Cottesmore (often pronounced Cotts'more) is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

in the north of the county of

Rutland Rutland () is a ceremonial county and unitary authority in the East Midlands, England. The county is bounded to the west and north by Leicestershire, to the northeast by Lincolnshire and the southeast by Northamptonshire. Its greatest len ...

in the

East Midlands The East Midlands is one of nine official regions of England at the first level of ITL for statistical purposes. It comprises the eastern half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It consists of Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Li ...

of England. In terms of population it is the largest village in Rutland, and the third-largest settlement after

Oakham Oakham is the county town of Rutland in the East Midlands of England, east of Leicester, south-east of Nottingham and west of Peterborough. It had a population of 10,922 in the 2011 census, estimated at 11,191 in 2019. Oakham is to the west o ...

and

Uppingham Uppingham is a market town in Rutland, England, off the A47 between Leicester and Peterborough, south of the county town, Oakham. It had a population of 4,745 according to the 2011 census, estimated at 4,853 in 2019. It is known for its ep ...

. This is due in part to the presence of

Kendrew Barracks Kendrew Barracks is a British Army barracks located north east of Cottesmore, Rutland, England. The barracks opened in 2012 on the site of RAF Cottesmore. History Kendrew Barracks sits on the former site of RAF Cottesmore which was active be ...

(formerly

RAF Cottesmore Royal Air Force Station Cottesmore or more simply RAF Cottesmore is a former Royal Air Force station in Rutland, England, situated between Cottesmore and Market Overton. On 15 December 2009, Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth announced that the ...

). The village's name means 'moor of Cott'. At the time of

Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor ; la, Eduardus Confessor , ; ( 1003 – 5 January 1066) was one of the last Anglo-Saxon English kings. Usually considered the last king of the House of Wessex, he ruled from 1042 to 1066. Edward was the son of Æth ...

(mid 11th century), "Manors Cottesmore" was held, together with Greetham, by Saxon called Goda. Goda held 12

carucate The carucate or carrucate ( lat-med, carrūcāta or ) was a medieval unit of land area approximating the land a plough team of eight oxen could till in a single annual season. It was known by different regional names and fell under different forms ...

s of land, three of which were held in tax to the

Danegeld Danegeld (; "Danish tax", literally "Dane yield" or tribute) was a tax raised to pay tribute or protection money to the Viking raiders to save a land from being ravaged. It was called the ''geld'' or ''gafol'' in eleventh-century sources. It ...

. The King held three

s in demesne and three socmen with 40

villeins A villein, otherwise known as ''cottar'' or ''crofter'', is a serf tied to the land in the feudal system. Villeins had more rights and social status than those in slavery, but were under a number of legal restrictions which differentiated them f ...

and six bordarii held 20

s. Of the land held by the manor, one Goisfridus held half a

; he had one plough and eight

. Cottesmore also had of meadow and a wood measuring a mile in length by seven furlongs in breadth.

St Nicholas' Church, Cottesmore St Nicholas' Church is a church in Cottesmore, Rutland. It is a Grade II* listed building. The Cottesmore Benefice is part of the North Rutland Churches group. History The current church mostly dates from the 13th and 14th centuries, and is bu ...

is a Grade II* listed building. The north aisle forms a RAF chapel, dedicated in 1949 to those who gave their lives while serving at RAF Cottesmore. A stained glass window was erected to the memory of Major General George Williams Knox CB (1838–1894). The

colours Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are associa ...

of the 1st Battalion

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642, although it was only placed on the ...

were gifted to the church by his widow and hang in the nave. The Cottesmore Benefice is part of the North Rutland Churches group. There are two primary schools in the parish: St Nicholas C of E (Aided) Primary School is in the village and Cottesmore Academy is on the military base. The

Cottesmore Hunt The Cottesmore Hunt, which hunts mostly in Rutland, is one of the oldest foxhound packs in Britain. Its name comes from the village of Cottesmore where the hounds were kennelled. History The Cottesmore Hunt's origins may be traced back to 166 ...

takes its name from the village (although the kennels are not now in the parish). Sir

William Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale William Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale, KG (29 December 175719 March 1844), also known as Sir William Lowther, 2nd Baronet, of Little Preston, from 1788 to 1802, and William Lowther, 2nd Viscount Lowther, from 1802 to 1807, was a British Tory pol ...

brought the foxhounds he had bought from Thomas Noel to Cottesmore in 1740. Three ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS ''Cottesmore'' after the Cottesmore hunt.

Prince Andrew, Duke of York Prince Andrew, Duke of York, (Andrew Albert Christian Edward; born 19 February 1960) is a member of the British royal family. He is the younger brother of King Charles III and the third child and second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince ...

commanded the minesweeper HMS ''Cottesmore'' (M32) from April 1993 until November 1994 and visited the village with members of his crew.

References

External links

thelivingvillage.co.uk
History of the village website, funded by HLF

Villages in Rutland Civil parishes in Rutland {{Rutland-geo-stub

See also

References

External links