Saddington St Helens
Situated some 10 miles south-east of Leicester and 6 miles north-west of Market Harborough the village of Saddington has a population of around 250 and its nearest neighbour is Fleckney to the north. In 1066 the village belonged to Queen Edith, the wife of Edward the Confessor, after her death in 1075 the property passed to William I. The manor then passed through many hands and families (you can read more on this via the link to the excellent British History site at bottom and their entry for Saddington). By early in the 16th century the...
read moreNoseley Chapel
Noseley Chapel is part of the estate of Noseley Hall and a private family chapel of the Hazlerigg family who have lived here for over six hundred years. The actual village of Noseley was reduced in the 16th century by the enclosures which was to the west of the Hall and estate. There was a parish church for the village but this fell into disuse and became ruinous by 1518. The chapel became the parish church for Noseley and services would have been held here. In 1270 the Chapel was founded by Anketin de Martival whose coat of arms are over the...
read moreManton St Mary
The small village of Manton lies just south of Rutland Water and is a pretty little village with some quaint ironstone cottages. The cycle route around the reservoir passes through the village and it is popular with walkers and cyclists. Through the centuries the village was known as Manatona, Manetun, Maneton and Maynton. In 1086 the parish was one of the outlying ‘berewicks’ of Hambleton which belonged to the King. Henry I gave half the manor to Abbey of Cluny but this reverted back to the crown in 1414 when Henry V seized lands belonging...
read moreWhissendine Church St Andrew
This large village on the Leicestershire & Rutland border had a recorded population of around 1200 during the 2001 census and is approx 6 miles north-west of Oakham. The village is split into two by a brook and the older part of the village is sited around the church to the east. Two of the manors of Whissendine were held by the Earl’s of Huntingdon until the 15th and 16th centuries. A Hugh de Morville was granted land here by David, King of Scotland before 1130 and he became Constable of Scotland and died in 1162. His son Richard in 1173...
read moreMarket Bosworth St Peter
The pleasant town of Market Bosworth is of course famous for its nearby battlefield but the town is pretty enough for a visit on its own and the church of St Peter makes it doubly attractive. The town is 10 miles to the west of Leicester and had a recorded population of 1,906 in 2001. There have been Roman and Bronze age finds in the vicinity and the village was well established before the Norman Conquest in 1066. Before the conquest one of the two manors belonged to an Anglo-Saxon knight called Fernot, after the conquest the manors...
read moreBroughton Astley St Mary
Lying 9 miles south of Leicester the large sprawling village of Broughton Astley actually consists of three earlier settlements these being, Broughton, Sutton-in-the-Elms and Primethorpe, in 1900 the population was around 1,200 but a large building program has increased this to around 10,000 at the present. The church of St Mary’s probably dates from 1220 although there is some evidence that there are remains from an earlier building circa 1100 incorporated into the nave walls. A Thomas de Astley or Eastley was lord of the manor and...
read moreKetton St Mary the Virgin
This church was a great surprise. I usually lookup the churches first before I visit but I was rather busy so just headed out with a list of churches near to each other in Rutland. On finding the church down a side street I was first struck by the size of the church and then by the fantastic tower and spire. Surrounded by fine 17th century houses it really is a beautiful building that requires a visit to admire the workmanship of the exterior and also all the interesting interior features as this church is usually open. Even better there is a...
read moreTeigh Church Holy Trinity
This is a very special church with a unique feature that I shall come onto later. The village of Teigh in Rutland is a small community some…..from Oakham. The village is mentioned in the Domesday Book as ‘Tie’ and the first reference to a church at Tie was around 1100. Teigh has had a notorious Rector. In 1321 Teigh had a Richard de Folville as Rector, a ruffian priest who often joined his lawless and at that time out-lawed relations the Folvilles of Ashby Folville in Leicestershire and Newbold Folville in Hungtingdon, in exploits of...
read moreTixover Church St Luke
This little church is in a beautiful position away from the village along a field track by the River Welland. Now there are two things you need to know when wanting to visit the church. On entering this small hamlet you will see a sign pointing to a house stating ‘church key’. You cannot miss the house it is the large 17th century building with a gate. By the front door is a hook and on there you will find the key. If it is not there you can presume that someone else is at the church. Please of course return it on your way back. The second...
read moreQuorn Church St Bartholomew’s
Quorn (also known as Quorndon) is situated 3 miles South of Loughborough and 12 miles North of Leicester, in the district of Charnwood. Quorn was not mentioned in the Domesday Book, but the first documentary evidence for the Church appears in the will of Ranulph, fourth Earl of Chester who died in 1153. He gave the Church at Barrow (founded in 1138), together with its ‘chapel at Quorn’ to ‘the Abbey of St Mary in Leicester’. This means that ‘Quorn Chapel’ must have been built between 1138 and 1153. The earliest parts of the Church are the...
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