home page   what's new?   email bobtrubs@indigogroup.co.uk to request updates (please mention Fabulous Framland) or to offer new information   Fabulous Framland only WWW Village by Village Ab Kettleby Asfordby Ashby Folville Barkestone le Vale Belvoir Bescaby Bottesford Branston Brentingby Brooksby Buckminster Burrough on the Hill Burton Lazars Chadwell Cold Overton Coston Croxton Kerrial Eastwell Eaton Edmondthorpe Eye Kettleby Freeby Frisby on the Wreake Gaddesby Garthorpe Goadby Marwood Great Dalby Grimston Harby Harston Hoby Holwell Hose Kirby Bellars Knipton Knossington Leesthorpe Little Dalby Long Clawson Melton Mowbray Muston Nether Broughton Normanton Old Dalby Pickwell Plungar Ragdale Redmile Rotherby Saltby Saxby Saxelbye Scalford Sewstern Shoby Somerby Sproxton Stapleford Stathern Stonesby Sysonby Thorpe Arnold Thorpe Satchville Twyford Waltham on the Wolds Wartnaby Welby Wycomb Wyfordby Wymondham This site sponsored by   Heart of Albion

This web site is about the history of Melton Mowbray and the surrounding villages. Since 1974 this district has been formally known as the Borough of Melton. However until 1894 it was known as Framland Hundred or Framland Wapentake. Because most of what makes up this web site happened before 1894 – often a very long time before – then to keep things simple I will refer to it as 'Framland'.   Simplified boundaries of the Borough of Melton, formerly Framland Hundred. With the exception of the most northerly and southerly parts these boundaries were probably created in the late Bronze Age or the Iron Age. See Framland's boundaries for more details.   For those less familiar with English geography here's a location map. Highlights There's lots that's magnificent about Melton and fabulous about Framland. There are two ways to fully explore this web site. In the left-hand navigation column on every page is an alphabetical list of the settlements in Framland. In the right-hand navigation column is a list of topics in approximate chronological order. Click on the logo at the top left of every page to jump back to this page. In total the two navagation columns on every page link to over a hundred other pages. If you find this a bit intimidating then here's some suggestions for where you might want to start. Just how much Iron Age metalwork can be found in a hill fort? Did the Romans ignore Framland? What did the Anglo-Saxons do for Framland? How long has Framland been the size it is? What the heck was happening in Scalford during the Anglo-Saxon era? Where were Framland's earliest churches? Why did Melton get called 'middle town'? Did the Normans ignore Framland? Have you ever seen a thirteenth/fourteenth century soldier of Christ? Where is Leicestershire's most-excavated medieval manor house? Have you ever seen a 1540s communion table? Why was Asfordby coalmine a waste of money? Where are Framland's oil wells? One of the most unique aspects of Framland (sadly)   The three-lanes-end at Scalford Gorse, close to the historic meeting place for Framland Hundred. I began researching the archaeology and history of Framland in 1986 after I started a new job at Melton Mowbray and stayed for four months in a B&B at Burton Lazars. For nearly thirty years I lived just to the west of Framland, at Wymeswold, and frequently visited Melton and the surrounding villages. I now live a mile or so from the northernmost part of Framland and still visit frequently. I have previously created web sites for four adjoining areas: the Vale of Belvoir, Rutland, part of south-west Lincolnshire, and the Leicestershire Wolds. Vale of Belvoir Chronicle Rutland Village by Village Barrowby Until Now website Wolds Historical Organisation There's also links to a web site about the Sepulchral Effigies of Leicestershire and Rutland. To keep things simple and avoid duplication there are links from this website to relevant web pages on these 'sister' sites. So don't be discombobulated if web pages with different colour schemes and navigation columns pop up unexpectedly.               Sample pages from my other websites linked to from this site. A few words of nerdy pendantry. Firstly I have included all parishes which in 2026 are part of the Borough of Melton. But there's more of these than there were in Framland Hundred. Until the 1930s there were several detached parts of Gartree Hundred within the boundaries of Framland. One 'cluster' comprised Burrough on the Hill, Knossington, Maresfield and Owston, while Pickwell was detached from any other Gartree parishes. Several churches had been part of the Peculiar of Rothley since the twelfth century so came under Goscote simply because Rothley was in Goscote Hundred. To add extra complications, admistrative changes in 1974 added parts of what, back in the day, had been parts of East Goscote Hundred to the Borough of Melton. In each of the village-by-village pages for this site I have noted such 'oddities'. But don't take my list of seventy parishes in the left-hand navigation column as any sort of 'definition' of the historic Framland Hundred. Secondly I have referred to the sixth to the eleventh centuries as 'Anglo-Saxon'. Academic historians now refer to this period as the 'early medieval' (although not that many decades ago that would have been the eleventh to thirteenth centuries). Visitors to this site who know about the rebranding of the term 'early medieval' will know what I mean by Anglo-Saxon. And those that don't should have a smoother ride. Apart from Americans as they have some decidely wayward notions attached to the phrase 'Anglo-Saxon'. Third. Following the precedent of the place-name scholar Jill Bourne I have used the term 'Old Scandinavian' rather than 'Old Norse' because dialects of Old Norse were spoken by Danes and Swedes as well as Norwegians. Again the experts know this but shouldn't be unduly phased by my use of 'Old Scandinavian'. And those with lesser expertise won't be led astray. If this web site was called Acta Historiae Framlandia Vicus or some such pomposity then I would do things differently. It's not. It's called 'Fabulous Framland' and aimed at mere mortals and muggles. Although creating this website was done to keep me distracted over the summer of 2026 I am happy to include information and/or photographs from other people. Please email me bobtrubs@indigogroup.co.uk. Also email me if you think I've got something wrong or information is out of date. Acknowledgements Collective thanks to the authors of the many church and village guide books whose work made my original research back in the 1980s and 1990s much easier. Their modern-day successors have usefully compiled Wikipedia pages for almost every parish in the Borough of Melton. Further research in 2026 was greatly assisted by the National Library of Scotland online Ordnance Survey maps, Open Domesday, Historic England's Listed Buildings database and the Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture Vol.15 East Midlands (British Academy 2026). The authors of books and articles which assisted with the preparation of this web site are listed in this bibliography. Special thanks, in alphabetical order, to the late Jill Bourn for many helpful discussions about place-names Barrie Cox for his exceptional study of Leicestershire and Rutland place-names Mick Deakin for discussions relating to Waltham on the Wolds, Piper Hole and for sharing key insights (at the time unpublished) Richard Ellison for casting a constructive eye over the geology page Della Graham and colleagues for assisting with accessing books at Loughborough Local Studies Library Fred Hartley for a lifetime of surveying and interpreting medieval earthworks and, latterly, responding constructively to arcane emails the staff of the Record Office for Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland for a consistently helpful and efficient service the late Roy Palmer for his research into Leicestershire folklore the late Arthur Mee for his suprisingly wide-ranging interest in Leicestershire back in the 1930s the late John Nichols for compiling the most comprehensive county-wide history in the country Aubrey Stevenson for help with obscure Burton Lazars publications the late Eric Tonks for meticulously researching the ironstone quarries of the East Midlands Thanks also to the member of the Prestwold bell ringing team who introduced me to the Bell Board web site. Bob Trubshaw Back to top of this page   This website does not gather or store any visitor information. Copyright Bob Trubshaw 2026 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/framland

Framland's history home page what's new? glossary bibliography Framland's geology Framland's boundaries Framland's rivers long, long ago prehistoric Framland Romans in Framland long ago Anglo-Saxon Framland Framland's moot site Framland's place-name origins and Scandinavian settlement waterborne transport around the sixth century Framland's early churches Why Melton Mowbray needed to be called 'middle town' Anglo-Saxon sculpture in Framland what the Normans did for Framland Romanesque sculpture in Framland Framland in medieval times Framland's medieval carvings Framland's sepulchral effigies Framland's saltways Framland in Tudor times Dissolution in Framland Bottesford's C16th communion table not that long ago Framland in the 17th century pinfolds and pounds in Framland Framland in the 18th century Framland's roads Framland's canals changes in Framland's agriculture since 1800 seems like yesterday watermills and windmills in Framland Framland in the 19th century ironstone quarrying in Framland Holwell Works redundant telephone exchanges in Framland Second World War in Framland MOD animals Framland's oil wells and coal mine Framland and food free online history resources old OS maps Historic England Listed buildings database Sepulchral Effigies of Leicestershire and Rutland Open Domesday English Place-Name Society database Wikipedia list of places in Melton District (with links to village entries) recent bellringing in Leicestershire (updates daily) researching and writing local history getting started free advice from 2005 asking curious questions (YouTube video) local history groups in and around Framland Bottesford Living History Eastwell Local History Group Goadby Marwood History Group Melton Mowbray and District Historical Society Melton Fieldwalkers you may also be interested in free PDFs written by Bob Trubshaw Earliest Churches in Leicestershire 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 be 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? Rutland Village by Village Vale of Belvoir Chronicle Barrowby Until Now website