Long Clawson Village Map

Long Clawson 

Extract from John Nichols, The History and Antiquities of the County of Leicester, 1795

In antient writings called Clachestone, and now commonly distinguished by the name Long Claxton, or Long Clawson, is situated on the North-western edge of the county, which it separates from Nottinghamshire ; and is about six miles from Belvoir castle, and seven miles form Melton Mowbray. It is bounded by Nether Broughton to the West and South-west ; by Abkettleby, Holwell, and Scalford, to the South and South-east ; by Hose to the East and North-east ; and by Colston Basset, and Hickling, both in the county of Nottingham, to the North and North-west.
"A ii miles beyond Langar I saw, but far of, the castel of Bever on a hy coppid hille. From Langar by veri fair medows and corne ground to Smithe, a brokelet that ther dividith Nottingghamshire from Leyrcestreshire, aiii miles. Nere beyond this brooke I passid thorough Clauson village in Leyrcestreshir. From Clauson to Melton a iii good miles by good corn ground¹."
In ecclesiastical division of this county Claxton is in the deanry of Framland.
To be continued

On page 133 Nichols continues:-

In 1564, there were 57 families in Claxton.
The freeholders in 1650 were John Wright, John Frankes, Edward Moore, Edward Hickling, and Robert Wright.
At the general election in 1722, 62 freeholders polled from this parish ; and only 32 who were resident in 1778.
The number of families in 1789 was 112 ; inhabitants 542.
In the winter, 1728, many died here of a blue swelling in their throats ; well at night and dead before morning. Several eat murrain grass¹³, and drank the juice of it, by way of antidote, and did well¹⁴."

 1 Leland, Itin. vol. V. p. 93.
13. The Verbaseum Thapsum of Linnxus, commonly called English Mullein, and used still by the country people in disoders.
14. Peck, MS.

Extract from White's Leicester and Rutland Directory, 1877

CLAWSON, or Claxton, is a long straggling village and parish, in the south-western part of the Vale of Belvoir, 6 miles N. by W. of Melton Mowbray, and 18 miles S.E. by E. of Nottingham. It is in Framland Hundred, Melton Mowbray Union and County Court District, and in 1871 contained 780 persons, living in 184 houses, on 3450 acres of land, having a rateable value of £5326 16g. 3d. It is bounded on the north by the Nottingham and Grantham Canal, and on the south by a range of the Wold hills, in which the river Smite has its source, about 3 miles south of the village; on the west side of which is an eminence called Slyborough Hill. The parish was enclosed in 1779, and the soil is chiefly clay. The Duke of Rutland is lord of the manor, hut a great part of the soil belongs to Fredk. P. Newcombe, Esq., and Messrs. Thos. Hallam, John Cragg,Wm. Coleman, and J. & 0. Crompton. Since the Conquest the manor has been a member of Belvoir, and part of it was held by Croxton Abbey and Belvoir Priory. The CHURCH (St. Remegius) is a fine ancient structure, with transepta, and a square tower, containing five bells. The living, a discharged vicarage, valued in K.B. at £9 l0s. 2d., and now at £200 per annum, arising from 121A. 0R. 4P. of glebe in the patronage and incumbency of the Rev. Thomas Mitchell, M.A., who has a substantial vicarage-house adjoining the churchyard, which he repaired end enlarged in 1859. The tithes were commuted for land at the enclosure. The WESLEYAN CHAPEL, built in 1840, at an outlay of £1300, was renovated in 1875, at a cost of £100; and in 1870 a school was erected close to the chapel, at an expense of £290. A BAPTIST CHAPEL was built in 1845. The PRIMITIVE METHODISTS erected a place of worship here in 1868, an expenditure of £330. The ENDOWED SCHOOL, a brick building, erected in 1849, at a cost of £300, was enlarged in 1874, at an outlay of £60, and is attended by about 100 children. The school formerly occupied part of the Church, on the north side of the chancel, and is endowed with 41 acres of land, at Frisby-on-the-Wreak, let for £97 l0s. per year, and left by Anthony Wadd in 1793, and with £1 5s. as noticed below. The master and his wife receive £64 per annum, for which they are required to teach as many children of parish as apply for instruction, save those whose parents have a clear income of £60 per year, and those who own property of the value of £2000. The sum of £81, given by the Duke of Rutland and others, was laid out in 1741 in the purchase of two acres of land at Nether Broughton, now let for £5 10s. per annum, of which twenty-five shillings is paid to the schoolmaster; and the remainder is distributed among the poor, on St. Thomas's Day. The poor have also 20s. a year out of the Mill Field, left byAnn Kirby; 20s. out Mitchell Land, left by Edward Wright, in 1732; and the interest of £50 left by the Rev.William Chamberlayne. Half of the latter is distributed in Bibles and Prayer Books. The parish feast is on the Sunday after Old Michaelmas Day.

POST, MONEY ORDER OFFICE, and SAVINGS' BANK at Mrs. Elizabeth Musson's. Letters are received at 9 a.m. from, and are despatched at 4.45 p.m. to Melton Mowbrav.

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