GREAT GLEN
Great Glen ancient parish consists of two townships, Great Glen and Great Stretton. Great Stretton is a chapelry of Great Glen ecclesiastically, but
for civil purposes it seems always to have formed a
separate unit. It is therefore described in a separate
section, (fn. 1) and the article which follows is concerned
mainly with Great Glen township and civil parish.
Great Glen village lies six miles south-east of
Leicester, and the township covers 2,134 a. (fn. 2) A small
area in the north-west of the township was transferred to Oadby in 1936. (fn. 3) The greater part of the
township is formed by an approximately rectangular
area, consisting of the Sence valley and the rising
ground on either side. To the north-west of this,
the township's boundaries stretch out to include
some higher land beyond the Sence valley. On the
eastern boundary the ground on the east bank of
the Sence rises to 443 ft., and in the north-west of
the township the land rises to over 400 ft. The small
River Sence runs through the township approximately from north to south. Near the village it is
joined by a tributary brook running in from the east.
The surface soil is boulder clay. The underlying Lias
strata are exposed in the valleys of the Sence and its
tributary. There are small patches of gravel, and the
valleys contain small stretches of alluvium.
The road from Market Harborough to Leicester
through Great Glen was turnpiked in 1726. (fn. 4) The
bridge of five small brick arches carrying the road
over the Sence was built by the turnpike trustees in
1751. There had evidently been an earlier bridge,
for in 1521 Robert Greene left money for the repair
of the great bridge at Glen. (fn. 5) The Grand Union
Canal crosses the southern part of the township;
this section of the canal was built in 1792-7. (fn. 6) The
Midland Railway's line from Leicester to Harborough, passing through the township, was built
in 1857. (fn. 7) The railway station, about a mile south of
the village, was opened the same year. (fn. 8)
The recorded population in 1086 was 45. (fn. 9) Twentytwo inhabitants of Great Glen, 9 of them women, are
listed in the 1381 poll tax returns. (fn. 10) There were 20
households in 1563 and 63 in 1670. In 1603 there
were 238 communicants, and in 1676, 249. In 1801
the population of Great Glen, excluding Great
Stretton, was 549. During the 19th century the
population rose steadily, and in 1881 it was 854. By
1891, however, it had fallen to 704, perhaps as a result of the late-19th-century agricultural depression
and of the attraction exercised by Leicester's prosperous industries. After 1891 the population rose
slowly, and in 1951 it was 925. (fn. 11)
The village is divided roughly into two parts. The
southern part is on low-lying ground in the angle
between the Sence and its tributary and is still liable
to flooding. It is centred on the main road and on a
small triangular green which was formerly an inclosed cattle pasture belonging to the lord of the
manor. The ground was given to the village in 1919
by Major (later Col.) E. C. Packe as a site for the
war memorial. (fn. 12) This part of the village, which contains two large inns, probably came into existence at
a comparatively late date, perhaps to meet the needs
of main-road traffic in the 18th century. It also includes several farm-houses built after the inclosure
of 1758-9. Main Street, not built up until the later
19th century, runs northwards from the green to
meet the road leading east from the parish church
towards Burton Overy. The northern part of the
village lies on both banks of the river near the junction of these two roads. This area, which contains
mostly cottages, was almost entirely built or rebuilt
in the 19th century, probably in the first instance to
house framework-knitters and later as a result of the
rise of small-scale industry in the village. The position of the parish church to the west and the survival
of one or two older cottages near the river suggest,
however, that this may have been the original village
centre. From the built-up area a road leads north to
Great and Little Stretton. On the outskirts of the
village there is a considerable number of large residences in their own grounds, mostly situated near
the main road.
Only one timber-framed house appears to have
survived. It stands on high ground in the northern
part of the village and the curved principals of its
gable-end truss are visible behind the blacksmith's
shop in High Street. (fn. 13) The house probably dates
from the 17th century. A mud-walled cottage in the
south-west corner of the village is said to have been
demolished in 1930. (fn. 14) The White House, near the
green, was altered and enlarged in the early 19th
century but retains a back range built of ironstone.
This is thought to be the house in which Prince
Rupert passed the night before the battle of Naseby. (fn. 15)
A house in Brook Road near the river, formerly the
Fox and Goose Inn, is dated 1719.
From the 18th century onwards red brick, much
of it probably made locally, (fn. 16) was the universal
building material. There are several houses near the
green with good symmetrical Georgian fronts.
Trent House, next to the Crown Inn, is a threestory house with a moulded brick cornice and is
thought to date from 1760. The Firs, north of the
green, is of a similar type. Both the 'Crown' and
the 'Greyhound' are largely of the 18th century, but
there are indications that the 'Greyhound' has an
earlier origin. Both have extensive outbuildings. In
a cul-de-sac west of the green are the Old Malt
House and Bassets. The former has a good threestory front of the late 18th century; the latter is of
two stories and dates from the second decade of the
19th century. (fn. 17) The former mill, which lies on the
brook to the east of the main road, is now a private
house. The mill wheel still exists at the west end of
a range of altered buildings of c. 1800. These included the mill-house and a bakery. Two of the
larger private houses are mentioned as 'good houses'
before the end of the 18th century, (fn. 18) but both have
been much altered; Glen House, immediately north
of the church, was for many years the home of the
Haymes family; The Yews, south-east of the church,
was probably the house occupied by George Cooper
at the time of the inclosure. (fn. 19) The Hall is an early19th-century stucco house with wide eaves, a threebowed front, and a curved verandah. It stands to
the east of the village in parklike grounds containing
a small lake. Stackley House, situated in a small
park on the northern boundary of the parish, is a
gabled brick building with stone dressings. It was
constructed, by making additions to an existing
farm-house, for G. V. L. Braithwaite (d. 1895), (fn. 20)
probably in the late 1850's. (fn. 21) It became the residence of J. R. Frisby (d. 1929) (fn. 22) in 1920. The
eastern wing of the house was added in 1931. (fn. 23)
Great Glen House and Great Glen Manor lie on
opposite sides of the main road on high ground in
the extreme south-east of the parish. Great Glen
House is a large mid-Victorian house and Great Glen
Manor was built in 1907 for R. W. Kaye by the
architect H. L. Goddard. (fn. 24)
In the northern part of the village are several
early- and mid-19th-century rows of cottages. Peep
Row in Main Street is a range of 10 dwellings said
to have been built for framework-knitters. It has
considerable architectural character, having large
chimneys and diagonally-glazed windows with
moulded hoods. (fn. 25) Cottages built in the later 19th
century appear to have been largely the work of the
lords of the manor and of Thomas Crick, a pioneer
of the shoe industry who lived in the house known as
Rupert's Rest after 1858. (fn. 26) A cottage pair in Main
Street has initials c.w.p. (Charles William Packe)
and the date 1846, while one in High Street is dated
1851. Five more in High Street were built by Charles
Packe in 1874. Thomas Crick's houses include Console Cottages, flanking the earlier Royal Oak Inn
in High Street, and a row in Main Street. Both are
dated 1874. Standing back from the main road between Great Glen and Oadby is Crick's Retreat, a
row of 10 stone-fronted dwellings. (fn. 27) It carries the
date 1870 and a plaque showing a shoe-maker at
work. At Hill Top, on the road to Burton Overy,
are late-19th- and early-20th-century houses and
several private residences built in the 1950's. There
is also some 20th-century development on the main
road and on the road to Stretton. At the junction of
Stretton Road and Oaks Road is a large Council
housing estate built after the Second World War.
William Hewett, lord of the manor during the
Civil War, was an active parliamentarian. (fn. 28) After
the battle of Naseby in 1645 the royalists were pursued as far as Great Glen, where the pursuit was
checked by a small body of royalist horse under the
Earl of Lichfield. (fn. 29) On the day after the battle the
main parliamentary army marched to Great Glen,
before attacking Leicester. (fn. 30)
MANOR.
In 1086 GLEN (later GREAT GLEN or
GLEN MAGNA) was held by Lovet and Alwin
from Hugh de Grentemesnil, who held from the
king. Lovet held 17 carucates and 2 bovates, with
the mill and 30 a. of meadow, while Alwin held one
carucate only. (fn. 31) On the death without male heirs of
Roger de Quency, Earl of Winchester, in 1264, it was
found that he was the chief lord of Great Glen, (fn. 32) and
it is probable that, like many other Leicestershire
manors, Glen passed from the son of Hugh de
Grentemesnil, Ivo, to the earls of Leicester, and
from them to their heirs, the earls of Winchester.
After 1264 the manor passed to Roger's daughter
and co-heir Ellen and her husband Alan la Zouche,
who was already holding Glen as under-tenant of
the Earl of Winchester. (fn. 33) Glen at this time seems to
have been considered as a member of the rather remote manor of Ashby-de-la-Zouch. (fn. 34) After the death
of Alan la Zouche, grandson of the Alan previously
mentioned, in 1314, the descent of the manor was
disputed. Alan's immediate heirs were his two
daughters, and in 1315 it was ordered that Glen
should be handed over to the younger of them,
Maud, and her husband Robert de Holand. (fn. 35) The
manor was, however, also claimed by William la
Zouche of Richard's Castle (Herefs.), who alleged
that the reversion had been settled on him in fee. (fn. 36)
In 1323, after Holand had temporarily forfeited his
lands for rebellion, (fn. 37) it was stated that he had distrained the tenants of the manor to do fealty to him,
but that they had continued to do service to William
la Zouche. (fn. 38) William's son Alan was still claiming
Glen in 1342, (fn. 39) but Robert de Holand at his death
was able to transmit the manor to his son, another
Robert, (fn. 40) from whom it eventually descended to
Maud, the younger Robert's granddaughter, and
her husband John Lovel. (fn. 41)
Under these tenants-in-chief the Martell family
were under-tenants in the 13th century. Eudo Martell possessed land at Glen about 1220, (fn. 42) and in
1265 William Martell, who had inherited land at
Glen from his father Ivo, (fn. 43) was said to possess 7
virgates in demesne and 14 in villeinage there. (fn. 44)
Robert Martell was still holding land at Glen in
1279, (fn. 45) but subsequently the male line of the Martell
family seems to have died out. In 1314 Glen was
being held by John and Peter, sons of one Reynold. (fn. 46)
Nothing further is known about the share of Glen
obtained by John, but Peter certainly held his portion in right of his wife Ela, (fn. 47) who may have been
an heiress of the Martell family. From Peter and Ela
the holding descended to their son Roger, who was
known as Roger Martel; his holding at Glen was
referred to as a manor in 1333. (fn. 48) Roger's son Henry
in turn inherited the manor, (fn. 49) and at his death in
1352 was holding it from Robert de Holand. (fn. 50)
Henry's two elder sons Alan and Thomas each inherited the manor in turn, but both died without
issue (fn. 51) and the manor passed to their brother John,
and after his death to his daughter Elizabeth, wife
of John Bonville. (fn. 52) John Bonville died in 1396 in
possession, jointly with his wife, of the manor, held
of John, Lord Lovel. (fn. 53) Bonville's heir was his son
William. (fn. 54) Elizabeth Bonville married secondly
Richard Stuckley, (fn. 55) who was holding the manor in
1421. (fn. 56) Presumably Elizabeth held the manor in
dower after Bonville's death. Some attempt seems to
have been made to settle the manor on the issue of
Elizabeth's marriage with Stuckley, (fn. 57) but this was
unsuccessful and in 1421 William Bonville regained
possession. (fn. 58) William, at his death in 1461, was
succeeded by his great-granddaughter Cicely, who
was married to Thomas Grey, Marquess of Dorset. (fn. 59)
Eventually the manor descended to Henry Grey,
Duke of Suffolk, the marquess's grandson, and it
fell to the Crown when the duke was attainted in
1554. (fn. 60) The manor was still in the queen's hands
in 1579, (fn. 61) but at some unknown date it was granted
away, and by about 1606 it had been acquired by a
Mr. Gilbert. (fn. 62) Gilbert sold the manor, before 1619,
to George Neale. (fn. 63) In 1633 Neale settled the manor
on his niece Frances and her husband William
Hewett, with reversion to their son Neale Hewett. (fn. 64)
On the death of Neale Hewett's descendant William
Hewett in 1766, Great Glen manor was inherited
by his grand-niece Dorothea, wife of Sir George
Robinson, (fn. 65) whose family possessed it until it was
sold in 1838 or 1839 to Charles William Packe, of
Prestwold. In 1956 the owner was Col. E. C. Packe. (fn. 66)
ECONOMIC HISTORY.
In 1086 there were in
Great Glen 20 socmen, 14 villeins, 6 bordars, and
2 serfs with 3 bondwomen. On the lord's demesne
were 3 ploughs, while the tenants had six. There
were 30 a. of meadow. The main holding of 17
carucates and 2 bovates was estimated to be worth
£6, while a smaller holding of one carucate was
valued at 5s. (fn. 67) In 1279 there were 2½ carucates in
demesne in the Martell fee, and 8½ carucates in
villeinage; there were also 5 free tenants each holding a virgate, and one holding half a virgate. (fn. 68) This
represents a considerable reduction in the number of
free landholders as compared with 1086, if the 20
socmen enumerated in Domesday Book can be considered as roughly equivalent to the later free
tenants. The small ratio which the demesne bore to
the land in villeinage suggests that the villein's
labour services on the demesne may have been relatively light. An inquisition taken in 1352 shows that
a triennial system for the rotation of crops had been
adopted, with one-third of the land lying fallow.
A separate pasture, estimated in the same inquisition
to be worth 6s. 8d., may have been inclosed. (fn. 69)
In 1272 the lord of the manor was granted the
right to hold a market at Glen on Mondays, and a
yearly fair on the vigil of St. Cuthbert's Day, the
day itself, and the morrow. (fn. 70) In 1348 a new royal
charter fixed Friday as market day and the vigil
day and morrow of St. Philip and St. James as the
period for the fair. (fn. 71) Neither the market nor the fair
survived, apparently, in 1792. (fn. 72)
Of the 22 taxpayers in Great Glen in 1381, the
most heavily taxed were Nicholas Waleys and his
wife Isabel, who paid 5s. Nicholas was described as
a 'franklyn' and was presumably a substantial freeholder. There were in addition 5 married couples,
who are described as 'holders of land', and 6 male
and 2 female 'servants'. John de Newton, a shepherd,
is the only person whose exact occupation is given.
As the landholders were only taxed at 1s. a head, the
average contribution for the whole population, they
were probably no more than small free tenants. (fn. 73)
In the Tudor period the manor changed hands
several times after the attainder of its lord, the Duke
of Suffolk, in 1554, and the possessions of religious
houses and guilds, to which a grant of property in
Glen had been made as late as 1495, (fn. 74) were sold by
the Crown. (fn. 75) It may have been at this time that the
manor-house ceased to exist. It had apparently disappeared by 1619, (fn. 76) and its site is unknown. There
is no evidence of any inclosure in the township at
this time, and in the 17th century, apart from the
open fields and common pastures, areas of heathland
still existed. (fn. 77)
The village fields were inclosed in accordance
with two Acts, one of 1758 for the North End fields
and one of 1759 for the South End fields. (fn. 78) It is not
clear why there were two separate Acts, which must
have added considerably to the expense. The initiative in presenting petitions for both Acts was taken
by William Hewett, lord of the manor and impropriator of the great tithes, Caleb Robinson, the vicar,
and a number of other landowners, of whom George
Cooper, Green Hodgkin, and Robert Haymes were
the most important. Hewett owned more than onesixth of the North End fields, and more than onequarter of the South End fields. (fn. 79) George Cooper
was allotted by the awards more than 130 a. in the
South End fields and 21 a. in the North End fields;
Hodgkin received 44 a. in the South End and 148 a.
in the North End fields. The smallest proprietor
amongst those supporting the petitions was John
Linthwait, who received 27 a. in the North End
fields. (fn. 80) Opposition to both Acts came largely from
those who possessed only a few acres. Among the
opponents was Christian Cooper, who possessed
1¾ yardland (fn. 81) and was awarded 28 a. (fn. 82) The other
13 opponents of the North End inclosure possessed
only 1¾ yardland between them. (fn. 83) The 7 opponents
of the South End inclosure possessed a total of 3
yardlands. (fn. 84) The total area inclosed in the North
End fields was 1,040 a., and in the South End fields,
931 a. In the South End fields William Hewett, as
impropriator, obtained in commutation of tithes
117 a. and a further 7 a. in lieu of the 'tithe pieces'
possessed by him. In the North End fields he obtained as tithe impropriator 134 a. As lord of the
manor Hewett was awarded 242 a. in the South End
fields and 185 a. in the North End fields. In compensation for the minor tithes, for two customary
payments known as garden penny and smoke penny,
and for Easter offerings, the vicar obtained under
each of the two Acts a yearly rent of £16, (fn. 85) which
was to be levied from all lands save those allotted
to the vicar and impropriator. The total cost of the
South End inclosure was £680 8s., and of the North
End inclosure, £534 18s. 6d. (fn. 86)
Many of those affected by inclosure for long continued to work holdings apparently too small to be
economic; in 1775 the freeholders at Great Glen
included David Grant, Thomas Terry, and James
Wright, (fn. 87) all three of whom obtained less than 10 a.
under the inclosure awards. The small-holders may
have engaged in domestic industry, particularly
framework-knitting, which was widespread in Great
Glen during the early 19th century. In 1831, and
again in 1846, it was stated that the population of
Great Glen consisted mostly of framework-knitters, (fn. 88)
while in 1830 a framework-knitter was in possession
of a freehold house and land, as were two woolcombers. (fn. 89) In 1958, however, there were no factories in Great Glen.
A mill was stated in 1086 to render 3s. yearly. (fn. 90)
In 1265 there was a watermill in Glen worth 15
marks yearly, (fn. 91) and in 1352 a windmill there was
valued at one mark yearly. (fn. 92) A watermill is mentioned again in 1521, (fn. 93) and a windmill in 1563. (fn. 94) At
the time of the inclosure the owners of the watermill at Glen were granted the right to spread the
scourings from the mill pool over certain land
allotted to William Hewett. (fn. 95) The watermill, east
of the village, still existed in 1885, (fn. 96) but by 1958 the
mill-house had become a private house. (fn. 97)
PARISH ADMINISTRATION.
Great Glen in
1802-3 kept a workhouse in which 14 persons were
relieved, and 48 adults and 43 children received outdoor relief. (fn. 98) There are surviving accounts of overseers (1785-1884, with gaps) and constables (1806-
18). (fn. 99) In 1802-3, 427 vagrants received relief. (fn. 1) In
1836 Great Glen with Great Stretton was included
in Billesdon Union. (fn. 2) The accounts of the surveyors
of the highways have survived for the years 1779-
1804, 1850-3, and 1854-7, (fn. 3) and of the churchwardens from 1783 to 1919. (fn. 4)
In 1894 a parish council was established with a
membership of 6 councillors; (fn. 5) it had the same
composition in 1958. (fn. 6)
CHURCH.
In 1140, Ralph Butler (pincerna)
granted the church of Great Glen to Alcester Abbey
(Warws.), (fn. 7) which retained the patronage until the
15th century. About 1220 it was stated that an
annual pension of 2 marks was paid to the Abbot of
Alcester by the rector. There was at that time also
a vicar, who paid a pension of 6 marks to the rector
but retained the remainder of the revenues. (fn. 8) Probably by grant of an early Earl of Leicester, (fn. 9) the
Norman abbey of St. Evroul (Orne) received twothirds of the tithes of Eudo Martell's demesne in
Great Glen. (fn. 10) In 1238 or 1239 a new rector was
instituted by Robert Grosseteste, Bishop of Lincoln,
under the authority of papal letters, (fn. 11) but in the
following year the rector was removed by the decree
of papal judges delegate and, after an inquest had
been held by the Archdeacon of Leicester, a new
rector was presented by the Abbot of Alcester. (fn. 12)
The displaced rector renounced his rights in return for a pension of 12 marks a year. (fn. 13) No further
details are available about this incident, which
was probably connected with Grosseteste's struggle to secure better clergy for the churches under
monastic patronage by closer episcopal control.
A later bishop, Richard Gravesend, was largely successful in the contest so far as concerned Great
Glen. In 1266 he ordained a vicarage there: Alcester
Abbey was to have the tithes of corn and hay in
Great Glen, and was to sustain the ordinary burdens
of the church, including an annual payment of half
a mark to the archdeacon; the vicar, to be presented
by the abbey on the nomination of the bishop, was
to have a house, all the glebe in Great Glen and
Great Stretton, the tithes of corn and hay in Great
Stretton, all offerings, and all other tithes. (fn. 14) In 1278
Alcester Abbey, in a letter undertaking to observe
the conditions laid down by Bishop Gravesend,
agreed that if the value of their tithes of corn and
hay was found to exceed 20 marks in average years,
the excess should be handed over for the vicar's use. (fn. 15)
There is evidence that Gravesend's regulations for
the presentation of the vicars were in fact carried
out. (fn. 16) Little change can have been caused at Great
Glen by the control exercised over Alcester by
Evesham Abbey from 1465 onwards, though from
that date Evesham Abbey acted as patron. (fn. 17)
At the Dissolution the rights of Evesham Abbey
passed to the Crown, though in 1544 the presentation was made by Richard Schiplowe, of Norton
near Evesham, by virtue of a grant made by the
abbey before the Dissolution. (fn. 18) When the next
vacancy arose, in 1546, the Crown presented, (fn. 19) and
in May 1550 Glen rectory was sold to Thomas
Reve, Henry Herdson, and John Johnson, three
Londoners who were prominant speculators in
monastic property. (fn. 20) It was bought by Erasmus
Smith of Somerby at some time before 1557, in
which year he presented a new vicar. (fn. 21) From
Erasmus Smith the advowson passed to George
Neale, who was patron in 1625, (fn. 22) and subsequently
descended with the manor. (fn. 23) In 1951 the patron was
Col. E. C. Packe. (fn. 24)
The net annual value of the rectory in 1254 was
13 marks, and in 1291, 17 marks. (fn. 25) There is little
evidence on the later value of the rectory until the
16th century, when it came into lay hands. (fn. 26) The
lay impropriator at the time of the inclosure of the
open fields (1758-9) received 258 a. in compensation
for the great tithes. The gross annual value of the
vicarage was £11 18s. 2d. in 1266, £8 in 1291, and
£12 14s. in 1535. (fn. 27) At the time of inclosure (1758-9)
the vicar was compensated for the loss of small
tithes by an annual rent-charge of £16. The vicarage
was valued at £280 a year in 1877 and £400 in
1936. (fn. 28)
In 1546 two Londoners purchased from the Crown
a small toft which had hitherto supplied an annual
revenue of 6d. for the maintenance of a lamp in Glen
church. (fn. 29)
The church of ST. CUTHBERT stands near the
main Leicester to Market Harborough road at the
north-east corner of the village. It consists of a
chancel with a small north vestry, nave, north aisle,
south porch, and west tower. It was almost entirely
rebuilt, with the exception of the tower, in 1876.
The modern vestry contains two carved stones
thought to be of pre-Conquest date, one perhaps of
the 8th century. (fn. 30) There is another fragment in the
external wall of the north aisle near the doorway.
Built into the south wall inside the porch is the
'Kobia' stone, so called because of the few letters
of an inscription which can be traced upon it. The
circular font, for part of the 19th century abandoned
in a neighbouring garden, (fn. 31) is probably of the 12th
century and there are fragments of original 12thcentury masonry in the reconstructed south doorway. In other respects the medieval church, which
survived until 1876, appears to have been mainly of
the late 13th and early 14th centuries. The tower is
of four stages with a Geometrical west window at the
lowest stage and forking tracery to the belfry lights.
Until c. 1760 it was surmounted by a spire. (fn. 32) Small
openings to light the ringing chamber are probably
18th-century insertions. The clock dates from 1847. (fn. 33)
The late-13th-century north arcade of four bays has
been preserved intact. The composite piers have
four half-round shafts with bold fillets and doubleroll bases and the pointed arches of two chamfered
orders rest on moulded capitals. In the easternmost
spandril is a rood-loft opening. The north aisle contains an original piscina in its east wall. Heraldic
glass in a north-east window was still in existence
at the end of the 18th century and was then thought
to date from the time of Henry III. (fn. 34)
The south wall of the nave previously contained
two large 14th-century windows, the jambs of which
have been preserved. The former nave roof was of
low pitch and at some period, perhaps after the
Reformation, small square-headed windows had
been inserted below the eaves. The chancel had a
square-headed east window, probably of the 16th
century or later. All these features were swept away
in 1876.
Visitations in 1620 (fn. 35) and 1639 (fn. 36) revealed the need
for repairs to the fabric and changes in the seating
arrangements. Towards the end of the 18th century
the interior was in very bad condition. (fn. 37) A visitor to
the church described the walls as 'green from
copious streams of water' and broken benches were
said to 'lie in all directions, richly adorned with the
labours of spiders'. (fn. 38) A general refitting of the interior appears to have taken place in 1813, described
60 years later as 'ignorant carpentering and mutilation'. (fn. 39) In 1832 the chancel had recently been repaired by the patron and in general the mid-19thcentury reports on the fabric were satisfactory. (fn. 40) A
drawing of 1875 (fn. 41) shows that the church was fitted
with box pews and a three-decker pulpit, while the
low plaster ceilings to the nave and chancel were
divided by an elliptical arch carrying the royal
arms.
The rebuilding of 1876, largely inspired by H. L.
Dodds, vicar, cost approximately £3,000, the required sum being made up by Charles Packe. (fn. 42) The
architects were Carpenter and Ingelow of London.
The tower and the north arcade were left in position
and the north aisle was reconstructed on its old
foundations, using some of the original masonry.
The rest of the church was rebuilt, the walls being
of granite and the style Decorated. A vestry was
added on the north side of the chancel. The floors
were lowered, the roofs raised, the tower arch was
opened up, a gallery was removed, and a parapet
was added to the tower. An organ was installed and
the interior of the church was refitted, chairs being
provided to take the place of pews. During the work
traces of damage by burning were discovered, but
the date of the fire is unknown. In 1909 a new organ
was installed. (fn. 43) The oak chancel fittings and the
tower screen were given as a memorial of the Second
World War. (fn. 44)
There were formerly numerous inscribed floor
slabs dating from the 18th century. (fn. 45) Many of them
were taken up and used to pave the tower in 1876.
Mural tablets now in the church include those to
members of the Haymes family (1819-72), to
Charles Packe of Stretton Hall (d. 1896), to Elizabeth
H. Rowley of Glen House (d. 1917), and to members of the Walker family of Glen Hall (1910-25).
Memorial glass in the east windows of the chancel
and aisle were given in memory of members of the
Walker family in 1910 and 1926 and of the extension
to the churchyard in 1922. There are six bells: (i)
1909, in memory of the Revd. W. J. Packe; (ii), (iv),
and (v) 1785, by Edward Arnold of Leicester and
St. Neots; (iii) 1625; (vi) recast with (ii) in 1898,
undated but thought to have been by John of Stafford of Leicester c. 1340. The original five bells
were re-hung in 1898. (fn. 46) The church plate includes
a silver chalice, paten, and flagon of 1760, purchased
with a bequest by Anne Hewett who died in that
year. There are also silver dishes of 1826 and 1845,
the latter presented by Robert Haymes in 1846, and
a silver chalice given in 1876 by friends of the Revd.
H. L. Dodds. With the plate is a large silver loving
cup of 1835, inscribed and presented by Dodds in
1859 for use at the feast of the dedication. (fn. 47) The
registers begin in 1687 and are complete. (fn. 48)
NONCONFORMITY.
In 1712 10-12 Presbyterians, 3 Anabaptists, and 3 Quakers were reported
in Great Glen and Great Stretton. (fn. 49) In 1714, 1716,
1717, 1718, 1719, and 1726 six different houses in
Great Glen were licensed as meeting-houses for
dissenters. (fn. 50) The Wesleyans built a chapel here in
1827 which still stands. A larger Methodist chapel
was erected in 1879. (fn. 51)
SCHOOLS.
In 1636 an Oxford graduate made his
subscription as a schoolmaster at Great Glen and
his school later sent 2 boys to Cambridge. (fn. 52) The next
private schools of which evidence has survived were
reported in 1833. (fn. 53) Three infant schools (21 children), a day school (40 children), and a boarding
school (15 children) were running in the early 19th
century. The boarding school belonged to William
Edgley. (fn. 54)
Great Glen Church School was erected in 1846
by the lord of the manor, C. W. Packe of Prestwold
Hall. It was under inspection by 1862, (fn. 55) though it
does not seem to have received grants in 1870 and
1871. (fn. 56) The total number in attendance in 1910 was
108. (fn. 57) The school was confined to juniors in 1931,
the seniors going to Oadby. (fn. 58) Seventy juniors were
attending the school in 1933. (fn. 59) In 1947 the school
accepted 'controlled' status under the local authority,
and in 1957 the attendance of juniors and infants
was 128. (fn. 60)
The Wesleyan chapel in the middle of the 19th
century ran a day school for girls at Great Glen
which appears to have been supported by Mrs.
C. W. Packe. (fn. 61) Glen Preparatory School for girls
in Glen Manor was opened in September 1957 by
the staff of a school evacuated from Egypt at the
time of the Suez crisis. (fn. 62)
CHARITIES.
The Town Lands Charity was established before 1666 with a gift of land, the rents from
which were to be used for the repair of the parish
church, roads, and bridges, and for the relief of the
poor. Its endowment of 16 a. was created by an
allotment made under the inclosure Act of 1759. (fn. 63)
William Hewett, by will proved in 1766, left £100
to be invested for the benefit of poor apprentices in
Great Glen. (fn. 64) Catherine Haymes at an unknown
date before 1786 bequeathed £50 to be invested and
the profits distributed among poor widows of the
parish. (fn. 65) By a Scheme of the Charity Commissioners,
dated 1875, these three charities were amalgamated
and their revenue divided into four parts: Church
branch, Town branch, Poor branch, and Apprentices' branch. The rents of the town lands were to
be divided equally among the first three branches;
Haymes's charity revenue was added to the Poor
branch; and Hewett's constituted the sole revenue
of the Apprentices' branch. (fn. 66) This Scheme, although
slightly altered by later Schemes of the Commissioners in 1911 and 1919, was still in force in
1957. (fn. 67)
In 1871 Thomas Crick established an almshouse,
Crick's Retreat, in memory of his wife Elizabeth and
his son John Throne Crick. The building consists
of a single block of 10 houses about half a mile outside Great Glen on the road to Oadby. Free residence
was to be provided for relatives of the founder and
aged inhabitants of Great Glen, but in 1957 all the
houses were let for small rents. The founder's endowment of land was regulated by a Charity Commissioners' Scheme of 1930, altered in 1950. (fn. 68) In
1957 each resident still received certain weekly
allowances which were supplied by the rents of two
farms at Gilmorton. (fn. 69)
In 1876 H. L. Dodds, Vicar of Great Glen 1855-
86, gave £200 stock and £42 cash to be realized and
invested in land. Two-thirds of the income from
this endowment was to be applied for the benefit of
members of the church choir. The remaining third
was to be given to young mothers who were churchwomen, on the birth of a first child. In 1890 the
greater part of the stock then held was sold and land
in Church Lane Close bought with the proceeds.
Rent was allowed to accumulate and then invested,
and in 1932 the trustees held £186 stock, worth £6
yearly, as well as the land. (fn. 70) In 1957 the income of
the charity was £10 10s. (fn. 71)
Two gifts to the parish reported in 1786 had been
lost by 1837. Joan (d. 1665), the widow of Sir
Richard Halford, left £40 for the distribution of
bread, and Bridget Allen £50 for the use of the poor. (fn. 72)
GREAT STRETTON
Great Stretton lies five miles south-east of
Leicester on the Gartree road. For ecclesiastical
purposes, it has remained a chapelry of Great Glen
parish but it has been independent for civil purposes
since the late 18th century at least. Its area was
703 a., of which 8 a. were transferred to Oadby U.D.
in 1936. (fn. 73)
The village, which has disappeared, stood in the
fields to the south of the Gartree road, and to the
south and south-east of the parish church, which
remains an isolated building. The parish contains
Stretton Hall on its southern boundary and only two
farm-houses, Cotterill Farm on its northern boundary and Harris's Farm by the side of the Gartree
road and opposite the church. (fn. 74) Before the Second
World War there was another farm-house, Stretton
Lodge, but this was demolished to allow the construction of Stoughton Aerodrome (Leicester East)
in 1942 when about 180 a. of the parish were included; this involved closing the road from Great
Stretton to Houghton Lodge. The village was never
large. There were 21 taxpayers in 1381. (fn. 75) It contained 15 households in 1563, but only 5 in 1670.
There were 14 communicants in 1676. The total
population in the 19th century ranged between 17
in 1821 and 42 in 1861. The population in 1931 was
56. Since 1932 the population has been affected by
the use of Stretton Hall as a hospital (see below).
The population of 231 in 1951 included over 100
patients at the hall and a few dozen soldiers on the
airfield. (fn. 76)
The land consists largely of boulder clay with
small patches of glacial sands and gravels, and is
almost entirely devoted to pasture. Several fields in
the parish are attached to farms in other parishes
(e.g. Houghton Lodge and Little Stretton Manor)
and many are farmed as part of the estate of the Cooperative Wholesale Society Ltd., which succeeded
to the Powys-Keck estate in 1919. (fn. 77) There are
fairly extensive tracts of Lower Lias clays along the
River Sence which forms the eastern boundary of
the parish, and a certain amount of alluvium in the
valley bottom where the medieval meadows lay.
Most of the parish lies between 350 and 400 ft.
above sea-level, in undulating country.
Harris's Farm was probably built in 1803 (fn. 78) and
Cotterill Farm is still later in date. Stretton Hall
stands in a small park in which the trees are said to
have been planted by William Hewett (d. 1766) in
imitation of St. Peter's colonnade at Rome. (fn. 79) The
house has been much altered at various dates. The
oldest part consists of a rectangular structure of
reddish-purple brick with moulded stone architraves
to the windows. It is of two stories and attics, having
long fronts facing east and west and a double gable
at each end. It was probably built by George Hewett
who died in 1690 and was buried in the parish
church. (fn. 80) The Hewetts were not resident in the
parish in 1670, (fn. 81) although they had an extensive
property here, so that the house is likely to have been
started between 1670 and 1690. The principal front,
facing east, was evidently remodelled and raised to
three stories at a slightly later date. It is of a uniform red brick with a heavy modillion cornice and is
surmounted by a central stone pediment in which are
the arms of Hewett impaling Jesson. This suggests
that it was built by George Hewett (1664-1714),
nephew of the earlier George, whose wife was Penelope, daughter of Sir William Jesson. (fn. 82) He apparently
moved to Great Stretton after his uncle's death in
1690. (fn. 83) The date 1715 scratched on the brickwork
near the doorway may indicate that the rebuilding
was undertaken late in his life and completed after
he died. Two boldly projecting bays have been
added to the front, possibly in the early 19th century
when much of the interior was refitted. The house
was considerably enlarged in 1898 or 1899 by the
Packe family. (fn. 84) It was sold by Col. E. C. Packe, to
whom it had descended with the manor, to the
Leicestershire County Council in 1930. In 1932 it
was opened as a hospital by the Leicestershire and
Rutland Joint Board for the Mentally Defective.
Three wards have been added to the original house,
two in 1937 and one about 1954. In 1948 the hospital
came under the Ministry of Health and was run as
part of Glenfrith Hospital (Anstey) under the
Sheffield Hospital Board. (fn. 85)
There is a large moated area about 200 yds.
south of the parish church. This consists of an
island about 44 yds. in length from east to west and
35 yds. in width from north to south, surrounded
by a deep moat which is now dry. Between here and
the church is a large pond which supplied the moat,
and below the moat is a smaller pond which would
drain it if required. Mr. Tailby, who visited the site
in 1796 and reported on it to Nichols, (fn. 86) surmised
that this was where the chantry chapel founded by
Robert de Stretton stood, but this is known to have
been in the parish church (see below). The site
appears to be that of a small medieval hall-house,
possibly connected with the Strettons or Herricks,
but there are no certain documentary references to
it at any time, and no trace of any structural remains
upon it. It may have been the capital messuage of
which Henry Kebell died seised in 1571. (fn. 87) The
house no longer existed in 1670 when the hearth tax
assessment was made.
MANOR.
In the Domesday Survey, in which Stretton is listed as belonging to the soke of Great Bowden, it is stated that there were 9 carucates of arable
land, and 10 a. of meadow in Stretton, all held by
the king. The Survey does not distinguish between
Great and Little Stretton. (fn. 88) Land in Stretton was
held by Roger de Quency, Earl of Winchester, as
part of the honor of Winchester, at his death in
1264. (fn. 89) Since the honor of Winchester was formed
from lands formerly held by the earls of Leicester,
it is probable that Stretton, after the death of Robert
FitzParnell in 1204, passed to the earls of Winchester.
After the death of Roger de Quency without male
heirs the overlordship of Stretton was held for a time
by his widow in dower, (fn. 90) and subsequently passed
first to the family of Ferrers of Groby, (fn. 91) who were
the heirs of Roger through his daughter Margaret, and
then, again through an heiress, to Grey of Groby. (fn. 92)
The information regarding the tenants in demesne of Great Stretton is less definite. It is not
always easy to distinguish between the lands in
Great Stretton and those in Little Stretton, but it
seems that the lands of the honor of Winchester in
Stretton constituted Great Stretton. In 1271 Stretton was held from Roger de Quency by William
Burdett, (fn. 93) but since Stretton was only part of the 4
knights' fees which Burdett held of the honor of
Winchester, it is uncertain whether he was the
tenant in demesne. In 1279 2 carucates in Stretton
were held, as 1/7 knight's fee, from the heirs of Roger
de Quency by Thomas de Hendi, under whom
again the land was held by 3 under-tenants, (fn. 94) so
that by the late 13th century Stretton was subinfeudated to a high degree. In the 14th and 15th
centuries Great Stretton was held from Ferrers of
Groby by the family of Zouche of Haringworth, (fn. 95) who
were probably not the tenants in demesne at any
time. In 1435 the manor of GREAT STRETTON
was in the hands of Sir John Grey of Ingleby, who
had obtained it through his wife Margaret, daughter
of Roger Swillington. (fn. 96) In 1500 Thomas Kebell
died seised of 2 messuages and 4½ virgates in Great
Stretton, which were held of Lord Zouche of
Haringworth by fealty, other services not being
known. (fn. 97) These lands descended to his great-grandson Henry Kebell, who died in 1571. (fn. 98) Henry Kebell left two daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret,
who took the property into other families. Elizabeth
married Anthony Colly of Glooston, and in 1587
and 1590 the two were disposing of much, if not all,
of this land. (fn. 99)
The later descent of the manor is not clear, but
part of it at least seems to have come to Sir Edward
Heron, serjeant-at-law, and Roger Smith, of Somerby, who were selling lands in Stretton in 1604-5. (fn. 1)
The buyers were John and Bartholomew Fletcher,
Robert Bale, Thomas Coleman, and John Waldram,
the last being the largest purchaser. He bought
property in Great and Little Stretton and Great
Glen for £240 and sold it to Richard Halford in 1621
for £320. (fn. 2)
Great Stretton is described in 1611 as being held
of the king, as of the honor of Winchester, by
Bartholomew Fletcher, Robert Bale, and William
Gamble. (fn. 3) The property was divided between several
owners during the 17th century. Some time in the
century, possibly before 1645 when he presented to
the living, the manor of Great Stretton was acquired
by William Hewett, of Dunton Basset, in whose
family it remained until 1766. (fn. 4) The lordship then
passed, through the heiress of the last William
Hewett, to Sir George Robinson, Bt., from whose
descendant it was purchased in 1838 or 1839 by
Charles William Packe, M.P., of Prestwold. (fn. 5) The
owner in 1956 was Col. E. C. Packe of Great Glen.
ECONOMIC HISTORY.
As related above, Stretton formed one estate in 1086 and the early history
of the two townships of Great and Little Stretton is
closely intermingled from Domesday onwards.
Whether there were two distinct settlements in 1086
cannot be known with certainty, but it is clear that
Great and Little Stretton became separate townships
by the later 12th century. Great Stretton was
attached to Great Glen as a chapelry, and Little
Stretton to King's Norton. Both Stretton churches
show structural evidence of having been first erected
c. 1150-75. Whether the two villages had only one
set of open fields between them originally is also
uncertain, but later evidence from glebe terriers
(1674-90) (fn. 6) suggests that this may have been so and
that this arrangement may have persisted after the
separation of the townships for ecclesiastical purposes. Part of the glebe of Great Stretton lay in the
Nether Field of Little Stretton, and one of the open
fields was called 'Ming Field', which the glebe
terriers of Little Stretton (fn. 7) also refer to as 'the
mingled field' or 'Stock Field'. This suggests that
one field at least was common to both parishes as
late as the 17th century.
Great Stretton is first referred to as such in 1275, (fn. 8)
but in the early 14th century it was already the
smaller of the two townships, paying 18s. 3d. to the
15th in 1327 as against 24s. from Little Stretton.
In 1332 the two villages paid 28s. and 38s. respectively; (fn. 9) and in 1334 the assessments to the 15th were
fixed at 29s. and 38s. respectively. (fn. 10) In 1327 8 persons were assessed at Great Stretton; in 1332, 10.
The slight increase in the 1334 assessment suggests
that one or two taxpayers had evaded the assessment
two years earlier. This gives a total of perhaps 12
taxable households at this date.
The Heyricks were the most important family
resident in the village at this time. They were substantial free tenants, (fn. 11) possibly of Danish origin,
their name being derived from the Danish personal
name of Erik, which is also found in other Leicestershire villages. They are first mentioned by name at
Great Stretton in 1274, (fn. 12) when Richard Heirek is
described as a clerk. He is similarly described in
1309. (fn. 13) In 1327 and 1332 the two Heyricks paid
between them about one-third of the 15th for the
whole village. Robert Heyrick, usually called Robert
de Stretton (d. 1385), consecrated Bishop of
Coventry and Lichfield in 1360, was a member of
this family and held a considerable estate in the
parish. William Lawet occurs as 'bailiff of the bishop'
in the poll tax of 1381. (fn. 14) Another branch of the
family continued to hold land in Great Stretton
until the 15th century, but lived elsewhere. This
branch is traditionally said to have moved to
Houghton on the Hill during that century, (fn. 15) whence
they founded the important family of Heyrick of
Leicester in the early 16th century, and subsequently Heyrick of Beaumanor.
The poll tax assessment for 1381 lists 21 taxable
persons at Great Stretton, each paying 1s. There
were 8 married couples, each described as 'holder
of land at will', and 5 others, one being the bishop's
bailiff, 2 the bishop's servants, and 2 described
simply as 'servant'. (fn. 16) This would suggest about 9
or 10 households in the village at this date, but the
return of 1381 is notoriously defective. In 1445 the
assessment for the 15th was cut from 29s. to 20s.,
reflecting a fall in taxable capacity (and probably in
population) of nearly one-third. Little Stretton was
similarly cut from 38s. to 26s. (fn. 17) but the surrounding
villages were much less impoverished. The two
Strettons stand out sharply in this respect. They
may have been more severely struck by the successive outbreaks of plague, as they lay on a wellused traffic-route from the south-east into Leicestershire and the risk of infection would have been
correspondingly greater.
The subsidy assessment of 1524 lists only 4 taxpayers at Great Stretton but this is obviously not
a complete return. (fn. 18) In an undated muster list (c.
1540) Great Stretton produced as many able-bodied
men as Little Stretton (5 each), and each township
was required to find horse and harness for one man. (fn. 19)
In 1563 the population of the chapelry of Great
Stretton was returned as 15 households (fn. 20) and an
examination of the parish register (which begins in
1585) suggests that this may have been an accurate
figure, as 9 married couples were producing children
between 1585 and 1605.
The disappearance of the village long before
Nichols's day, when it consisted of only two farmhouses, besides the hall and the church, (fn. 21) may be
attributed to the early inclosure of its open fields
and their conversion in large part to pastures for
sheep and cattle. Curtis and others say that the inclosure took place in 1611, a statement for which no
authority can be found other than a vague remark by
Nichols. (fn. 22) In fact, the process of inclosure and conversion has been a gradual and piecemeal one, extending over some two hundred years. Thomas
Kebell's will (1500) mentions the 'inclosures and
approvements' he had made on his property at
Great Stretton. (fn. 23) A glebe terrier of 1686 (fn. 24) refers to
a rate-tithe or modus of 48s. yearly 'payable out of
grounds in Great Stretton called Keeble Close and
the meadows thereunto belonging', which the tithe
award of 1849 (fn. 25) reveals as 178½ a. then belonging to
Charles William Packe, and constituting the Stretton
Hall estate. Thus there was a considerable inclosure
for pasture in Great Stretton, amounting to something under 178 a. (allowing for the meadows), before the end of the 15th century. The inventory of
John Marshall, a Great Stretton yeoman who died
in 1541, (fn. 26) shows that he, too, was a considerable
grazier, with 20 kine, a bull, 10 young beasts, and
200 sheep. He also had 34 a. under wheat, barley,
and rye in one of the open fields, and 30 a. under
peas and beans in the other. He may have rented
some or all of the Kebell pastures at this date for
his cattle and sheep; but he was also a substantial
open-field farmer with something like 100 a. under
arable. His inventory suggests, too, that Great Stretton was under a three-field system, possibly managed
in common with Little Stretton. Thomas Eyton (or
Eaton), who died in 1547, was a smaller and more
typical open-field farmer. His inventory (fn. 27) shows no
cattle except 'the draught beasts' and no sheep. His
crops in the fields were 1½ a. of wheat, ¾ a. of rye,
and 7 a. of barley, all in one field; and 12 a. of peas
and beans in the other. He occupied a farm of 2
virgates, one of the four farms with which the
chantry (see below) had been endowed by Robert
Stretton or Heyrick in the 14th century. He was a
tenant at will, occupying from year to year at an
annual rent of 23s. 4d. (fn. 28)
The parish register shows that the population of
Great Stretton was well-maintained until towards the
middle of the 17th century. From 1585 to 1604 there
were 27 baptisms, an average of 13.5 each decade;
and in the decade 1625-34 there were still 13. The
registers were badly kept after 1640 (with a complete
gap between 1643 and 1661) and when they resume
the population appears to have about halved. Between 1690 and 1700 there were only 7 baptisms.
The hearth tax assessment of 1670 shows that there
were only 5 taxable houses at that date, with none
exempt. (fn. 29) The population was now only one-third
of what it had been in 1563, and the major part of
the decline had taken place after 1635. It is to the
years between about 1640 and 1670 that we must
probably attribute the completion of the inclosure
of the open fields. The glebe terrier of 1674 (fn. 30) shows
that 11 a. of the glebe were then inclosed (including
'an old inclosure') and only about 4½ a. were still
left in strips in the Ming Field and the Nether
Field of Little Stretton. Of the portion still uninclosed, part at least lay in Little Stretton, which
was not inclosed until 1771, and fully one-half of
this, too, was in ley. Thus the inclosure and conversion from arable to pasture at Great Stretton was
virtually completed by 1670, but the inventory of
John Bellamy, husbandman, made in 1679, (fn. 31) shows
that some arable was still preserved. The greater
part of his wealth lay in his horses, sheep, and cattle
(£113 10s.), but his crops were not inconsiderable,
the hay, peas, wheat, barley, and oats being worth
£37 10s. in all.
Great Stretton continued to dwindle throughout
the 18th century; from 4 or 5 farms in 1670 it was all
engrossed into two. By 1801 the parish contained
only the hall and 2 tenant-farming households, a total
of 22 persons. In 1821 the population had fallen to
17, but it rose again thereafter to reach a maximum
of 42 in 1861. Probably as a result of this temporary
increase, the church, which had fallen almost into
ruins, was rebuilt in 1838 (see below). The increase
may have been connected with a temporary expansion of the arable area. The tithe award of 1849
shows that 76 per cent. of the land of the parish was
under pasture and only 20 per cent. arable. George
Anthony Legh Keck, of Stoughton Grange, then
owned 344 a. in Great Stretton; Charles William
Packe, lord of the manor, 180 a.; the trustees of
Alderman Newton's Charity, Leicester, 120 a.; the
trustees of James Morpott, 17 a.; and the glebe
amounted to 21 a. (fn. 32) The tithes of Great Stretton
belonged to the Vicar of Great Glen and were commuted for a gross rent-charge of £116 7s. 3d. After
1861 the population of Great Stretton fell again as
more arable was re-converted to pasture, particularly
during the agricultural depression of the eighties
and nineties, and an arable field became a rare sight. (fn. 33)
In the First and Second World Wars much pasture
was again broken up for arable, but the population
of the parish was only 56 in 1931. (fn. 34)
PARISH ADMINISTRATION.
Great Stretton,
though part of the parish of Great Glen, appears to
have been administering its own poor law by the
late 18th century, and possibly earlier. In 1802-3
1 child received out-relief. (fn. 35) After 1836, with Great
Glen, Great Stretton was in Billesdon Union. (fn. 36)
CHURCH.
It was stated c. 1220 (fn. 37) that the chapel
of Great Stretton was served three days a week
from the mother church of Great Glen, (fn. 38) to which
the chapel has ever since been subject. In 1266,
when a vicarage was ordained at Great Glen, the
tithes and glebe of Stretton chapel were assigned
to the vicar. (fn. 39) In 1283 the Abbot of Owston
acknowledged Stretton chapel as the property of
Alcester Abbey (Warws.), in return for an annual
pension of 40s. (fn. 40) The origin of Owston Abbey's
rights in Great Stretton has not been discovered, but
it may well be connected with the abbey's patronage
of King's Norton church, (fn. 41) to which Little Stretton
was subject.
In 1378 licence was granted to Robert de Stretton
to alienate in mortmain lands and rents to the yearly
value of £10 for the establishment of a chantry at
Stretton where two clerks were to pray for the souls
of Edward III and Edward, Prince of Wales. (fn. 42) The
chantry was endowed with lands in Stretton (fn. 43) and
established in the chapel of St. Giles. (fn. 44) After the
Dissolution the chantry lands were sold in 1548 for
£138 13s. 4d. to William Gyes and Michael Purefoy. (fn. 45) In a dispute c. 1555 it was stated that a messuage which formerly belonged to the chantry had
passed to John Beaumont and from him to Mr.
Stokes (fn. 46) (perhaps Adrian Stokes, husband of the
dowager Duchess of Suffolk). (fn. 47) This messuage was
part of the property in the tenure of John Gaylarde
which was expressly excluded from the grant to
Gyes and Purefoy. (fn. 48)
In 1518 Robert Cowper of Great Stretton left 8d.
for the repair of the high altar, and 4d. for the repair
of 'the altar of St. Nicholas within the said chapel'.
This is the only known mention of this altar. In 1541
John Marshall left 20s. to the chapel of Stretton,
6s. 8d. to the repair of 'the stone bridge in the high
way' (over the River Sence), and 20d. 'to the stone
cross that was lately cast down'. (fn. 49) In 1526 Thomas
Eyton, churchwarden, reported that the roof of the
church needed repair and also that the churchyard
was not sufficiently enclosed. (fn. 50) In 1619 (fn. 51) and 1639
seats, leads, windows, the churchyard fence, the
font, and the communion table were the subject of
unfavourable reports. In 1640 Walter Allen, churchwarden, testified that the defects noted in 1639 had
been made good. (fn. 52) General repairs ordered in 1776
and 1797 suggest that in the late 18th century the
church was in a bad condition. (fn. 53) In 1838 Archdeacon
Bonney recorded that the body of the church had
been rebuilt in that year and that he had not visited
it before as it had been in a state of dilapidation. His
visitation of 1842 gives a detailed account of the
fabric, furniture, books, and churchyard. (fn. 54)
The church of ST. GILES stands in a small
churchyard in the fields to the south of the Gartree
road. It consists of a low, battlemented western
tower, a nave and chancel all of one piece, and a south
porch. It is largely built of a soft and badly weathered
ironstone, with some limestone dressings in the
tower and some old brickwork in the porch. The
body of the church was rebuilt in 1838 and there are
now few traces of older work. The inner south doorway has a fragment of 12th-century work round the
head, and another fragment with chevron ornament
is built into the south wall of the nave immediately
east of the porch. The tower is original 14th-century
work, probably repaired in the 17th century. The
body of the medieval church, like the present one,
consisted of a nave and chancel all of one piece,
having two early-14th-century windows on the south
side. (fn. 55) Parts of these window-heads have been built
into the new south wall and some slightly earlier
plate tracery is incorporated in the north wall. The
original north doorway, now blocked, is in position.
The present windows, which are pointed and have
small leaded panes of clear glass, date from 1838.
The south porch was partly rebuilt in 1958. The
church contains a good early-14th-century octagonal
font, the panels carved with Decorated window
tracery of various designs. The fittings, which include turned altar rails, a two-decker pulpit, and
plain box pews, are of 1838. There are no monuments except a floor slab to George Hewett of
Great Stretton, who died 30 August, 1690. There
is only one bell in the tower, cast in 1791 by Edward
Arnold of Leicester and St. Neots. (fn. 56)
The registers begin in 1585 and are largely complete. (fn. 57) The church plate is Victorian and was given
by Lt.-Col. King, who resided at Stretton Hall in
the middle decades of the 19th century. (fn. 58)
NONCONFORMITY.
None known.
SCHOOL.
None known.
CHARITIES.
None known.