeeper, a blacksmith, a wheelwright, a lace maker, an auctioneer, and the landlord of The Anchor public house. It also housed a parish curate and a gentleman.White, William (1830) History, gazetteer, and directory of Leicestershire, and the small County of Rutland, pp. 213 and 255.
Oilfield An oilfield was discovered at the village in October 1953 by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (BP from 1954). This was the first onshore UK oilfield to be discovered since the end of World War Two.Oil in 1953 Oil was discovered at a depth of and commercial production commenced in 1956.Leicester Evening Mail Friday 30 October 1953Leicester Evening Mail Friday 6 May 1955, page 8Nottingham Guardian Journal Saturday 22 June 1957, page 3 In 1958, UK onshore oil was 80,000 tons, mostly from Eakring and Plungar.Nottingham Evening Post Friday 12 June 1959, page 1
Governance On 1 April 1936 Plungar and the adjoining civil parish of Barkestone were merged with Redmile, sometimes known as Barkestone, Plungar and Redmile, which had a population of 829 in 2001."Census 2001 Parish profile", Leicestershire County Council. Retrieved 2 December 2014
Amenities
The village public house, The Anchor, is close to the Grantham Canal. There is also a village hall.
Plungar lies on bus routes to Bottesford or Bingham to the north and Melton Mowbray to the south. All three destinations have railway stations, the nearest being at Bottesford (), which has services to Nottingham and beyond, and to Grantham (for London) and Skegness.
The nearest primary school to Plungar is at Redmile.Leicestershire CC Retrieved 3 March 2018. Bottesford has a primary, a secondary and an independent school.Leicestershire CC Retrieved 3 March 2018.
Landmarks The parish church of St Helen dates from the 14th century, with additions made in the 15th. The church was repaired in 1829, while rebuilding work in 1855–1856 added a chapel and replaced the south aisle. The church was listed as Grade II* historic building in 1968.Wilson, John Marius. Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870–72)
To the east of the village, in neighbouring Nottinghamshire, is the site of Plungar's disused RAF air base, for No. 38 and No. 90 squadrons."Plungar", Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 2 December 2014 A plaque at Plungar commemorates the crew of six of a Lancaster bomber, which crashed near Plungar in 1943."Plungar bomber crew memorial unveiled", BBC News, 22 September 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2014"Thanks given to man who saved crash pilot", Melton Times, 30 January 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2014. An obelisk to the dead of the First and Second World Wars stands in Harby Road."Frog Lane, Harby Road - Plungar", War memorials project, Leicestershire County Council. Retrieved 2 December 2014
References
External links
Barkestone Plungar & Redmile Parish Council web site, Leicestershire and Rutland Parish Councils "Plungar", Genuki British Pathe - Oil field in 1954