Exton is a village in

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 ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. The population was 607 at the 2011 census. The

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 ...

was abolished in 2016 and merged with

Horn Horn most often refers to: *Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound ** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...

to form Exton and Horn.

The village

The village's name means 'farm/settlement which has oxen'. The village includes a tree-planted green overlooked by the Fox and Hounds pub. Close to the green is the

war memorial A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war. Symbolism Historical usage It has ...

to the dead of Exton and Whitwell and to relatives of the

Earl of Gainsborough Earl of Gainsborough is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation ended in extinction when the sixth Earl died without heirs. However, the title was re ...

; the names include Tom Cecil Noel MC and Bar and

Maurice Dease Maurice James Dease VC (28 September 1889 – 23 August 1914) was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces ...

VC. The memorial was designed by

Alfred Young Nutt Alfred Young Nutt, MVO, ISO (5 May 1847 – 25 July 1924) was an English architect and artist, who was Surveyor to the Dean and Canons of St George's Chapel, Windsor in the late 19th century. Early life Alfred Young Nutt was born in 1847 in the ...

. In the south of the parish towards

Rutland Water Rutland Water is a reservoir in Rutland, England, east of Rutland's county town, Oakham. It is filled by pumping from the River Nene and River Welland, and provides water to the East Midlands. By surface area it is the largest reservoir in En ...

Barnsdale Gardens Barnsdale Gardens in Rutland, England, were made famous by Geoff Hamilton through the BBC television series ''Gardeners' World'', which he presented from 1979 until his death in 1996. They are on The Avenue in Exton, a short distance north of ...

which were created by

Geoff Hamilton Geoffrey Stephen Hamilton (15 August 1936 – 4 August 1996) was an English gardener, broadcaster and author, best known as presenter of BBC television's ''Gardeners' World'' in the 1980s and 1990s.

of the BBC television series ''

Gardeners' World ''Gardeners' World'' is a long-running British gardening programme, first broadcast on 5 January 1968. The 2022 series is the 53rd. Its first series was presented by Ken Burras and came from Oxford Botanical Gardens. Up until 2020 most of its e ...

''. Further south, on the north shore of Rutland Water, stands what was the Barnsdale country house and is now the Barnsdale Hall Hotel and Country Club. Barnsdale was a large country house, built in 1890 as a hunting lodge for

Earl Fitzwilliam Earl Fitzwilliam (or FitzWilliam) was a title in both the Peerage of Ireland and the Peerage of Great Britain held by the head of the Fitzwilliam family (later Wentworth-Fitzwilliam). History The Fitzwilliams acquired extensive holdings in the ...

by architect

E. J. May Edward John May (1853–1941) was an English architect. Career E.J. May was the last pupil of Decimus Burton. He then went to the assist Eden Nesfield who was at the time working in partnership with Richard Norman Shaw. He entered the Royal A ...

. It is a Grade II listed building.

Exton Park

Exton Park is a large country estate which has been home to the Noel family (

Earls of Gainsborough Earl of Gainsborough is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation ended in extinction when the sixth Earl died without heirs. However, the title was revi ...

) for over four centuries. The present

Exton Hall Exton Hall is an English country house on the western edge of the village of Exton, Rutland, England, standing in its own extensive park. The Hall It was the family seat of the family of Sir James Harington and later the Noel family, Earls of G ...

was built in the 19th century close to the ruins of the original Tudor mansion which had burnt down in 1810. The romantic Fort Henry, a pleasure-house in the elegant late-eighteenth-century

Gothick Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

style, overlooks lakes formed by the North Brook.

Church of St Peter and St Paul

Exton, Ss Peter & Paul church (40637987691)

The large

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

St Peter & St Paul lies within the park and contains a collection of monuments including work by

Joseph Nollekens Joseph Nollekens R.A. (11 August 1737 – 23 April 1823) was a sculptor from London generally considered to be the finest British sculptor of the late 18th century. Life Nollekens was born on 11 August 1737 at 28 Dean Street, Soho, London, ...

. It is a impressive medieval parish church, built in the 13th and 14th centuries. The church is a

Grade I listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. There is a fine marble monument by

Grinling Gibbons Grinling Gibbons (4 April 1648 – 3 August 1721) was an Anglo-Dutch sculptor and wood carver known for his work in England, including Windsor Castle and Hampton Court Palace, St Paul's Cathedral and other London churches, Petworth House and other ...

, dating from 1685, showing

Baptist Noel, 3rd Viscount Campden Baptist Noel, 3rd Viscount Campden (1611 – 29 October 1682) was an English politician. He was Lord Lieutenant of Rutland, Custos Rotulorum of Rutland and the Member of Parliament for Rutland. Early life Baptist Noel was born at Exton Hall, R ...

, with his fourth wife, Elizabeth Bertie, and carvings of his 19 children. In 1954, the tomb was the subject of a design by John Piper, later adapted as a textile design by David Whitehead Ltd. Other monuments in the church include: *

Robert Keilway Robert Keilway (''alias'' Kellway, Keylway, Kaylway, Kelloway, etc.) (1497–1581) of Minster Lovell Hall in Oxfordshire, was an English politician and court official. He was the son of Robert Keilway of Salisbury and educated at Oxford Univ ...

(1497 – 1581), politician and court official. *Sir James Harington (c. 1511 – 1592), public servant who fulfilled a number of legal, legislative and law enforcement duties and was knighted in 1565. *

Baptist Noel, 4th Earl of Gainsborough Baptist Noel, 4th Earl of Gainsborough (1708 – 21 March 1751) was an English peer and Member of Parliament, styled Viscount Campden until 1714. Early life He was the son of Baptist Noel, 3rd Earl of Gainsborough and Lady Dorothy Manners, the s ...

(1708 – 21 March 1751),

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

, styled Viscount Campden until 1714. *

Frances Noel, Countess of Gainsborough Frances Noel, Countess of Gainsborough (''née'' Jocelyn; 20 November 1814 – 12 May 1885) was a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria. Early life and family Frances Noel was a daughter of Robert Jocelyn, 3rd Earl of Roden and his wife, the ...

VA (20 November 1814 – 12 May 1885),

Lady of the Bedchamber Lady of the Bedchamber is the title of a lady-in-waiting holding the official position of personal attendant on a British queen regnant or queen consort. The position is traditionally held by the wife of a peer. They are ranked between the Mis ...

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

. *

George Douglas-Pennant, 2nd Baron Penrhyn George Sholto Gordon Douglas-Pennant, 2nd Baron Penrhyn (30 September 1836 – 10 March 1907), was a landowner who played a prominent part in the Welsh slate industry as the owner of the Penrhyn Quarry in North Wales. Life He was born at Linton ...

(30 September 1836 – 10 March 1907), landowner who played a prominent part in the Welsh slate industry as the owner of the

Penrhyn Quarry The Penrhyn quarry is a slate quarry located near Bethesda, North Wales. At the end of the nineteenth century it was the world's largest slate quarry; the main pit is nearly long and deep, and it was worked by nearly 3,000 quarrymen. It has ...

in North Wales. *Lieutenant Tom Cecil Noel MC (12 December 1897 – 22 August 1918),

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

infantry officer turned aerial observer, notable for winning a

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

for bravery on both land and air. The church spire was struck by lightning in 1843, causing a fire that melted the roof, shattered the windows, and destroyed the west end of the church. It was subsequently rebuilt by

J. L. Pearson John Loughborough Pearson (5 July 1817 – 11 December 1897) was a British Gothic Revival architect renowned for his work on churches and cathedrals. Pearson revived and practised largely the art of vaulting, and acquired in it a proficiency ...

in 1852/3.

Gallery

File:The_Fox_and_Hounds_Inn,_Exton_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1690945.jpg, The Fox and Hounds overlooks the village green File:Knot Garden at Barnsdale Gardens - geograph.org.uk - 1204585.jpg, Knot Garden at Barnsdale Gardens File:Barnsdale Hall Hotel - geograph.org.uk - 1003679.jpg, Barnsdale Hall File:Memorial in Exton - geograph.org.uk - 125835.jpg, The Exton and Whitwell War Memorial File:Exton, Ss Peter & Paul church, Baptist Noel monument (26766351008).jpg, Viscount Campden's monument File:Exton, Ss Peter & Paul church, Kelway monument (25783530647).jpg, A detail of the Kelway monument

References

External links

Rutland Website – ExtonExton ParkBarnsdale Hall Hotel
{{authority control Villages in Rutland Former civil parishes in Rutland