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Stilton from the Vale 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. Michael Honeybone in his 1987 book The Vale of Belvoir suggests that the reason there was so much enclosure in the Vale in the fifteenth century (i.e. long before the national trend of the eighteenth century) was because of the importance of sheep and cattle for wool and cheese (sheep's milk as well as cow's milk were both originally used for cheese). He states that in the Nottinghamshire part of the Vale a substantial proportion of the parishes had been enclosed before 1500: Barstone, Bingham, Car Colston, Colston Bassett, Flawborough, Kilvington, Langar, Owthorpe, most of Screveton, Shelton, Sibthorpe, part of Staunton and all of Wiverton. In contrast the only parish in the Leicestershire part of the Vale that was enclosed before 1500 was Eastwell. This presumably reflects the preferences of the sixteenth century landowners, the de Roos and Manners families. Stilton cheese was originally made using unpasteurised milk but production changed to pasteurised milk during the 1980s. Colston Bassett was the last to make the change in 1989. Three of the five dairies making Stilton cheese in 2025 are in the Vale of Belvoir: Colston Bassett, Cropwell Bishop and Long Clawson. The two outside the Vale are at Melton Mowbray and Hartington, Derbyshire. While it has little to do with the history of the Vale, the story of Hartington Stilton is more than a little confusing. Stilton cheese has been made at Hartington since 1900. While I don't know the dates (but seemingly after the Second World War) the Hartington dairy acquired two Stilton dairies in Leicestershire – one at Wymeswold (which closed in the mid-1980s) and the other at Saxelby (closed in 2020). The Saxelby dairy is the reason Hartington itself was included in the Protected Designation of Origin status in 1996. While I do not know the exact date, before 2002 Dairy Crest bought the Hartington Creamery then sold it to Long Clawson Dairy Ltd in 2008; it closed the next year. But Stilton is still made at Hartington as two former employees set up a new Hartington Creamery which was licensed in 2014. I understand most of their product is exported. A dairy was built by St Ivel to the west of Harby and officially opened January 1985. It was a replacement for a previous Stilton dairy in Harby on Watson Lane that was no longer big enough to meet demand. There is a small black-and-white photograph of the dairy taken about 1985 in Michael Honeybone's book The Vale of Belvoir. According to online information ownership passed to Millway Foods Ltd in 1987 who continued to produce Stilton at this site. Millway Foods was bought by Dairy Crest in 1999. However in 2002 Dairy Crest closed the Harby site and moved Stilton production to Hartington. Dairy Crest took out an injunction prohibiting the Harby site from being used for cheese production. Less than a decade later, in 2008, the Dairy Crest speciality cheese making division, including the Hartington Creamery, was bought by Long Clawson Dairy Ltd. principal source The former Harby dairy became derelict and a large fire broke out during the early hours of Saturday 5th May 2012. The site was demolished sometime after 2017 (maybe during 2020). photos in 2015    photos in 2017 As of 2025 Long Clawson Dairies Ltd operates premises on the north side of Bottesford. The Bottesford site does not produce Stilton, instead specialising in blended cheeses like Huntsman and Wensleydale with cranberry. More information about Stilton on Wikipedia (contrary to what is stated, the dairy at Saxelbye is no longer operational). 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