William Hanbury (1725–1778)

William Hanbury, rector 1749–78, prepared in 1767 ambitious schemes to establish a charitable trust. A horticulturalist, he believed that he could accumulate a large fund of money for investment from the sale of his plants and trees. He also arranged a summer concert of music which was held at Church Langton in 1759, 1760, and 1761, but was moved to Leicester in 1762 and Nottingham in 1763. These concerts and his plantations at Gumley attracted fashionable visitors. The Hanbury charity has greatly benefited Church Langton and the area around --'Church Langton', A History of the County of Leicestershire: Volume 5: Gartree Hundred (1964)