Hallaton 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
Harborough
Market Harborough is a market town in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England, in the far southeast of the county, forming part of the border with Northamptonshire.
Market Harborough's population was 25,143 in 2020. It is the ad ...
district of
Leicestershire
Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...
, England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 523, which had increased to 594 at the 2011 census.
History and description
The village's name means 'farm/settlement on a nook of land'.
Hallaton Hall and its lands were owned by Calverley and Amelia Jane Bewicke in 1845. Their daughter was the writer and campaigner
Alicia Little
Alicia Little or Mrs Archibald Little (1845 – 31 July 1926) was a British writer and a campaigner for women's rights and later against foot binding in China.
Life
Little was born as Alicia Ellen Neve BewickeIn many of her books ''Neve'' appear ...
.
[Sybil Oldfield, 'Little , Alicia Ellen Neve (1845–1926)', ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 200]
accessed 9 Nov 2016
As the site of two markets Hallaton was despite its size regarded as a town, even if one of little significance.
[
The ]parish church
A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...
is dedicated to St Michael
Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...
and is mainly of the 13th century: the aisles were added a century later. The church is sited on rising ground and has a dignified tower with a fine broach spire (one of the best in the county); the nave and chancel and aisles have nobility and beauty. The sculptured stonework of the north aisle contrasts with the plain battlemented south aisle. A former rector is commemorated by a handsome monument attached to one of the corners.[ Firth, J. B. (2026) ''Highways and Byways in Leicestershire''. London: Macmillan; p. 227]
The village has a famous bottle kicking
A bottle is a narrow-necked container made of an impermeable material (such as glass, plastic or aluminium) in various shapes and sizes that stores and transports liquids. Its mouth, at the bottling line, can be sealed with an internal stop ...
ritual and "Hare Pie Scramble", which take place usually on Easter Monday
Easter Monday refers to the day after Easter Sunday in either the Eastern or Western Christian traditions. It is a public holiday in some countries. It is the second day of Eastertide. In Western Christianity, it marks the second day of the Octa ...
.
There is a small village museum, offering history of the area. The Hallaton Treasure
The Hallaton Treasure, the largest hoard of British Iron Age coins, was discovered in 2000 near Hallaton in southeast Leicestershire, England, by volunteers from the Hallaton Fieldwork Group. The initial find was made by Ken Wallace on 19 N ...
, a late Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
hoard of more than 5,000 silver and gold coins was found at a site near Hallaton in 2000.
In 1736 smallpox affected the town when George Fenwick was the rector.[Fenwick, George (1736) "Our souls more worth than all the world-with the use of that consideration.": A sermon preached in the parish church of Hallaton, October 31, 1736. On occasion of the small-pox breaking out there. London: printed for Caleb Ratten, bookseller in Harborough; sold by Tho. Longman]
As of 2019, Hallaton has two pubs
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
, The Bewicke Arms on Eastgate, and The Fox, on North End.
Hallaton railway station
Hallaton railway station was a former railway station serving the village of Hallaton, Leicestershire, on the Great Northern and London and North Western Joint Railway. The station was located about a quarter of a mile east of the village on the ...
was on the line between Market Harborough
Market Harborough is a market town in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England, in the far southeast of the county, forming part of the border with Northamptonshire.
Market Harborough's population was 25,143 in 2020. It is the admi ...
and Nottingham
Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...
but closed in 1953.
See also
*Hallaton Castle
Hallaton Castle was situated to the west of the village of Hallaton, which lies some 20 km to the south-east of the city of Leicester (). It seems likely that the castle formed the administrative centre of an estate owned by Geoffrey Alselin ...
References
External links
Hallaton Parish Walks
A good walk: Hallaton and Medbourne, Leicestershire The Times 4 April 2009
Villages in Leicestershire
Civil parishes in Harborough District
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