BURROUGH ON THE HILL
Burrough on the Hill lies on the western edge
of the uplands of east Leicestershire, about twelve
miles north-east of Leicester. The ground falls
from nearly 700 ft. in the north-east of the parish
to 350 ft. in the south-west. At the extreme northeast is the earthwork known as Burrough Camp, (fn. 1)
an Iron Age fort which occupies a promontory and
commands a wide view of the Wreake valley. The
ancient parish consisted of 1,565 a., but this area
was increased in 1936 when the civil parish was
united with that of Somerby, (fn. 2) in Framland hundred.
The following account deals only with the ancient
parish of Burrough on the Hill.
Burrough parish formed part of a detached portion of the hundred of Gartree lying north-east of the
main area. The eastern and western boundaries of
the parish were also those of the hundred, but in the
north the two boundaries do not appear to have coincided, (fn. 3) and part of the parish was formerly regarded
as being in Framland hundred. (fn. 4) The eastern
boundary of the parish, dividing it from Somerby,
followed an irregular course southwards from
Burrough Camp. The southern boundary followed
a winding stream which joins the River Wreak near
Syston. A small northern tributary of this stream
originates in the parish and is fed by several springs
which rise on the western slopes of Burrough Hill.
The tributary formed part of the western boundary
which, at its southern end, followed the road from
Burrough to Twyford.
The village lies on a south-western spur of high
ground, only 100 ft. lower than the main plateau and
connected to it by a narrow ridge along which runs
the road from Somerby. This road becomes the
village street and descends steeply towards Twyford.
Beyond the village it is joined by a road leading
north to Great Dalby and, about 500 yds. further on,
by a lane forking south to Marefield and Tilton. In
the village itself a smaller track leads southwards to
Newbold and Owston. A map made in 1607, (fn. 5) showing the parish immediately before inclosure, indicates several of these roads, including those to
Twyford (then called Leicester Gate) and to Marefield; at Burrough Hill in the north a continuation
of the road from Somerby skirted the south side of
the earthwork and descended the western slope of
the hill towards Thorpe Satchville (Moor Gates
and Salters Gate), and in 1959 this was still in use
as a farm track. Part of the present road to Great
Dalby was also in existence in 1607 but it does not
appear to have continued northwards beyond its
junction with the old road to Thorpe Satchville.
The railway from Bottesford to Market Harborough crosses the south-western tip of the parish.
It was opened in 1879 and a station was built on the
road to Twyford about a mile from the village. (fn. 6) This
was named John o'Gaunt after a fox covert lying
over a mile to the south near the junction with the
branch line to Leicester. The railway is carried
across the small valley at the southern boundary of
the parish by a brick viaduct of 14 arches. The line
was closed to passenger traffic in 1953 but in 1956
one train ran daily from Leicester to John o'Gaunt.
The John o'Gaunt Dairies, a milk bottling factory,
had been built near the station by 1932 (fn. 7) and was
still operating in 1956.
BURROUGH ON THE HILL 1607
Based on a map of 1607 at Brasenose College, Oxford. The direction of strips within the furlongs is indicated, but no attempt has been made to show individual strips.
The soil of the parish is largely boulder clay.
The village itself stands on a small island of sand and
gravel. Most of the land is under pasture and the
parish is almost wholly agricultural. In 1607 a well
called 'Leeste Well' was situated a short distance
along the lane to Owston. (fn. 8) The village is still supplied with water from wells and local springs but
during the Second World War a supply from
Somerby was installed for the use of troops stationed
in the area. (fn. 9) In 1959 a reservoir was being excavated
at Burrough Hill in connexion with the River Dove
water scheme. (fn. 10)
The size and layout of the village, with its main
street and side lanes, has changed little since 1607.
The church stands near its centre with the Rectory to
the south-west of it. In 1607 the manor-house of
the Burrough family stood on the north side of the
road at the south-west end of the village. It was still
in existence in 1791, when it apparently retained
several medieval features and a chimney built in
1569. (fn. 11) By 1839 the house had been demolished and
the site was known as Hall Close. (fn. 12) Foundations
were uncovered in about 1948 when pre-fabricated
bungalows were erected in the area. (fn. 13)
Ironstone is the predominant building material
in the village and many of the houses date from the
18th and early 19th centuries. Earlier buildings
include two small 17th-century houses on the southeast side of the main street. One, at its northern
end, retains moulded stone window-heads; the other,
which is L-shaped in plan, is now the post office.
In a side lane to the north of the church are two
farm-houses of 16th- or early-17th-century origin.
The Limes, at the end of the lane, has an ironstone
north wing of this period, retaining an original
doorway and fragments of carved panelling. A house
in this position existed in 1607, when it was the
property of Brasenose College, Oxford, and was let to
Thomas Porter. (fn. 14) The south wing has a symmetrical
red-brick front with stone dressings and was rebuilt
in 1752. (fn. 15) Nearby is Cheselden Farm on a site also
formerly belonging to Brasenose and in 1607 occupied by Richard Mulsho. (fn. 16) The house consists of
a central block flanked by gabled cross-wings, one
having a cellar. The wings are of ironstone, probably of early-17th-century date, but the central
portion was evidently raised in height and rebuilt in
brick c. 1700. Externally it has flat stone architraves
and string courses; the roof formerly contained
dormer windows. In the hall are remains of Corinthian pilasters.
In the main street opposite the church is a tall
brick house known as the Manor, built in 1781
probably by Robert Peake. (fn. 17) It belonged to Brasenose College until the sale of their property in
1941 (fn. 18) and it is not known when it acquired its
present name. In the middle of the front is a threestoried block, its central bay enclosed by a roundheaded recessed panel and surmounted by a pediment.
The side wings of two stories, each with its central
round-headed window and pediment, are like
smaller replicas of the main block. In proportion
to its size the whole front is over-weighted with
window openings and other features. It was almost
certainly with reference to this house that Throsby,
visiting Burrough in 1790, wrote that 'one dwelling,
built by a grazier, may please its owner as a doll
does a child'. (fn. 19) Several alterations, including the
addition of bay windows, were made by later
tenants.
By the early 20th century there were three large
houses in the parish used as hunting boxes or occupied by hunting families. The first was Burrough
Hall or Burrough Hill House, built in 1876 by
C. W. Chaplin (fn. 20) on high ground to the north-east
of the village. It is a stone mansion in the Tudor
style and is surrounded by gardens and plantations.
Some of the outbuildings, as well as additions
made by the second owner Maj. A. Coats, were
demolished after the Second World War. By 1900
Maj. W. A. Peake was living at Burrough House, (fn. 21)
a former farm-house in the village street near the lane
to Owston. It had been much extended and a large
stable court and cottages built to the west. Later
it was occupied by Sir Raymond Greene, Bt. (d.
1947). The third house belonging to this period was
Burrough Court which formerly stood half a mile
from the village on the road to Twyford. It was
built c. 1905 by H. C. Allfrey (fn. 22) and later belonged
to Marmaduke, Viscount Furness (d. 1940), (fn. 23) who
used it as a hunting box. Between the world wars it
became a well-known meeting place for the hunting
society of Melton; in the autumn of 1930 the first
meeting between Edward, Prince of Wales, and Mrs.
Wallis Simpson (later Duke and Duchess of Windsor)
took place there. (fn. 24) The house, which was burnt
down during the Second World War when it was
requisitioned for troops, is said to have been in a
low-built farm-house style. (fn. 25) A stable court and
three cottages, all with rough-cast walls and stone slate
roofs, were still standing in 1959. The land was being
farmed as part of the Burrough House property.
In 1908-9 old cottages north of the Manor were
replaced by two stone-built groups, one by Brasenose College and the other by Major Coats. (fn. 26) There
is one inn, the 'Stag and Hounds', an early-19thcentury building at the south-west end of the village.
The John o'Gaunt Hotel, formerly used in connexion with the railway station, became a private
house in 1958. Apart from 10 Council houses,
erected near the 'Stag and Hounds' in 1955, (fn. 27) there
has been little recent building in the parish.
The Iron Age fort at Burrough Hill gives Burrough
its name. The village was formerly called Erdeborough, a name which survived until the last
quarter of the 19th century, (fn. 28) although probably
by then in a consciously archaic way. The fort itself was perhaps known as 'Miccilberuhill' c. 1260. (fn. 29)
Leland recorded that in the 16th century 'to
these Borow Hills every year on Monday after
Whit Sunday come people of the country thereabout, and shoot, run, wrestle, dance, and use like
other feats of exercise'. (fn. 30) Burton states that such
sports used to take place, (fn. 31) but they had apparently
been discontinued in his day; they were revived
later and again abandoned in the 18th century. (fn. 32)
In the early 19th century the Melton Hunt established a race meeting at Burrough on the Wednesday
after the second Sunday in June. (fn. 33) These races
were held until about 1870 (fn. 34) and in 1871 a large
number of strangers were at Burrough for the
steeplechases on 2 April when the census was taken. (fn. 35)
These particular races were more likely to have been
at Melton. In 1955 games were played on the hill
on Whit Monday, but this does not seem to have
been an annual practice.
The recorded population of Burrough in 1086
was 17; (fn. 36) the number of persons paying the poll
tax of 1381 was 59. (fn. 37) In 1563 23 households were
returned, and in 1670 27. There were 80 communicants in 1603 and 60 in 1676. The population
during the 19th century never exceeded 200.
During the 20th century the number increased to
214 in 1931, the most rapid rise being from 149 in
1901 to 200 in 1911. (fn. 38) In 1951 the population of the
ecclesiastical parish of Burrough was 197. (fn. 39)
William Cheseldene, F.R.S. (d. 1752), surgeon
and anatomist, was born at Burrough in 1688. (fn. 40)
MANOR.
The multiplicity of holdings in Burrough
on the Hill which is recorded in Domesday Book
is reflected throughout the history of the parish, and
is complicated by the fact that the parish and
hundred boundaries did not coincide. It is difficult
to see any connexion, except in one case, between
the Domesday holding and the later manors. There
were four holdings in Burrough in 1086. Henry
de Ferrers's under-tenant Roger held 2 carucates and
3 bovates, which had been the property of a Saxon
freeman, Alwold, before the Conquest. (fn. 41) Geoffrey
de Wirce held one carucate, (fn. 42) Herbert the king's
serjeant held 4 carucates and 6 bovates of waste, (fn. 43)
and the king had 1½ carucate as part of his manor
of Whatborough. (fn. 44) It may be said at once that nothing further is known of the king's holding; it
seems likely that it became indistinguishably
attached to Whatborough.
A similarly complicated situation existed in 1130.
Robert Marmion is said to have held 3 carucates in
Burrough as part of Gartree wapentake, and another
3 as part of Framland wapentake. (fn. 45) It has been suggested that in fact this is duplicated entry, but there
seems to be no reason why this should be, (fn. 46) although
Philip Marmion's estate at the end of the 13th
century consisted of only 3 carucates. (fn. 47) Roger de
Mowbray held one carucate, which he had presumably inherited from Geoffrey de Wirce. (fn. 48) The
pattern of landownership which is apparent in the
Middle Ages suggests that part of the Marmion
estate of 6 carucates had been alienated before the
death of Philip Marmion to form the manor held
by Kirby Bellars Priory.
When Philip Marmion died in 1291 he possessed
3 carucates of land in Burrough, held as one knight's
fee by John de Stockton from Thomas Malore, who
held from Nicholas de Segrave, who held from
Marmion. (fn. 49) This multiplication of intermediate
tenants dates from at least 1250, when Robert de
Stockton sought that Christine Malore should
acquit him of the service which Philip Marmion
exacted from him for his free tenement. (fn. 50) The
Malore family appear in Burrough in or before
1240, and they still preserved a connexion with the
village in 1347. (fn. 51) Nothing further is known of the
Segraves. (fn. 52) At Philip Marmion's death his property
in Burrough passed to his daughter Joan and her
husband Alexander de Fryville. In 1418, at the
death of Baldwin de Fryville, the family was still
seised of a knight's fee in Burrough which should
have descended to one of Baldwin's co-heirs, (fn. 53) but
at the end of the 15th century Henry Burrough was
holding his manor in chief of the king by knight
service. (fn. 54)
The Stockton family, who were for practical
purposes the lords of the manor of BURROUGH,
appear in the middle of the 13th century. The
family made considerable purchases in the village
and became the under-tenants of the manor. (fn. 55) In
1383 the manor was said to have descended from
an Alan de Stockton who was enfeoffed with the
manor in the reign of Henry III. Before the Stocktons a Geoffrey Wildboef seems to have been the
tenant. (fn. 56) The manor descended in the Stockton
family, which acquired the name of Burrough at the
end of the 14th century, when Robert de Stockton
was the first to call himself Burrough. (fn. 57) The two
names continue to the used alternately in the 15th
century. (fn. 58) The Burroughs remained in possession
of the manor until the late 17th or early 18th century, (fn. 59) when the manor was sold to the Brown
family, owners of the manor of Leesthorpe. John
Suffield Brown of Leesthorpe was lord of the manor
of Burrough in 1798. (fn. 60) His son William Brown (d.
1814), Rector and patron of Burrough, left the estate
to his daughter Mary (d. 1858), wife of Edwyn Andrew
Burnaby (d. 1825), of Baggrave Hall. (fn. 61) The Burrough portion of her inheritance appears to have
passed to her son, G. A. Burnaby (d. 1872), of
Somerby Hall, patron of Somerby and Burrough,
and Vicar of Somerby. His son Evelyn Burnaby was
also Rector and patron of Burrough from 1873 to
1883. (fn. 62) The Burnaby estate was sold about 1895.
Part of it passed to the Peake family who obtained
the advowson, but the manorial rights apparently
lapsed. (fn. 63)
The manor which was held in the 14th century
by the priory of Kirby Bellars may originally have
formed part of the estate of the Marmion family,
although it is not known exactly when or how it was
alienated. Roger Beler, the founder of the priory,
was murdered in 1326. (fn. 64) One of the descendants of
his co-heirs, Ralph de Cromwell, in 1376 granted
a manor at Burrough to Kirby Bellars Priory, (fn. 65)
and he made a further grant in 1392. (fn. 66) By 1535 the
priory's manor in Burrough was valued at nearly
£4 a year. (fn. 67) At the Dissolution it passed to the
Crown and was granted to Sir Edward Montague
in 1544. (fn. 68) Montague was licensed to alienate this
manor in 1546 to Richard Burrough, lord of the
other manor. (fn. 69) From this date the two manors descended together.
The carucate of land which belonged to Geoffrey
de Wirce in 1086 passed by c. 1130 to Roger Mowbray. (fn. 70) It seems possible, though there is hardly
any direct evidence, that this manor formed part of
the property of the alien priory of Monks Kirby
(Warws.), which had been founded by Wirce in 1077.
The priory was dissolved in 1396 and re-established
in 1399, but it was granted to the Carthusian house at
Axholme (Lincs.) by Henry V. (fn. 71) It might be suggested that during these changes the priory's hold over
an estate in Burrough was lost, (fn. 72) and that it somehow came into the possession of the Wastnes
family of Headon (Notts.), before 1460, when
Richard Wastnes held a manor in Burrough and
granted it to feoffees for his own use. (fn. 73) Wirce's land
was probably in the Framland part of Burrough
and this manor is described as 'the manor of Burgh
in the parish of Somerby'. In 1491 Thomas Wastnes and his family sold the manor to Richard Sutton. (fn. 74) In 1508 Sutton enfeoffed 11 persons (5 of
whom were afterwards fellows of Brasenose College,
Oxford), with the manor, (fn. 75) and in the following
year, upon the foundation of Brasenose by Sutton
and William Smyth, it was provided that, if the
endowments for building the new college failed,
distraint was to be made upon the manor. (fn. 76) In 1519
Sutton leased his property at Burrough, Somerby,
and Pickwell to Brasenose, and in 1524, the year
of his death, he conveyed this property to the college outright. (fn. 77) The estate consisted of the manor
of BURROUGH IN SOMERBY, 5 messuages,
300 a. of land, 24 a. of meadow, 100 a. of pasture,
and 7s. 8d. rent, all of which he had received from
Thomas Wastnes in 1491. In 1499 he had added to
this land a smaller estate in Somerby. (fn. 78) In the
18th century traces of the former ownership of this
by the Mowbray family remained in the payment of
1d. a year by the bailiff of Brasenose to the bailiff
of Melton. (fn. 79) The college in 1870 leased its property
in Burrough for 21 years to Henry Peake who
afterwards succeeded to the principal manor. (fn. 80) In
1941 Brasenose College sold 350 a. at Burrough and
260 a. in Somerby and Pickwell, which was the
full extent of its holding in the district, to Mr.
E. E. Cook of London for £26,500. (fn. 81)
ECONOMIC HISTORY.
The several holdings at
Burrough in 1086 contained land for 6½ ploughs,
and there was a recorded population of 17, including
7 bordars and 5 villeins. Henry de Ferrers's undertenant Roger and Herbert the serjeant each had
20 a. of meadow, and Herbert also possessed a
tract of woodland 13 furlongs by 4. Both these
holdings had increased considerably in value,
Roger's from 5s. to 20s. and Herbert's from 10s.
to 30s. In addition Herbert held 6 bovates of waste,
valued at 2s. (fn. 82)
Little is known of medieval Burrough. In 1291
a dispute arose between John de Tateshale and
Robert de Stockton about John's pasture at Somerby, upon which he claimed that the Stocktons had
trespassed; animals belonging to the inhabitants
of Burrough were said to have been driven along the
highway in 'a place called Erburgate'. (fn. 83) In 1327 there
were 15 taxpayers, including the rector. (fn. 84) Most of
the men who paid the poll tax in 1381 were described as husbandmen. (fn. 85) There were no free tenants.
There were three open fields at Burrough. In
1601 these were described as Mill Field, and two
fields 'towards Newbold', (fn. 86) but on the map of
1607 (fn. 87) their names are recorded as Mill Field,
Twyford Field, and Newbold Field. A schedule of the
tenants of Brasenose and of Thomas Burrough made
at the same time shows that the college held about
11 yardlands, and Burrough over 38. This gives a
rough average of 30 a. of land to each yardland
over the whole parish. The college let its land and
collected an average of about £10 a year in rents
from Burrough in the first 50 years of the 16th
century. (fn. 88) In 1538 the whole estate was leased
to John Hunt for 28 years at a yearly rent of
£10 2s. 9d. (fn. 89) In a new lease made in 1541 it was
reduced to £9 8s. 4d. (fn. 90) Previously the college had
collected its rents through a collector, but they had
fallen badly into arrears by 1526 (fn. 91) and it was evidently felt that the leasing of the estate as a whole
was safer.
The conditions upon which the college leased
land were carefully specified in all its leases. One
condition was that tenants should bind themselves
to agree to the inclosure of their land if the college
thought fit. (fn. 92)
In 1601 the whole parish seems to have been uninclosed, (fn. 93) although it has been suggested that as
early as 1527-8 Brasenose was already inclosing
land. (fn. 94) This seems unlikely. In October 1605 an
agreement between the various interested owners
and occupiers stated that in order to facilitate the
inclosure of the parish tenants should surrender
half their lands and retain the other half until their
leases expired. (fn. 95) Brasenose made several fresh
leases in November 1605 and their tenants entered
into a bond of £40 to agree to the inclosure. (fn. 96) The
first lease in which the clause about agreeing to the
inclosure was omitted was made in March 1606. (fn. 97)
In 1607 the commission on depopulation reported
that 252 a. had been converted from tillage to pasture
within the last year by several landowners. The lord
of the manor, Thomas Burrough, had converted
120 a., involving the destruction of one house; St.
John Burrough, his father, 40 a.; Richard Mulsho,
a tenant both of Burrough and of the college, who
was prosecuted for inclosure in 1609, (fn. 98) had converted a house and 30 a.; and a further 62 a. had
been inclosed in several smaller parcels by tenants
both of Burrough and Brasenose. (fn. 99) The college
itself seems to have kept in the background and
its tenants took responsibility for the inclosure.
The map drawn in 1607 showed the disposition
of village and fields before the inclosure. The
title of the map implies that inclosure had already
begun, but only one extensive inclosed area is
shown, apart from a few homestead closes round
the village itself; that area was in the south of the
parish, by the boundary with Marefield, where there
were 2 large closes belonging to Thomas Burrough,
called Nether Close and Over Close. It seems
likely, however, that the map records conditions
slightly earlier than 1607. (fn. 1)
It is not known when the inclosure was completed. A lease from St. John Burrough to Richard
Mulsho in 1616 mentions land lately inclosed, (fn. 2) and it
seems likely that the inclosures of 1606 were only
the beginning of the inclosure of the whole parish,
made with the consent of the lord of the manor,
the college, and their tenants. The open fields had
certainly disappeared by the end of the 17th century.
The glebe terrier of 1674 refers indirectly to the
redistribution of land entailed by the inclosure. (fn. 3) A
schedule of the property of the manor of Burrough,
also probably of late-17th-century date, mentions
only closes of arable land. (fn. 4) The inclosure apparently
involved no depopulation. (fn. 5)
Francis Mulsho of Burrough was a Fellow of
Brasenose College in 1658, when he gave £20 to it,
and 'widow Porter' and Richard Adcock, who were
both quite small tenants of the college at Burrough,
made gifts towards the building of its new chapel in
the same year. William Burrough, a member of the
lord of the manor's family, was educated at Brasenose, became Rector of Burrough, and gave £5 in
1658 to the college's funds. (fn. 6)
By the late 18th century the ownership of the soil
of the parish had been divided between over 20
owners. In 1773 27 separate holdings were assessed
for land tax, but several of these were held by the
same person. In 1832 there were 25 owners, many
of them not occupying their own property. (fn. 7) The
parish was mainly pasture in the 19th century, and
remained so in 1956. In 1801 only 57½ a. were
cultivated, (fn. 8) and in 1839-43 there were 99 a. of
arable and 1,456 a. of meadow and pasture. (fn. 9) From
the late 19th century until the Second World War
Burrough was a favourite centre for the hunting
society of the district. During the 1930's the kennels
of the Thorpe Satchville Beagles were at the Manor. (fn. 10)
A mill in Burrough was mentioned in 1221. (fn. 11)
Thomas Burrough had a windmill in 1614, (fn. 12) and
it was marked in the extreme north of the parish
on the map of 1607; Thomas Burrough also had a
malt mill in the village in 1607, and a piece of ground
called 'Milne hooke', lying by the stream on the
southern parish boundary, probably indicates the
position of a former watermill. (fn. 13)
PARISH ADMINISTRATION.
The town house
of Burrough is marked on the map of 1607, (fn. 14) but no
later references to a workhouse have been discovered.
In 1839-43, however, there were 5 cottages in the
same position belonging to the parish and occupied
by the poor. (fn. 15) A levy of 4d. in the £ raised £16 in
1758-9, (fn. 16) £20 was raised in 1776, an annual average
of £36 in 1783-5, and £85 in 1802-3. In the latter
year, 8 adults were given out-relief. (fn. 17) After 1836
Burrough was included in the Melton Mowbray
Union. (fn. 18) The accounts of the overseers of the highways for 1758-1826 and of the overseers of the poor
for 1758-1823 have survived. (fn. 19)
When the civil parish was united with that of
Somerby in 1936, it became a ward returning 2
councillors to the parish council of Somerby which
had been established with 5 councillors in 1894.
After 1936 the Somerby ward returned only 4
councillors. (fn. 20) In 1958 this arrangement was still in
force. (fn. 21)
CHURCH.
The church at Burrough was given,
perhaps by Robert Grimbald, to Owston Abbey
shortly after its foundation and before 1166. (fn. 22) The
advowson remained in the possession of the abbey
until the Dissolution, when it passed to the Crown. (fn. 23)
An unsuccessful claim to present was made in 1383
by Robert de Stockton. (fn. 24) Although the advowson
was sold to Sir Edward Montague in 1544 and passed
to Richard Burrough in 1546, (fn. 25) the queen presented
in 1574. A presentation was made by St. John
Burrough in 1578 and thereafter the advowson
descended with the two Burrough manors. (fn. 26) Two
lords of the manor were themselves rectors-
William Brown (d. 1814) and Evelyn Burnaby, 1873-
83. (fn. 27) The Peake family secured the advowson, and
the Revd. J. D. Peake was presented to the living in
1895. (fn. 28) In 1928 Maj. A. Coats of Burrough Hall was
patron. (fn. 29) The benefice was united with that of
Somerby in 1954, (fn. 30) and it was agreed that the
patron, Lt.-Col. F. G. Peake, should present alternately with the Diocesan Board of Patronage,
patrons of Somerby. (fn. 31)
The rectory of Burrough was valued at 3 marks
in 1217 and 1254, and at 10 marks in 1291. (fn. 32) In
1535 it was worth £12 net. (fn. 33) In 1831 the rectory
was worth £449 a year. (fn. 34) The grant of the manor to
Sir Edward Montague in 1544 included two pensions, one of 30s. which had been paid to Langley
Priory before the Dissolution, and a second of
13s. 4d., formerly paid by Burrough church to
Owston Abbey. (fn. 35) In 1220 the Abbot of Owston
had also received a pound of incense a year from
this church. (fn. 36) In 1220 the canons of St. Edith's
church at Tamworth (Staffs.) took two-thirds of the
demesne tithes, presumably under a gift from the
Marmions, the lords of Tamworth; (fn. 37) there is no
later evidence of the canons exercising this right.
In 1607 the rector held two yardlands of glebe. (fn. 38)
After the inclosure the rectors held 66 a., (fn. 39) and there
were 73 a. in 1843. (fn. 40) The tithes on 1,317 a., payable
to the Rector of Burrough, were in 1843 commuted
for £263 8s., and those on 238 a., payable to the
Vicar of Somerby, for £47 12s. Land immediately
north of the village, all the property in the lane on
the north-east side of the church, and some closes
and orchards in the village street paid tithes to
Somerby, (fn. 41) and c. 1955 it was believed that this part
of the village had at one time been considered part
of Somerby parish for all ecclesiastical purposes. (fn. 42)
The rent-charges arising from the tithes in Burrough
payable to the Vicar of Somerby were redeemed in
1922. (fn. 43)
The former rectory house stands immediately
south-west of the churchyard, occupying the same
position as the parsonage of 1607. (fn. 44) It is built of ironstone and limestone and dates largely from about
1873 when it is said to have been modernized for
the rector. (fn. 45) The lower part of the back wing survives from the older building. The house was sold
in 1954 and the incumbent of the united benefices
of Burrough and Somerby has continued to live at
Somerby Vicarage.
The church of ST. MARY THE VIRGIN stands
on high ground on the north-west side of the village
street. It consists of a chancel, a clerestoried nave,
north and south aisles, a south porch, and a west
tower with a vestry to the north of it. The fabric is
of ironstone and limestone and the roofs are of
lead. The oldest parts of the church probably date
from the early 13th century, and a round-headed
lancet window in the south wall of the chancel may
indicate a date as early as 1200. (fn. 46) A similar 'low
side' window in the north wall has a pointed head.
The nave arcades date from the early 13th century
and consist of three pointed arches supported on
circular piers with 'water-holding' bases. Hoodmoulds to the arches have carved masks as stops and
keystones. Both arcades lean outwards, particularly that on the north side. The wide lancent windows of the clerestory may be of the same date as the
arcades or a little later. The font is a fine example of
the early 13th century. It consists of a bulbous
circular bowl decorated with a band of foliage,
below which is a row of pointed arches filled alternately with masks and rosettes. The stem has ten
engaged shafts, the alternate vertical mouldings
between them being enriched with dog-tooth
ornament. A dog-tooth moulding also decorates the
circular base. The lower part of the tower dates
from the 13th century but the much-restored
belfry stage and the arcaded parapet which surmounts it were originally built in the 14th. The
parapet is decorated with ball-flower ornament
and a short octagonal spire rises from behind it.
Extensive alterations to the church took place in
the 14th century when the aisles were probably
rebuilt and the south porch added. Several of the
windows are of this date and the south aisle contains
a trefoil-headed piscina. The chancel appears to have
been altered at much the same period. The roofs are
of low pitch; a dated timber in the nave suggests
that they were renewed in 1657. The roof principals
rest on medieval carved corbels. Attempts to
strengthen the tower were made in the 17th century.
A large buttress dated 1629 was erected in the middle
of the south wall and two others were built against
the west wall. In 1791 the tower was leaning to the
south-west in spite of the buttresses, and was said
to be in 'a very decayed state'. By 1795 it had been
repaired. (fn. 47)
A restoration of the church was carried out by
Henry Goddard of Leicester in 1860 when traces of
the colour with which the aisles and roof had been
adorned were found. (fn. 48) At the same time the font
was restored and new pews, altar rails, and pulpit
were installed. (fn. 49) The chancel was rebuilt in 1867
when the present east window was inserted. (fn. 50) In
1878 the tower and spire were completely rebuilt,
omitting the 17th-century buttresses, and a vestry
was added against the north wall. The architect was
Charles Kirk of Sleaford (Lincs.). (fn. 51) The outer
walls of the church were repaired in 1893. (fn. 52) After
the First World War inscribed oak panelling was
installed in the porch to commemorate those who
served in the war.
At the east end of the south aisle is the stone
effigy of a man in armour, his feet resting on a lion,
and in the north aisle are the remains of a woman's
effigy. These are thought to represent William
Stockton (d. 1470) and Margaret, his wife. The
inscriptions, which were noted by Burton, have
disappeared. (fn. 53) These monuments, together with one
(now missing) to another William Stockton (d.
1537) and his wife, were formerly in the north
aisle where Throsby saw them in 1790 and remarked that they were 'treated as rubbish'. (fn. 54) A
mural tablet in the north aisle commemorates
Edward Cheseldyn (d. 1691), his mother-in-law,
wife, and daughter (1691-1718); another is to
Charnel Cave (d. 1792) with members of his family
(1787-1833). There are also tablets in the church to
William Brown (d. 1814), rector; to Evelyn Burnaby,
rector, 1873-83; to his wife and infant daughter
(d. 1873); and to his father, the Revd. G. A. Burnaby (d. 1872). Other tablets include those to W. A.
Peake (d. 1912) and Sir Raymond Greene, Bt.
(d. 1947). Stained glass windows are in memory of
members of the Peake, Burnaby, and Chaplin families.
The plate includes a silver cup with cover paten
of 1670. A silver cup and flagon were given by
Frederick Peake in 1870. (fn. 55) There are 4 bells: (i)
and (ii) 1600 and 1609, both recast in 1798; (iii)
1619; (iv) 1730, recast in 1813. (fn. 56) The registers date
from 1612 and are complete.
NONCONFORMITY.
None known.
SCHOOLS.
In 1508 10 pupils of a school organized
by the Rector of Burrough attested a charter of
Richard Sutton to Brasenose College. (fn. 57) Nothing
else is known of this school which was probably a
private venture of that rector.
In 1833 there were 3 private schools in Burrough:
an infants' school with 17 children, a day school
(begun in 1833) with 5 girls, and a boarding school
with 7 boys. The church Sunday school with 26 children was run by subscription. (fn. 58)
Burrough National School, a small brick building
on the road to Somerby, was erected in 1873 by
public subscription to accommodate 80 children. (fn. 59)
By 1910 the average attendance was only 21. (fn. 60) In
1929 it was decided to confine this school to juniors
by sending the seniors to Melton Mowbray. (fn. 61) In
1933 the average attendance of juniors was 12. (fn. 62) As
Burrough (C. of E.) School in 1955 it adopted 'controlled' status instead of 'aided' status which it had
previously enjoyed. (fn. 63) The attendance of juniors
and infants in 1957 was 29. (fn. 64)
CHARITIES.
None known.