Ashwell 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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the county of

Rutland Rutland is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Leicestershire to the north and west, Lincolnshire to the north-east, and Northamptonshire to the south-west. Oakham is the largest town and county town. Rutland has a ...

in the

East Midlands The East Midlands is one of nine official regions of England. It comprises the eastern half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It consists of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire (except for North Lincolnshire and North East ...

of England. It is about north of

Oakham Oakham is a market town and civil parish in Rutland (of which it is the county town) in the East Midlands of England. The town is located east of Leicester, southeast of Nottingham and northwest of Peterborough. It had a population of 12,14 ...

Toponymy

The village's name means 'spring or stream with ash trees'.

Demography

The population of the

was 290 at the 2001 census falling to 269 at the 2011 census.

Church

St Mary's church is mainly of 14th-century origin, but in 1851 it underwent a major restoration by William Butterfield. James Adams (died 1903), rector, who won a

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

in Afghanistan in 1879, is buried in the churchyard. (Unpaginated) The Royalist rector, Thomas Mason, was ejected in 1644 and Richard

Levett Levett is a surname of Anglo-Normans, Anglo-Norman origin, deriving from eLivet, which is held particularly by families and individuals resident in England and British Commonwealth territories. Origins This surname comes from the village of ...

(or Levet) was intruded in his place on 13 May 1646. The previous incumbent was reinstated in 1660 when Charles II was restored to the throne and served for twenty years until his death. The minister Levett was the father of Sir Richard Levett who was possibly born in Ashwell; he was Lord Mayor of London in 1699 and owner of

Kew Palace Kew Palace is a British royal palace within the grounds of Kew Gardens on the banks of the River Thames. Originally a large complex, few elements of it survive. Dating to 1631 but built atop the undercroft of an earlier building, the main surv ...

. Levett Blackborne, grandson of Sir Richard, who sold the Levett properties at

Kew Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is ...

to the Royal Family, was a barrister and longtime adviser to

Charles Manners, 4th Duke of Rutland Charles Manners, 4th Duke of Rutland (15 March 175424 October 1787) was a British politician and nobleman, the eldest legitimate son of John Manners, Marquess of Granby. He was styled Lord Roos from 1760 until 1770, and Marquess of Granby from ...

Prominent nearby buildings

Ashwell Hall stands in a small park about half a mile south of the village. It was built in 1879 in the Tudor style. Ashwell Prison, a former Category C prison, was located about south of the centre of the village but actually in the parish of Burley. Previously the site was a

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

US army base, home to part of the

82nd Airborne Division The 82nd Airborne Division is an Airborne forces, airborne infantry division (military), division of the United States Army specializing in Paratrooper, parachute assault operations into hostile areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops ...

, along with Wollaton Park. The prison closed in March 2011 and has been redeveloped as Oakham Enterprise Park, a

business park A business park or office park is a designated area of land in which many office buildings are grouped together. These types of developments are often located in suburban areas where land and building costs are more affordable, and are typically ...

for office and light industrial use. The previous kennels of the Cottesmore Hunt, opposite the prison, have been converted to residential use and the hunt kennels are now based at a farm in the parish.

Notable people and families

The

Palmes family The Palmes family of Naburn Hall, and the cadet branches of Lindley, North Yorkshire, Lindley Hall, North Yorkshire; Ashwell, Rutland; and Carcraig in Ireland, is an ancient English aristocratic family, noted for their adherence to Catholi ...

of Lindley, West Yorkshire was also seated at Ashwell. The family, a branch of the Palmes family of Naburn Hall, Yorkshire, included Sir Guy Palmes, High Sheriff of Yorkshire.Art, Identity and Devotion in Fourteenth-century England: Three Women and Their Books of Hours, Kathryn Ann Smith, University of Toronto Press, 2003
* James Adams (died 1903), rector, who won a

in Afghanistan in 1879, is buried in the churchyard. * Sir Richard Levett, Lord Mayor of London in 1699 and owner of

, possibly born in Ashwell. * Aviator

Beryl Markham Beryl Markham (born Clutterbuck; 26 October 1902 – 3 August 1986) was a Kenyan aviator born in England (one of the first bush pilots), adventurer, racehorse trainer and author. She was the first person to fly solo, non-stop across the Atlant ...

(''née'' Clutterbuck) was born in Westfield House and lived here until her family moved to Kenya when she was four years old.

References

External links

Ashwell Church websiteReverend Richard Levett
* {{authority control Villages in Rutland Civil parishes in Rutland