Great Casterton is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It is located at the crossing of the Roman

Ermine Street Ermine Street is a major Roman road in England that ran from London ('' Londinium'') to Lincoln (''Lindum Colonia'') and York (''Eboracum''). The Old English name was ''Earninga Strǣt'' (1012), named after a tribe called the ''Earningas' ...

and the

River Gwash The River Gwash, occasionally Guash, a tributary of the River Welland, flows through the English counties of Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire. It rises just outside the village of Knossington in Leicestershire, near the western edge of ...

Geography

The village is approximately three miles to the north-west of Stamford and very close to the county border with

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...

( South Kesteven). Just to the north is

Tickencote Tickencote is a small village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. It is noted for St Peter's Church, with its Norman chancel arch. The population at the 2001 census was 67. At the 2011 census the populatio ...

. The parish boundary, to the south and east, lies close to the village, and follows the River Gwash. Just west of the B1081 bridge over the Gwash, it borders Tinwell. Just to the west of Ingthorpe (part of Tinwell), it borders Tickencote. The parish boundary crosses the A1 at the turn off for the village. The boundary then follows the A1 north, along the next hedge to the east (a field's width). It passes to the east of Tickencote Warren, and at
Exeter Gorse
it briefly borders Horn, then meets Pickworth. It passes to the south of Eayres Lodge, includes Woodhead, crossing ''Pickworth Road'' south o
Taylor's Farm
West of Tolethorpe Oaks, it briefly meets Ryhall, then borders Little Casterton southwards, passing Frith Farm to the west and broadly follows the Danelaw Way. North of Little Casterton village, the boundary meets the Gwash. The A1 road which follows the path of Ermine Street, ran through the centre of the village until the construction of the Stamford bypass in 1960; the former route of the Great North Road is now the B1081. There is a very small

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

Great Casterton Road Banks Great Casterton Road Banks is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest on the western outskirts of Stamford in Lincolnshire. It is managed by the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust. This small site has calcareous grassland on Eastern Jurassic ...

, to the south of the village containing examples of rare plants such as Sulphur Clover and Greater Broomrape.

History

The village's name means 'farm/settlement which was/near a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

site'. The earliest recorded settlement was a Roman fort ca 44 AD.Roman fort Great Casterton at www.roman-britain.org/
A civilian settlement developed which was later a walled town and the defences are still apparent. Archaeological excavations have been conducted on the town, a villa near the Gwash and burials including early

Anglo-Saxons The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...

. Two miles north of the town are the earthwork remains of Woodhead Castle, a medieval moated ringwork with attached bailey. The parish church, dedicated to St Peter & St Paul, is recorded in the

National Heritage List for England The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, a ...

as a designated Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. The churchyard is entered through an arched

war memorial A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war. Symbolism Historical usage It has ...

remembering the dead of both World Wars. The benefice is shared with Pickworth, Tickencote and Little Casterton. The poet

John Clare John Clare (13 July 1793 – 20 May 1864) was an English poet. The son of a farm labourer, he became known for his celebrations of the English countryside and sorrows at its disruption. His work underwent major re-evaluation in the late 20th ce ...

was married to Martha "Patty" Turner at Great Casterton church in 1820.

Amenities

The village has both a primary school, Great Casterton

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

Primary School, and a secondary, Casterton College. The remaining pub in the village is th
Crown Inn

References

External links

Great Casterton Parish Council

Great Casterton C of E Primary School

Casterton Business and Enterprise College

Video clips

* shows the village (towards the end) {{authority control Villages in Rutland Roman sites in England Civil parishes in Rutland