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So as to accomplish it.                 Proprietor R.N. Trubshaw.                 Founded 2025. Hello and welcome to the Vale of Belvoir Chronicle As you might have guessed already, this Chronicle chronicles the history of the Vale of Belvoir. Not every aspect of its history, just the bits that interest me most. So there's more about the sixth to eleventh centuries than most other folk would deem reasonable, some leftfield aspects of recent centuries, and a sprinkling of more predictable topics. If you're not sure where the Vale of Belvior begins and ends then this Chronicle entry is a good place to start. I'm sorry but my inner pedant refuses to call them 'web pages' or even 'articles'. Chronicles have 'entries'. The column down the right-hand side of every page lists all the entries so far written for the Chronicle plus a few links to other websites. The entries are listed in, as near as possible, chronological order. What did you expect? It's called the Vale of Belvoir Chronicle. Click on the logo at the top left of every page to jump back to this page. What's in a name? If you think Belvoir Castle takes its name from the Vale you've put the cart before the horse. Yes, Nottingham Castle, Newark Castle and every other castle in Britain I can think of got their name because they're in Nottingham, Newark or wherever. But we do things differently here. Belvoir Castle was built in 1067, right after the Norman Conquest. The name is French so is no older than 1066. Indeed 'vale' is a French word too. Even 'Vale of Belvoir' is more French than English as it's not 'Belvoir Vale' but constructed like Val de Belvoir. So the castle gave its name to the vale to the north over which it has a good view. I have not been able to glean any clues about earlier names for the district because undocumented changes to administrative hundreds around AD 950 added most, but not all, the Vale to Rushcliffe Hundred. This Chronicle entry goes into more detail. gleaning some possible clues: The name of an old bridge at Whatton offers the tantalising possibility that at least part of the Vale may once have been Cokerdale from a Brythonic ('Celtic') word meaning 'crooked'. This is a good description of the Smite before it was straightened in the first half of the nineteenth century. Cf. Cumberdale in Wymeswold parish for another Brythonic word – cymru – plus Old English dale. This makes even more sense when you take into account that the River Devon is probably from Brythonic *dubno- ('deep') as its upper reaches form a deep ravine. This ravine gives it name to 'Knipton', the farmstead (Old English tun) in a gnipa (Old Scandinavian 'narrow, steep-sided valley'). And, yes, the county name 'Devon' also comes from 'the people of the deep valley'. I've got previous… As I've previously created history web sites for three other places I've lived in (Wymeswold, Avebury and Barrowby) after five years of frequently visiting the Vale and subsequently moving to Orston in 2022 it's about time I put together nearly a decade of exploration, research, interrogating the evidence and analysis. I started researching, writing and publishing local history before 1990. Details of my books (many now available as free PDFs), articles and YouTube videos are here. Feedback and offers of contributions are most welcome Although this started as a project to keep me distracted during the autumn of 2025, I'm happy to include research and information from other folks. If you wish to contribute information or photographs please email me:– bobtrubs@indigogroup.co.uk. Also email me if you think I've got something wrong. I plan to add more entries as and when new information comes to light. However I have no intentions of writing detailed histories of each village, in large part because Southwell Diocese has provided online histories for every church in its diocese and these often include considerable information about the secular history of the settlements. Note that villages in the south of the Vale are in Leicestershire so not part of Southwell Diocese. Updates Also email me bobtrubs@indigogroup.co.uk if you would like me to let you know when new entries are added. Please make clear you're interested in the Vale of Belvoir Chronicle as I also maintain several other email lists. Your email address will not be shared with anyone else. The header photograph The photograph at the top of this page was taken on Waltham Lane near where it becomes Waltham Road looking north towards Harby. Eastwell is several hundred yards diagonally behind the photographer's right shoulder. The motto The Chronicle's motto 'So as to accomplish it' is a translation of the Duke of Rutland's French motto Pour y parvenir. Yes, he's the dude who lives in the Vale's eponymous castle. The sentiment encapsulates my response to being asked 'Bob, why are you creating yet another local history website?' That clearly is just flippancy. If I was being profound then the motto would be 'History is a construct consequent upon the questions asked by the historian' as E.H. Carr famously stated back in 1964. Though back in 2002 I opined that 'These days it might be more accurate to observe "History is a construct consequent upon the narrative approach adopted by the historian."' I'm trying to keep this web site lite and fluffy so let's keep such historiographical matters to consenting adults only. At both the ending of the day and the beginning of the next a motto's just a motto (except when it isn't). Acknowledgements This project has gained momentum over four decades so there's a real risk I've inadvertently omitted folks. My thanks, in alphabetical order, to Paul Barnes, David Bate, David Bell, Roger Blaney, Ian Brown, Janice Camacho, Nick Clark, John Cranston, Paul Devereux, Joe Earp, Neil Fortey, Matt Hall, Steve Harris, Jeremy Harte, R.F. Hartley, Michael Honeybone, Lorraine Horsley, Julian Humpheson, Ronald Hutton, David Jarram, Colin Jennings, Graham Jones, John Lacey, David Lea, Joyce Lee, John Manterfield, Max Wade Matthews, Mark Orridge, Ross Parish, Graham Parry, Richard Pincott, Catherine Pincott-Allen, David Ramsey, Ann Schmidt, David Stocker, Helen Wells and Karen Winyard. Posthumous thanks to Maurice Barley, Jill Bourn, Frederick Burgess, Roderick Cave, Frank Earp, Norman Fahy, Sid Henley, Alan Latham, R.W. 'Bob' Morrell, Paul Nix, Roy Palmer, Nikolaus Pevsner, Charles Phythian-Adams and Andy York. Without Judi Holliday (1953–2025) this would never have come about. Bob Trubshaw Back to top of this 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 named bridges in 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