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Village life in the southern Vale 1850 to 1880 In the third quarter of the nineteenth century the Duke of Rutland's lands in the the Leicestershire part of the Vale evolved in a manner fairly typical for the time. The Duke extended pasture and tree planting as, presumably, grain production had declined in profitability. Increasing industrialisation of textile and footwear production meant cottage industries disappeared with associated loss of income. The Duke had always opposed framework knitting in his villages. This was ultimately to the benefit of the communities when hosiery and lace manufacture shifted to factories in towns. From the 1870s onwards the Duke allowed ironstone extraction on his estate and the creation of a railway across his lands. However he would only give permission to the Great Northern Railway and blocked proposals by the Midland Railway. Although many young adults went to work in industrial towns during the final quarter of the nineteenth century village populations grew slightly in the Leicestershire part of the Vale. Universal primary education in England began with the Elementary Education Act of 1870, which mandated the provision of schooling for all children aged 5 to 12 in England and Wales. However, not until the Elementary Education Act of 1880 was primary school attendance compulsory for children aged 5 to 10. Initially unpopular because children had provided labour on farms, within a generation it was that clear that primary education increased employment options. However Victorian education mixed teaching the 'Three R's' with indoctrinating religious precepts and morality. From the perspective of a century later rural primary schools seem more like 'faith schools' rather than offering a broad-minded secular education. Traditional hiring fairs and feast days were more vigorously policed or suppressed as the nineteenth century progressed. Mostly they evolved into Pleasant Sunday Afternoons organised by nonconformist chapels. Folklorists tend to assume this was a top-down transition imposed by the squirearchy and JPs. But there seems to have been a grass-roots acceptance of the changes. I suspect half the population – the women – were happier with teetotal PSAs rather than having to deal with drunken menfolk who had overly-celebrated traditional fairs and feasts. The death of Saint Monday Another change to leisure arose in the late nineteenth century, driven by factory workers in towns. The tradition of taking Sunday and, usually, Monday as rest days declined with factory managers insisting on Monday to Saturday attendance. The invention of town football teams led to half-days on Saturdays and, during the later twentieth century, a two-day weekend became normal for most people not working in shops. The middling sort show the way The rural middle classes – farmers, craftsmen, tradesmen, shopkeepers – were mostly Wesleyan Methodist. Collectively, they had what has been described as 'faltering social deference to CofE clergy'. And, as a group, could broker 'deals' with demanding landowners. Clearly Methodism was a successful example of a self-governing organisation. Early trade unions and secular charitable societies – who may well have had Methodist members – based their organisations on similar principles. In the 1860s the lower classes formed a parallel organisation known as the Primitive Methodists. Both the Wesleyan and Primitive Methodist congregations could, collectively, negotiate with excessive demands made by landowners and other 'upper class' members of the communities. The trade union movement of the twentieth century was a direct descendant of nineteenth century nonconformist organisation structures and practices. Some social historians have suggested that England never had a social uprising comparable to several European countries simply because the middle and lower classes had formed 'self-help groups' in the guise of Methodist congregations, or secular societies inspired by the organisation of Methodist chapels and circuits. And the Vale of Belvoir was one of the regions in England where Methodists and secular 'middle class' societies thrived. Source Anne P. Bosworth, 1989. Village Life in the Vale of Belvoir: Social and economic change, 1851–1881, PhD thesis, Loughborough University. hdl.handle.net/2134/6738 Back to top of this page     Back to home page   This website does not gather or store any visitor information. Copyright Bob Trubshaw 2025 No unauthorised copying or reproduction except if all following conditions apply: a: Copy is complete (including this copyright statement). b: No changes are made. c: No charge is made. www.hoap.co.uk/chronicle

Chronicle entries home page what's new? the geology of the Vale the boundaries and rivers of the Vale long, long ago prehistory in the Vale prehistoric boundaries in the Vale north-south prehistoric routeways Romans roads in the Vale Roman settlements in and near the Vale long ago introduction to Anglo-Saxons place-names of the Vale waterborne transport around the sixth century Orston's early church Anglo-Saxon sculpture in the Vale why Orston lost out to Bingham and Bottesford what the Normans did for the Vale Granby's importance in 1086 Granby's lost castle the Vale's watermills in 1086 Romanesque sculpture in the Vale St Remigius why Bottesford is in Leicestershire the Vale in medieval times medieval gargoyles of the Vale Eastwell's chancel screen St Ethelburga's church other early saints Elston's old chapel Muston and Long Clawson saltways of the Vale the Vale's medieval tile collection the Vale in Tudor times Dissolution in the Vale not that long ago the Vale in the C17th the 'great and the good' of the Vale Bottesford's effigies 'wicked practice and sorcerye' the whales on the Whalley memorial Car Colston's bigoted GP cum JP the Vale's very own regicide Wiverton Hall five rare C17th fonts in the Vale pinfolds and pounds in the Vale dovecotes in the Vale the Vale in the C18th turnpiking the Vale gravestones and C18th trade routes goodbye 'Belvoir Angels' C18th gravestone carvers in the Vale Daffy's Elixir the Marquess of Granby Stilton from the Vale springs and spas of the Vale outstanding organs in the Vale Grantham canal changes in the Vale's agriculture since 1800 Eastwell's recusant priest house and chapel Colston Bassett's ruined church seems like yesterday windmills in the Vale stained glass in the Vale village life in the southern Vale 1850 to 1880 folklore of the Vale Flintham museum lacemaking in the Vale gypsum pits in the Vale brick and tile works in the Vale ironstone quarrying in the Vale ironstone railways ironstone quarries of Leicestershire (YouTube video) The Vale's railway stations Orston's famous architect Mothers Union banners of the Vale redundant telephone exchanges in the Vale WWII airfields and pillboxes in the Vale the Vale in 1944 location shooting at Belvoir Castle Screveton's giants researching and writing local history the Vale as a verb getting started free advice from 2005 asking curious questions (YouTube video) local history groups in and around the Vale Aslockton (Cranmer LHG) Bingham Heritage Trails Association Bottesford Eastwell Harby Harlaxton Hickling Redmile archive Belvoir Villages History and Memories Group Belvoir Angel Society Grantham Canal Society you may also be interested in free PDFs written by Bob Trubshaw Earliest Churches in Nottinghamshire How Anglo-Saxons Found Their Way Anglo-Saxon Leicestershire Conversations in Churchyards Little-known Leicestershire and Rutland Bob Trubshaw's YouTube channel Introduction to medieval carvings Anglo-Saxon and Romanesque carvings How Anglo-Saxons found their way Anglo-Saxon shrines at fords Meetings at triangles Rota's Land and Franni's Land Reading Romanesque fonts Church and manor The significances of square headdresses Early churches and waterborne trade Charnwood slate gravestones and C18th trade routes Ironstone quarries of Leicestershire Roman roads in north-east Leicestershire Salt ways in Leicestershire Why Melton Mowbray needed to called 'middle town' Evolving Anglo-Saxon agriculture Nottinghamshire's earliest churches Ploughs not piety? Economic regeneration in the C7th Were Anglo-Saxon weaving huts women-only places? Barrowby Until Now website Rutland Village by Village website Sepulchral Effigies of Leicestershire and Rutland