Stockerston Church St Peter
The very small village of Stockerston is situated in the south-east of Leicestershire, very near to the county border with Rutland and near to the Eye Reservoir. It has no centre as such and the church and Hall are seperated from the village by a short road. The church is first mentioned in 1220 when a ‘Sampson’ was the main patron. The church today dates from the 15th and 16th centuries when it was largely rebuilt by John Boyville, Lord of the Manor. The church consists of a west tower, north & south aisle, nave and chancel...
read moreBringhurst Church St Nicholas
The small village of Bringhurst in the far south-east corner of Leicestershire is sited on a hill which was probably the site of an Iron Age hill fort. In the 11th century the manor of Bringhurst was held by the Abbey of Burg (Peterborough Abbey) and before that the Saxons had a settlement here in the 6th century on this high hill that overlooks the Welland flood plain. There is nothing remaining of the probable Saxon church that sat on the same site and after the Norman invasion it is thought the Norman abbot of Peterborough Abbey had the...
read moreNewtown Linford Church All Saints
The small pretty village of Newtown Linford is closely associated with Bradgate Park, perhaps the most visited country park in the county. The first documented reference to the park is in 1241 when the Earl of Winchester is given rights to take deer with nine bows and six hounds. The village is not mentioned in the Domesday book, although this does not mean it did not exist, but is first mentioned in 1280 in documents. The village and park are closely tied with the Grey family, of whose most famous member was Lady Jane Grey who became queen...
read moreLubenham Church All Saints
The village of Lubenham is in the very south of the county less than two miles west of Market Harborough its large neighbour. The village is bisected by the busy main road into Harborough and the church is only a yards away from the county boundary with Northamptonshire. Lubenham is one of the few churches in the county not to be heavily restored by the Victorians, and although the church is a ‘muddle’ of different styles and periods it is an enchanting little church which is worth a visit. The church has two Norman arches in the...
read moreCotesbach Church St Mary
Cotesbach is a few miles south of Lutterworth and fifteen miles south of Leicester. The first people to settle in Cotesbach were probably the Danes that swept through the country in the ninth century, and later, after King Alfred had reached a peace settlement in 879 giving the Danes the “Danelaw”, or land to the North of the Watling Street (now the A5) in which to live, Cotesbach probably became a stable settlement for the first time and began to put down its roots. Many theories exist to account for the village name of “Cotesbach”, but the...
read morePotters Marston St Mary
The manor of Potters Marston near Croft now consists of nothing more than a Hall, small chapel and a few other properties, and is classed as one of the lost villages of Leicestershire. There are few records of the manor, but evidence of it’s craft are still found when ploughing in the area – pottery. There was a community here in around 1250 probably already making pottery – hence the name. In 1939 the site of the old village was located in preparation for the cultivation of wheat, it is believed that the village was reduced...
read moreFoston Church St Bartholomews
Many people pass the turning for the 10th century signposted church of St Bartholomew’s without a second glance, surrounded by mature trees it cannot be seen, and the medieval village that once surrounded it has long disappeared. It is approximately 6 miles south of Leicester and a couple of miles east of Countesthorpe where the church is ministered from. It is probably one of the oldest churches in Leicestershire and the Norman arcade which seperates the nave from the north aisle dates from 1081, these beautiful piers and arches have...
read moreGaulby Church St Peters
The village of Gaulby (which was also spelt as Galby) is just over 7 miles east of Leicester and according to the 2001 census the population was 131. In 1086 the manor (called Galbi) was held by a Hugh de Grentesmesnil, he was born in Normandy in 1030 and died in Leicestershire in 1094 he came over with William the Conqueror in 1066 and as a reward during the Conquest was given much land in Leicestershire and further afield. During the time of Henry II the church in Gaulby was given to the leper colony hospital at Burton Lazars. In the 12th...
read moreHallaton Church St Michael & All Angels
Hallaton a village nearly 16 miles south-east of Leicester has a population of around 550. It has a famous annual bottle kicking event that may be of pagan origin and more can be read at the link on Wikipedia. There have been Roman remains found around the village and there may have been a motte and bailey castle at the village on nearby Castle Hill. In 2000 a hoard of more than 5000 silver and gold coins were found which dated to the late Iron Age. The village was in the Domesday Book as ‘Alctone’ when there were 24 taxable...
read moreBruntingthorpe Church St Mary’s
Some 9 miles south of Leicester and a few miles northeast of Lutterworth lies the small village of Bruntingthorpe. The church of St Mary’s once surrounded by the village now is surrounded by fields, in the late medieval period the villagers started to build their houses to the north east. There was probably an early Anglo Saxon settlement here before the Danes arrived in the ninth century. After the Norman Conquest as was often the case the manor of ‘Brandinestor’ was in the hands of a Robert, a vassal of the Norman Count of...
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