Kelly's Directory of Rutland

RUTLAND is the smallest shire in England, and lies to the north of the river Welland, and is separated from the sea by Lincolnshire. Its shape is very irregular; it joins Leicestershire on the west and north-west; on the north-east it has Lincolnshire, and on the south-east, which is its longest bound, the river Welland, which separates it from Northamptonshire. The Eye is part of the boundary against Leicestershire. The rivers are the Eye, Chater, and the Gwash, or Wash, running into the Welland, which is navigable from Stamford, on the east border, till it falls into the North Sea. Its length from north to south is about 15 miles, and its breadth from east to west the same, its area being 97,273 acres. In 1801 the number of people was 16,300 ; in 1821, 18,487 ; in 1831, 19,385 ; in 1841, 21,302 ; in 1851, 22,983 ; in 1861, 21,861; in 1871, 22,073 ; in 1881, 21,434 ; in 1891, 20,659 and in 1911, 20,346, of whom 10,314 were males and 10,032 females. The population in 1921 was 18,376 ; viz.: males, 9,080; females, 9,296.

The two railway systems that supply Rutland are the London and North Western and the Midland sections of the London, Midland and Scottish Company ; the London and North Western section coming from Market Harborough enters the county in the south-west corner, near Great Easton, and proceeding in a north-easterly direction to Seaton, throws out a branch to Uppingham, and, dividing its main line, passes through Luffenham and Ketton to Stamford and through Barrowden to Peterborough ; the Midland section, coming from Peterborough, through Stamford, passes Ketton, Luffenham and Manton (for Uppingham), and thence to Oakham, leaving the county for Saxby Junction a little north-west of Ashwell, while the main line coming into the south of the county, between Barrowden and Bisbrooke, joins the Oakham line at Manton.

The Great Northern section of the London and North Eastern railway crosses the extreme north-east of the county, with stations at Essendine and Ryhal on the Stamford branch; thus the county is well provided with railway communication.

There are 300 miles of highways. The air is healthy. Much of the soil lying in the dales is very fruitful. The hills are not very high; one range runs to the north-east of Oakham, others are on the north bank of the Welland, and mother range along the Eye. In the east and south-east the rock is limestone, of which 23,311 tons was raised in 1926. and 3,205 tons of sandstone was raised in the same year. In many parts o the shire there is a strong red loam. There are several chalybeate springs. The vale of Catmos, around Oakham, is rich ground; it is an agricultural and grazing shire, and yields fine barley and seed wheat—barley, in 1927, occupying 8,003 acres. Many turnips are grown, and sheep are fed and Stilton cheese is made. There is a good deal of woodland, being the remains of the old forest, from which much timber is cut.

Rutland forms five hundreds—namely, Alstoe, East Wrangdike, Martinsley, and the soke of Oakham. It is in the Midland Circuit, and has Assizes and Quarter Sessions at Oakham. It is in the diocese of Peterborough, archdeaconry of Oakham, and forms a rural deanery, which is divided into three portions. There are 58 civil parishes. The market towns are Oakham, with a population in 1921 of 3,340, and Uppingham, population 2,453, each celebrated for its school, both founded by Robert Johnson, archdeacon of Leicester in 1581. Stamford lies on the south-east border, in Lincolnshire. Rutland has no name in history, and has shared the fate of the neighbouring shires in the several inroads of the Romans, English, and Northmen. Rankborough, Burley, Stretton, Casterton, Market Overton, and Tixover are the sites of Roman settlements. The battle of Stamford was fought in this county, at Horn, near Exton, in 1470, between Edward IV. and the Lancastrians, in which the latter were defeated; it is computed that there were ten thousand killed. The Marquess of Exeter has a fine seat and park at Burghley. The domain of the Earl of Gainsborough, at Exton, is also large. There are no architectural monuments of importance, or any object of great interest. There are some barrows.

The following are the unions, with the places contained in each:–

The following is a list of the Hundreds, with the places contained in each :—
Alstoe Hundred:—Ashwell, Barrow, Burley, Cottesmore, Exton, Greetham, Horn, Market Overton, Stretton, Teigh, Thistleton, Whissendine, Whitwell.
East Hundred:—Empingham, Essendine, Great Casterton, Ketton, Little Casterton, Pickworth, Ryhall, Tickencote, Tinwell, Tixover.
Martinsley Hundred:—Ayston, Edith Weston, Hambleton, Lyndon, Manton, Martinsthorpe, Normanton, Preston, Ridlington, Uppingham, Wing.
Oakham Soke Hundred:—Belton, Braunston, Brooke, Clipsham, Egleton, Gunthorpe, Langham, Oakham-Deanshold (with Barleythorpe), Oakham Lordshold, Wardley.
Wrangdike Hundred:—Barrowden, Bisbrooke, Caldecott, Glaston, Liddington, North Luffenham, South Luffenham, Morcott, Pilton, Seaton, Stoke Dry, Thorpe-by-Water.

Under the provisions of the Redistribution of Seats Act; 1885, the parliamentary representation of Rutland was reduced from two members to one. Later, under the Representation of the People Act, 1918, Rutland and Stamford form a division in the parliamentary county, Parts of Kesteven and Rutland

Neville Woodford Smith-Carrington esq. (c.), Ashby Folville manor, Melton Mowbray; & 12 Cheniston gardens, Kensington w 8 & Carlton & National clubs, London & County club, Leicester

Kennels are situated on the Ashwell road (Barleythorpe village) between Oakham & Ashwell; W. James Baird esq. Deanscroft, Oakham & Col. Sidney Joseph Green M.C., D.L., J.P. Catmose cottage, Oakham, are joint masters ; Major Cavanagh, Withcote, Oakham, secretary; 50 couples of hounds; hunting days, mondays, tuesdays, thursdays & Saturdays ; Oakham, Melton, Stamford & Uppingham are convenient centres; Oakham & Ashwell, both 2 miles distant, are the nearest stations to the kennels

Oakham, fairs March 15, May 6 & Sept. 9 & a pleasure fair in May ; other fairs chiefly for cattle on some monday in every month, excepting January, so arranged as not to interfere with Stamford fairs. Market day, monday
Uppingham, fair second Wednesday in March & July for cattle. Market day, Wednesday

The following table shows the acreage under each kind of crop, and the number of horses, cattle, sheep and pigs in the County of Rutland, as taken from the Agricultural Returns, 1927 :—