About Mountsorrel > History > General History
Little of its history is recorded prior to the building of the castle by Hugh Lupus in 1080. It is known, however, that the early Britons made their homes here, as they left behind fine specimens of pottery and other relics. During the 17th century, skulls of wild boar and woolly rhinoceros were found in this area, which had evidently been forestland, extending through Charnwood Forest into Derbyshire.
There are several suggestions as to the origin of the name Mountsorrel. Many believe that it derives from the name Mount Soar Hill, as the village stands on the bank of the River Soar under the Castle Hill. The most likely explanation comes from the French name “Montsoreau”. In the year 1151, Robert le Bossu who was Earl of Leicester and Henry II’s deputy, acquired the tenancy of Mountsorrel castle. He was Justicar, or Chief Justice of the Peace, for Henry II. Henry’s nobility would probably have known of Montsoreau, a village near the town of Saumur and a short distance from the abbey of Fonevrault where Henry II would be buried. Montsoreau’s proximity to a river (the Loire) and its situation under the shadow of neighbouring hills lends a particular resemblance to Mountsorrel.
The following records are known:
1377: (earliest population record) village’s inhabitants numbered 156.
1781: the figure was recorded as 150 dwellings.
1825: 1422 inhabitants in 312 houses on 350 acres of land.
1840: the population had risen to 1900.
1863: the Manor belonged to the Earl of Lanesborough and consisted of 397 houses and 1754 inhabitants. The records for that year also reveal that Mountsorrel was a seat of Petty Sessions and a Court Leet and that it had a Court Baron.
1871: 1985 villagers living in 422 houses
1901: 2417 people over an area of 522 acres.
1931: 2900 over 554 acres
1959: 4000
1967: 4321
The figure now stands at around 7,500 over a parish of 922 acres
The Castle was built by Hugh Lupus, Earl of Chester and a nephew of William the Conqueror. He chose the site carefully for its dominating position overlooking the Soar Valley, which was a medieval roadway from Leicester to Derby. The actual site is a granite crag, which is highest to the north but steepest to the east. Access to the Castle was gained by a winding path that climbed steeply up the north face. The Castle had a short but chequered history, being built in 1080 and destroyed in 1217. The site had been in use before the Castle was built and evidence suggests that it was the site of ancient earthworks.
Within its short history, Mountsorrel Castle was a key position in political struggles during the reign of King Stephen. In a treaty between Robert Bossu and Ranulph, the second Earl of Chester (a persistent enemy of King Stephen), Ranulph gave the Castle to the Earl of Leicester on the condition that the Earl of Leicester was bound “…to receive the said Ranulph and his family in the Borough and Bailiwick of Mountsorrel”.
Leicester’s own son, Earl Robert, took part in a revolt against the King. Saer de Quincy sided with the rebellious barons against the King and put a strong garrison of men into Mountsorrel Castle until the King’s death. The soldiers of this garrison raided the surrounding countryside and caused great hardship to the peasants. When a garrison from Nottingham was sent to demolish the Castle, Louis of France, who had sided with the barons against the English King, sent 20,000 men to assist the besieged barons. Ranulph, acting under the King’s orders and with the assistance of people from the neighbourhood, razed the Castle to the ground; thus ended the short life of Mountsorrel Castle, “a nest of the Devil and den of thieves and robbers”. All that remains today is the imposing granite crag standing above the village, called Castle Hill.
In 1292 Nicholas de Seagrave became Lord of the Manor and in that same year, was granted by Edward I the right to hold a market in Mountsorrel each Monday. De Seagrave was a member of a very powerful family, his father Stephen de Seagrave being Chief Justice of England.
In the 18th and early 19th centuries, the market attained considerable importance. Raw wool, leather and woollen yarn, together with horses and cattle, were staple articles of trade and Mountsorrel gloves were once as highly regarded as those of Oxford and Woodstock. Coaches passed through the village from all parts of the kingdom at almost every hour.
A distinct building in Mountsorrel is the Butter Market situated in the Market Place. This is a neo-classical rotunda of eight Tuscan columns supporting a low-stepped dome, surmounted by an urn. It was built in 1793 by the Lord of the Manor, Sir John Danvers, to replace the historic 15th century Market Cross which he had removed to his own park at nearby Swithland Hall, where it remains to this day. A replica of the cross was built and sited in the Market place opposite the Butter Market in celebration of the Parish Council centenary.
By the second quarter of the 19th century the market ceased to be of commercial importance.
As part of his right to hold a market, Nicholas de Seagrave was also empowered to provide an annual Fair for 8 days on the “eve and morrow of St John the Baptist and 5 days after”. Any householder had the right to display a “bush” over his door and dispense liquor free of licensing duty during the nine days of the Fair. This practice was usually confined to those houses big enough to entertain guests. So great was the disorder caused by drinking that, at the petition of some of the most important villagers, the official Fair was abolished by the Earl of Lanesborough in about 1872.
The Fair was of great importance in the lives of the villagers and the quarrymen who emigrated to the United States in the depression of the 19th century still celebrated their native holiday even though they were three or four thousand miles from home.
The Fair or parade through the village was resumed in more recent years, taking place on Whitsuntide Saturday and a commercial, travelling fair used to visit the village on the weekend nearest the 9th July but, due to the dwindling popularity of such entertainments both events have now ceased.
In 1977, Charnwood Borough Council declared a Conservation Area in Mountsorrel.
This marked a change in the fortunes of the Market Place, in particular,
which had become a largely derelict area, having lost many of its most architecturally
pleasing buildings by the 1 970s. It was decided to redevelop the site on
the eastern edge ofthe A6, enabling the construction of flats and bungalows,
which would fulfill the need for housing in the village and improve the area.
More controversially, the Baptist Burial Ground was removed and the adjoining
shop demolished. (The gravestones were removed to a special area in the cemetery.)
It will take many years for all the archaeological evidence to be examined and the final historic picture of Mountsorrel to emerge. However, what has already been determined is that Mountsorrel was founded by the Normans and that the village grew in medieval times around the Market Place, before its decline in the 14th century. It was rejuvenated in the 17th century as new houses were built along the main street.
Henry Walkery of Thurmaston and John Sultzer of Burton Overy, by act of
Parliament passed in 1782, were empowered to divide, allot and enclose the
open fields and common grounds of Mountsorrel. This consisted of about 300
acres and also the common ground of Mountsorrel Hills, of which Sir John
Danvers was proprietor, situated part in Barrow-upon-Soar and part in Rothley.
They were to set out public and private roads and drains and to allot the
area they thought proper for obtaining stone and gravel for repairs to the
public highways in Mountsorrel.
Land appointed as common pasture was to be used and enjoyed by named property owners. Only two sheep were allowed on the Common from 15 March to 12 May to give the pasture time to grow. The stock allowed on from 12 May until Martinmas consisted of 2 horses, 1 cow or 4 sheep. All trespassing stock was to be impounded in the Pinfold at the top of the Green and charged the owners a fee for their return.
Many people had rights to turn 1 or 2 cows on to the Common. As the quarries enlarged, the quarry owners bought these rights from the holders.
A short way down Sileby Road (formerly York Street) is a bridge over the River Soar which was mentioned in 1274 as a bridge of “rubble and stone” and which was replaced in 1852 by one of wrought iron. The present bridge is one of similar construction. Further down this road is a turning to the left known as Slash Lane, so named because Oliver Cromwell allegedly took part in a skirmish here during the Civil War.
Watling Street was originally the boundary of the Castle and was known as Baron Lane, later corrupted to Barn Lane. At the north end of the village, opposite Hawcliffe Road, is Betty Henser’s Lane. A woman named Betty Henser, thought to be a witch and therefore an outcast from the village, lived in a little wooden hovel in the lane, which now bears her name.
Opposite Linkfield Road is a footpath to Sileby, which is known as the “March” and was at one time a boundary line, as the definition of the word march implies.
Mountsorrel’s situation on the River Soar has opened up opportunities for sailing as a leisure pursuit and, in this capacity, Mr L Boon, the proprietor of the Soar Valley Boatyard proved very successful. A former coachbuilder, Mr Boon began renovating boats after the war. He purchased a wood yard in Sileby Lane, turning it into a boat yard where various ventures, such as the construction of dinghies and boat shells, and boat conversions have proved successful over the years. The main business carried out now is that of chandler and the renting of pleasure craft.
Farms have always played a large part in the life of the village. However, with the increase in the amount of land used for building in recent years, farming has declined. The sole remaining farm in Mountsorrel is Stonehurst Farm worked by Mr and Mrs R G Duffin. The farm boasts a variety of animals for visitors to see, a teashop and a small motor museum.
If one thing assures Mountsorrel of worldwide fame, it is its abundance
of a crystalline rock known as granite. 
This extremely hard stone, usually pinkish in colour and technically known
as a hornblende granodiorite, is used for road building and in the construction
industry. One of its most famous applications is on the forecourt of Buckingham
Palace although any villager hoping for a glimpse of his native product will
be disappointed as it was covered with tarmac, for convenience’ sake, some
time ago.
Systematic quarrying began in Mountsorrel in the late 18th century and it shaped the character of the village and the lives of its inhabitants for many years. It was, for a long time, the most important industry and largest single employer of manpower in the village. Although providing jobs for many, the quarry has also had devastating effects on the village and its surroundings. A diarist, Ralph Thoresby, records that Mountsorrel was sometimes known as Mount Sterile, which, considering the dust, which covered a large part of the village, was an accurate description.
The quarrying industry grew rapidly, having between 500 and 600 
employees by 1870. In 1876 the Mountsorrel Granite Company took over the
rights and workings of the Broad Hill quarry. During the process of quarrying,
several interesting discoveries have been made. For example, in 1881 a Roman
sepulchral chamber was unearthed only a foot below the surface soil of the
Broad Hill. Even more remarkable was the discovery in 1892 of a 60-foot deep
Roman well sunk in a natural rock fissure near the centre of Broad Hill.
Several pieces of Roman pottery were found, though the best-known artefact
was a Roman bucket made of wood and held together by ornate bronze fittings.
These objects are thought to originate from a Roman villa situated on the
Broad Hill in the 4th century AD.
During the 18th century a windmill was built on Broad Hill, becoming a county landmark for almost 100 years. It was eventually dismantled in 1874 to enable further quarry work to be carried out.
The huge amounts of dust involved in quarrying jobs led to many men becoming heavy drinkers and to the growing of bushy moustaches to prevent, to some extent, dust from entering the mouth. The quarries had a well-equipped and splendidly staffed works hospital at Mountsorrel for all employees and their families. It was started up in what was originally the Danvers School for poor boys, in the Navins and is situated in what was considered a healthy position.
By 1936, the production of setts and kerbs was phased out in favour of crushed stone for the construction industry. Adjacent to the quarries the Mountsorrel Tarmacadam Co Ltd operated a well-equipped plant for the manufacture of tarred granite. Although the old premises were demolished some time ago, the modern tar-coating plant still forms a successful part of the quarrying operation.
Eventually Broad Hill quarry ended its workable “life” and became a landfill site. This function has also ceased and, after a period of settlement and constant monitoring, it is hoped that the Broad Hill will be restored to its former state.
Quarrying in Mountsorrel has not ceased, however, as the development of the vast Buddon Wood quarry shows. Whilst the actual quarry is situated in 3 parishes (Quorn, Woodhouse Eaves and Mountsorrel) it is still known as Mountsorrel Quarry. Highly automated technology has enabled this quarry to become the largest of its kind in Europe. Quarrying, therefore, still plays an important role in Mountsorrel though, for a number of reasons, the effects of the village’s most famous industry are no longer as devastating as they once were.
The transportation of granite caused a great deal of difficulty and the advent of the canal system proved a suitable alternative to road travel. Much of the heavy work required in digging a canal was carried out by “Navvies” (from the word ‘navigation’) from Ireland. It is thought that these men were housed in wooden huts on land adjacent to what is now Christ Church - hence the name “The Navins” still given to this area.
The canal, known as the Leicester Navigation, opened in 1794, with the first 2 barges from Loughborough to Leicester setting out on 26 October. Granite, coal and wood were all transported by canal, the journey along the Grand Union Canal to London taking 2 weeks. Between 1796 and 1809, 40% of all tonnage passing through Mountsorrel lock was granite.
With the coming of the railways, canals lost importance as a means of industrial transport. In 1844 several railway companies amalgamated to form the Midland Railway, with a branch to the quarry being added in 1860. The so-called “1860 Bridge” carried the railway (now a mineral conveyor to Barrow railhead) across the River Soar. It is considered one of the finest brick-built, single span (at 90 feet) bridges in the country. A further branch line was opened in 1896, which led to the Great Central line, and the railway became the predominant means of transporting granite, much of which was used as railway ballast.
The long, arduous campaign to obtain a by-pass for Mountsorrel began as far back as the 1920s when the increase in traffic along the busy A6 trunk road was becoming detrimental to village life. It took a long time, but was finally successful. Construction began in March 1990 and was completed ahead of schedule in October 1991, at a cost of £37 million.
As far back as 1948, the Parish Council commissioned a report to examine the possibility of a hall being built, for the use of villagers and to commemorate those who died in the Second World War. By 1963, the Trustees had raised enough capital to contract a local builder to begin construction of the hall. The first meeting held in the hall took place on 8 June 1965 and the opening ceremony was on 26 June 1965.
The hall itself is a well-equipped building,which serves the village in many ways. Regular activities such as the Playgroup, Infant Welfare Clinic and the Happy Circle are supplemented by private parties and annual events, such as the Christmas Charity Fair and the Parish Council Annual Meeting.
January 1st 1993 marked the beginning of the single European market and, to mark this occasion, the Parish Council decided that a beacon should be erected on Castle Hill to enable the village to take part in the Beacon Europe celebrations. Thanks to the generosity of Redlands plc, a gas-fired beacon was purchased and assembled. The first time it was lit, however was in October 1992 to celebrate the opening of the Quorn-Mountsorrel by-pass.
(This information is taken with kind permission from the booklet, “Mountsorrel through the ages” produced by the Social Studies Group of the Mountsorrel Townswomen’s Guild, revised by L.A. Tyman. This booklet, priced £1.50 is available from mountsorrel.pc@co-net.com or lindatyman@aol.com. Additional information was provided by Mrs Joy Broughton.)