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A-Z OF THE AREA A roundup
AN A TO Z OF Rutland & Stamford
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We’re celebrating the area this month with an alphabet of history, heritage, nature and culture. From history to horseshoes, Rutland has so many great stories, legacies, traditions and so many great people. This month we’re putting great meaning to the county motto ‘multum in parvo...’
A is for Almshouses. Almshouses are referred to as hospitals and is a house founded by charity, offering accommodation for poor people. Stamford has two almshouses that remain; Browne’s Hospital and Lord Burghley’s Hospital. The most imposing, Lord Burghley’s, was founded and endowed in 1597 by William Cecil for 13 poor men, one of whom was to serve as warder. B is for Burghley. How could we leave Burghley off this list? Burghley is one of the largest and grandest surviving houses of the 16th Century and a magnificent example of the great Elizabethan ‘prodigy’ houses. Conceived by William Cecil, Lord High Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth I between 1555 and 1587, Burghley is a testament to the ambition and vision of the most powerful courtier of the first Elizabethan age. C is for Castle. The Great Hall of Oakham Castle is the finest surviving example of Norman domestic architecture in Europe. It was built between 1180 and 1190. The surviving structure is the impressive Great Hall of the Castle used for banquets. D is for Daniel Lambert. Daniel was a gaol keeper and animal breeder in the 18th century famous for his unusually large size. He was a keen sportsman and extremely strong; on one occasion he fought a bear in the streets of Leicester. He was widely respected for his expertise with dogs, horses and fighting cocks. In 1809, he died suddenly in Stamford. He weighed 52 stone and 11 pounds, and his coffin required 112 square feet of wood!
Main: Normanton Church, Rutland. This lovely little church was rescued by the people of Rutland before the valley was flooded. Words: Tilly Wilkinson.
E is for Empingham. Empingham is one of the many pretty villages dotted around Rutland. It lies close to Rutland Water. During construction, Rutland Water was originally know as Empingham Reservoir but it was renamed to preserve the name of the county as it merged with Leicestershire. The Battle of Empingham was fought in 1470 as part of the Wars of the Roses. F is for Fly Fishing. The sport is prolific around these parts! It’s an angling method in which an artificial fly is used to catch fish. Casting a nearly weightless fly requires casting techniques significantly different from other forms of casting.
G is for George. The exact age of The George of Stamford is unknown, but it’s likely to have existed in some form for over 1,000 years. The Great North Road was a popular highway for centuries, used by the Ancient Britons, Romans, Anglo-Saxons and Normans. The venue provided a break from the long and weary travel south/north.
H is for Horseshoes. It remains a unique tradition that peers of the realm should forfeit a horse shoe to the Lord of the Manor of Oakham on their first visit. 230 shoes now decorate the walls of Oakham Castle.
Above: The stones of Stamford are certainly a highlight. Right: Tolethorpe Hall hosts Shakespeare productions (usually). Opposite: U is for Uppingham!
I is for Independence. Rutland is now an independent county but it hasn’t always been so. From 1974 until 1997, Rutland was part of the county of Leicestershire. However it is now a proudly independent county and in 2007 celebrated a decade of independence.
J is for Jeffrey. Jeffrey Hudson was as an English court dwarf at the court of Queen Henrietta Maria in the 17th century. He was known as Lord Minimus, and he grew up in Stamford! Read the column on the next page to find out more about Jeffrey.
K is for Ketton. This lovely village in Rutland was originally Chetene meaning ‘on the banks of the River Chater.’ Robert of Ketton was an English medieval theologian, astronomer, translator and Arabist. He was the first person to translate the Qur’an into Latin. The translation was complete by 1143.
L is for Lyddington Bede House. This historic is owned and opened to the public by English Heritage. The existing Grade I listed building is a part of a former palace of the Bishops of Lincoln, situated next to the church in the village of Lyddington, before it was transformed into a Bede House.
M is for Multum. Rutland is well known for being the smallest historic county in England. Because of this, the Latin motto Multum in Parvo was adopted by the county council in 1950. The motto means ‘much in little’ meaning Rutland, although small, can offer so much. N is for Normanton. This village is mainly known for its church. In the 1970s much of the parish was flooded for the construction of Rutland Water. St Matthew’s Church was a private chapel for the Normanton Estate, but it was de-consecrated in 1970 and was to be demolished. However, following a public outcry, an embankment was built around the church leaving it a prominent feature on the water’s edge. O is for Ospreys. Rutland Water is home to the first Ospreys to breed in England for 150 years, after a translocation programme. They’re observed from their arrival from Africa in Spring, through to their Autumn migration. You can learn more about the magnificent bird of prey at Rutland Water Nature Reserve.
J IS FOR JEFFREY: The Queen’s Dwarf...
Sir Jeffrey Hudson has quite the tall tale for such a short man! Hudson was a court dwarf of the English queen Henrietta Maria of France.
He was famous across the 17th Century, often referred to as the ‘Queen’s Dwarf ’ and ‘Lord Minimus,’ and was considered one of the ‘wonders of the age’ because of his extreme but well-proportioned smallness.
Hudson was baptised in Oakham in 1619. His whole family were all of typical size. Hudson’s father John was keeper of the baiting bulls for George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham. Hudson’s marvellous smallness and normal proportions became apparent in early childhood.
Various theories existed for his size, including that his mother choked on a gherkin while pregnant, but he probably suffered from a growth hormone deficiency caused by a pituitary gland disorder. In 1626, Jeffrey’s father presented him to the Duchess of Buckingham as a ‘rarity of nature’ and she invited him to join the household. A few months later, the Duke and Duchess entertained King Charles I and his young French wife, Queen Henrietta Maria. The climax of the lavish banquet was Jeffrey, served in a large pie in a miniature suit of armour. The Queen was so delighted that Hudson was given to her as a gift!
He spent his life beside the Queen, fought with the Royalists in the English Civil War and fled with the Queen to France but was expelled from her court when he killed a man in a duel.
He was captured by Barbary pirates and spent 25 years as a slave in North Africa before being ransomed back to England!
P is for Prison. HM Prison Stocken is a Category C men’s prison located in Stretton. The prison today has a regime that includes education, training courses, gardens, recycling and a maintenance department.
Q is for Queen. Queen Isabella actually owned the county in the 13th century. Rutland first appears as a unique entity in 1155, and as a county in 1204, when King John gave it as a dowry to Queen Isabella. R is for Reservoir. Rutland Water is one of the largest artificial lakes in Europe. By surface area it is the largest reservoir in the whole of Britain. It’s primary use is water storage, but now there are many uses of the reservoir. S is for Stone. The county of Rutland and the town of Stamford is fairly well known for its fabulous sandy stones, making a chocolate box look in every village. It benefits from the fabulous local quarries. T is for Tolethorpe Hall. The Hall and its gardens are used as an outdoor Shakespearian theatre. The auditorium is permanently covered. The Stamford Shakespeare Company presents three plays season each summer. U is for Uppingham. This is the second largest town in Rutland, alongside Oakham which is about six miles north. The market square is transformed once a year into the only fatstock show still to be held in temporary penning in a traditional market town. The first recorded show was in 1889. V is for Viaduct. The Welland Viaduct also known as the Harringworth or sometimes the Seaton Viaduct, is a railway viaduct which crosses the valley of the River Welland between Northamptonshire and Seaton in Rutland. The first brick was laid in March 1876 and the last was in July 1878. It has 82
arches, it is the longest masonry viaduct across a valley in Britain and it’s also a Grade II listed building.
W is for Welland. The River Welland is some 65 miles long and flows through Rutland and Stamford. It drains part of the Midlands eastwards to The Wash. X is for Expatriates. of Uppingham School and Oakham School are plentiful. To name just a few, Hugh Jackman was a teaching assistant at Uppingham, Rowan Atkinson studied there and so did his Blackadder friend Stephen Fry. Other Uppinghamians include chef Rick Stein, property expert Phil Spencer, and presenter and doctor Christian Jessen. Old Oakhamians include actor Matthew Macfadyen, comedian Miles Jupp and producer Andy Harries. Y is for Yew Tree Avenue. The topiary at Yew Tree Avenue, once the carriage drive to Clipsham Hall, is now renovated and maintained. The avenue stretched for 500 metres with some 150 differently shaped yew trees leading towards the Hall, a Grade II listed mansion set in a landscaped park.
Z is for Zoo. And finally Z! Bugtopia is a family owned small zoo. It was formed in 2012, taking over the former butterfly centre. It’s not just a zoo for bugs though, with crocodiles, lizards, frilled dragons and scorpions sharing the space. There are some birds there such as java sparrows. Visitors can hear them tweeting throughout the zoo. Other animals include the civet, related to the fossa and binturong. Some of the bugs you’ll see include leaf cutter ants, bumblebees and other creepy crawlies.
Above: V for Viaduct. This is the longest masonry viaduct in Britain. Roundel: TV chef Rick Stein studied in Uppingham! Main: Beautiful Stamford and the Welland.
The History of Rutland...
Words: Tilly Wilkinson.
1030: Edward the Confessor bequeaths Rutland to his wife Edith, which explains why one of Rutland’s villages is called Edith Weston. 1190: Walkelin de Ferrers builds Oakham Castle. After centuries, Oakham Castle still stands (as the main hall).
1548: Archdeacon Johnson establishes Uppingham School. This is one of the oldest schools in the country and it’s still there and is still used as a school to this very day. Check X for Expatriates to see what stars have stayed here.
1740: The Cottesmore Hunt is created. It’s the oldest foxhound pack in Britain. Its name comes from the village of Cottesmore where the hounds were kennelled. The original hounds were bought by Sir William Lowther.
1970: Parliamentary approval is given for the creation of Rutland Water, destroying Normanton Hall (above). Despite opposition from local farmers, the River Gwash valley is flooded and is now used today as a thriving nature reserve.
1974: Rutland ceases to be England’s smallest county in 1974, after the decision is made to merge it into Leicestershire, though the county’s road signs remain. Rutlanders weren’t particularly happy with their loss of independence.
1997: The county of Rutland, and the city of Leicester gain unitary status. Oakham is again Rutland’s county town, and Rutland is finally again recognised as a county and remains so to this day offering ‘Multum in Parvo.’
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