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the Vale in the eighteenth century Compared to the various wars and trumoils of the previous century, the eighteenth century started with the more stable reign of William and Mary from 1689 to 1702. They were succeeded, without any drama, by the reign of Queen Anne from 1702 until 1714. The Acts of Union of 1707 brought England and Scotland closer together but, seemingly, this had little effect on the Vale or the Midlands more broadly. The Vale of Belvoir – along with the rest of Great Britain – became 'Georgian' in 1714 with the accession of George I to the throne. The Georgian period lasted until the death of George IV in 1830, though sometimes the period is extended to include the reign of William IV, which ended in 1837. The Marquis of Granby at Granby. The Vale in Georgian times A local lad, the Marquess of Granby (1721–70) became nationally famous. And, after his death, commemorated in the names of a great many pubs. Successful pastoral farming led to the Vale becoming important for its cheese, originally several different varieties rather than just the Red Leicester and Stilton which have survived the problems for dairies that milk rationing caused during and after the Second World War. Stilton's history is rooted in the Vale of Belvoir. The oldest surviving mention is in 1720 – by none less than Daniel Defoe – while John Nichols, writing at the end of the eighteenth century, states it was being sold in Melton Mowbray by 1730. As demand grew in the eighteenth century the Vale became the focus of its production. Orston spa in 2017. Starting in the Georgian era and continuing until the end of the nineteenth century the practice of 'taking the waters' grew rapidly in popularity. Visiting spas evolved from an optimistic medical treatment into a social activity requiring an entire 'leisure industry' to support it. The Vale attempted to be part of this trend, with little success. Another fashion which started around the end of the seventeenth century was using 'Swithland slate' for headstones. These provide an excellent resource for historians. Names and dates provide basic bibliographical information. Decoration and styles of lettering reveal ever-changing fashions, as do the words of inscriptions. Early gravestones typically say 'Here lies the body of… ' while later ones start 'In sacred memory of… ' before more secular wording such as 'In memory of… ' becomes typical. The ornamentation on these memorials also reveals something about religious beliefs in the eighteenth century. I have used the dates and distribution of early eighteenth century slate gravestones to identify trade routes. From the 1730s onwards the masons began to 'sign' the memorials. I have made a start on indentifying some of them. From the 1740s onwards Wesleyan Methodism grew in popularity, initially among the 'middling sort' but later with the working classes who founded the Primitive Methodists. The Vale has many Methodist chapels. The oldest are at Bingham, built in 1818, and Redmile, built in 1828. Given that Primitive Methodists embraced the temperance movement in 1832 and Wesleyan Methodists became teetotallers by the twentieth century it is ironic that the Bingham chapel is now the Horse and Plough pub. Worse things happen. Thomas Cook the travel agents was founded in 1841 by a decidedly proselytizing teetotaller. Yet in 1998 the company bought Club 18–30, arguably the antithesis of the temperance movement. The Club 18–30 brand was 'retired' by its parent company in 2018. I am wont to digress wantonly… Towards the end of the eighteenth century there was another new fashion – installing pipe organs in churches. The Vale has two early examples as the organ at Eaton was first constructed about 1790 and the one at Branston by Belvoir is from 1794. However both these organs came to their current homes more recently – Branston's in 1879 and Eaton's in 1980. Increasing enclosure of fields towards the end of the eighteenth century changed the nature of the Vale's farming. Along with the traditional corn and beans new crops became fashionable, such as oats, turnips and rape. These grew on the poorer soils that had hitherto been sheep runs. The population of the Vale grew from around four thousand at the start of the eighteenth century to about six thousand towards the end. Proof that farming had improved and could sustain such a substantial increase. Is it just me? But aren't historians (I won't name them – but two still-living exemplars come to mind immediately) who write that 'agriculture had to adapt to support growing populations' reversing causality? Without getting lost in a warren of trivial exceptions, fundamentally there can only be a growth in population if agricultural yields are improving. Horses come before carts, despite some historians unthinkingly saying otherwise. The Vale in 1934 with the Grantham Canal highlighted in blue. The 1790s ended with something very important, at least for the middle of the Vale. The Grantham Canal was opened in 1797. Remarkably all thirty-three miles and eighteen locks were built in about four years. The price of coal in the Vale plummeted. As well as coal the cargoes included stone, timber, grain, flour, malt, meat, lime and marl, along with dung, 'night soil' and ashes from Nottingham. The canal was so important that the Duke of Rutland built a horse-drawn tramway to bring goods from the canal wharf at Muston to the castle. Back to top of this page     Back to home page   This website does not gather or store any visitor information. 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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