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Name
The county was first recorded in 863 when it was known as Roteland. The
name derived from Rota's Land, a possession of Queen Edith the wife of
Edward the Confessor. However, nobody is quite sure who the heck Rota
was!!
Topography
The smallest county in England, Rutland is bordered by Lincolnshire in
the north and east, Northamptonshire to the south and Leicestershire in
the west. The land is undulating, the highest point being Ranksborough
Hill at 625 feet. The River Welland runs along much of the south-eastern
boundary. However, when you talk of water in Rutland you really mean
Rutland Water, a whopping man-made lake with a surface area of 3,100
acres.
History
Prior to the Roman conquest, the county was occupied and inhabited by
the tribes of the British Coritani. A legacy of the Roman period is
Ermin Street. In the 8th century the county formed part of the Saxon
kingdom of Mercia. Much of the land was designated as a protected
hunting forest, the game being deer and wild boar. King Ethelred gave
Rutland to his Queen. Emma later married King Canute. It became a
tradition for the monarch to give the county to the queen or the court
favourite.
Landmarks
Rutland Water is the chief landmark due to its vast size. Completed in
1977, it is one of the largest man-made reservoirs in Europe and
supplies some 65 million gallons of water per day to the towns and
cities of the East Midlands. At the northern end of the reservoir there
is a nature reserve with a large number of hides. Consequently, it is
the home of the British Bird Watching Fair each August - an orgasm of
twitching. Built between 1877-9 by the Midland Railway, Harringworth
viaduct extends across a wide valley of the river Welland south-east of
Uppingham.
Monuments
Oakham Castle - much of it has been lost but the Great Hall built by the
Norman baron Walkelin de Ferrers between 1180 and 1190 survives and is
one of the finest examples of late 12th century domestic architecture in
England. Measuring some forty feet in diameter, the maze at Wing is
thought to date from medieval times.
Famous People born in Rutland
Titus Oates (1649-1705) the man behind the 'Popish Plot' of 1678 was
born in Oakham. He was later tried and convicted of perjury and was
sentenced - check this out for a punishment - to be put in the pillory
annually, be whipped from Oldgate to Newgate, and from thence to Tyburn,
to pay a heavy fine, to be stripped of his canonical habits, and to be
imprisoned for life. However, after a good flogging not only did they
overturn the decision, they even decided to pay him a handsome pension
for life.
Jeffrey Hudson is one of Oakham's most celebrated characters. Until he
reached the ripe old age of 30 he had only grown to a height of 18
inches. He subsequently shot up double this height. Born in 1619, the
dwarf gained notoriety and was later taken into royal service and
knighted by the King. Captured by pirates and battling his way back to
Britain, he was a captain in the King's army during the English Civil
War. He finally died in prison in 1682. Oakham brewery even named a beer
after him - a bloody good beer too!
Famous People who lived in Rutland
Sir Isaac Newton (1717-1779) lived with his grandmother at Market
Overton for part of his childhood.
Folklore
According to legend, the maze at Wing was used by penitents who would
crawl around it on their hands and knees blindfolded whilst they recited
prayers - sounds like a good pub game. |
