Hallaton 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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the

Harborough Market Harborough is a market town in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England, close to the border with Northamptonshire. The population was 24,779 at the 2021 census. It is the administrative headquarters of the Harborough dis ...

district of

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...

, England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 523, which had increased to 594 at the 2011 census.

History and description

The village's name means 'farm/settlement on a nook of land'. Hallaton Hall and its lands were owned by Calverley and Amelia Jane Bewicke in 1845. Their daughter was the writer and campaigner

Alicia Little Alicia Little or Mrs Archibald Little (1845 – 31 July 1926) was a British writer and a campaigner for women's rights and later against foot binding in China. Life Little was born as Alicia Ellen Neve BewickeIn many of her books ''Neve'' appear ...

.Sybil Oldfield, 'Little , Alicia Ellen Neve (1845–1926)', ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 200
accessed 9 Nov 2016
As the site of two markets Hallaton was despite its size regarded as a town, even if one of little significance. The

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

is dedicated to

St Michael Michael, also called Saint Michael the Archangel, Archangel Michael and Saint Michael the Taxiarch is an archangel and the warrior of God in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The earliest surviving mentions of his name are in third- and second- ...

and is mainly of the 13th century: the aisles were added a century later. The church is sited on rising ground and has a dignified tower with a fine broach spire (one of the best in the county); the nave and chancel and aisles have nobility and beauty. The sculptured stonework of the north aisle contrasts with the plain battlemented south aisle. A former rector is commemorated by a handsome monument attached to one of the corners. Firth, J. B. (2026) ''Highways and Byways in Leicestershire''. London: Macmillan; p. 227 The village has a famous bottle kicking ritual and "Hare Pie Scramble", which take place usually on

Easter Monday Easter Monday is the second day of Eastertide and a public holiday in more than 50 predominantly Christian countries. In Western Christianity it marks the second day of the Octave of Easter; in Eastern Christianity it marks the second day of Br ...

. There is a small village museum, offering history of the area. The

Hallaton Treasure The Hallaton Treasure, the largest hoard of British Iron Age coins, was discovered in 2000 near Hallaton in southeast Leicestershire, England, by volunteers from the Hallaton Fieldwork Group. The initial find was made by Ken Wallace on 19 ...

, a late

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

hoard of more than 5,000 silver and gold coins was found at a site near Hallaton in 2000. In 1736 smallpox affected the town when George Fenwick was the rector.Fenwick, George (1736) "Our souls more worth than all the world-with the use of that consideration.": A sermon preached in the parish church of Hallaton, October 31, 1736. On occasion of the small-pox breaking out there. London: printed for Caleb Ratten, bookseller in Harborough; sold by Tho. Longman As of 2019, Hallaton has two

pubs A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...

, The Bewicke Arms on Eastgate, and The Fox, on North End.

Hallaton railway station Hallaton railway station was a former railway station serving the village of Hallaton, Leicestershire, on the Great Northern and London and North Western Joint Railway. The station was located about a quarter of a mile east of the village on the ...

was on the line between

Market Harborough Market Harborough is a market town in the Harborough District, Harborough district of Leicestershire, England, close to the border with Northamptonshire. The population was 24,779 at the United Kingdom census, 2021, 2021 census. It is the ad ...

and

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

but closed in 1953. File:Hallaton church.jpg, St Michael's parish church, Hallaton File:Hallaton market cross - geograph.org.uk - 441648.jpg, The butter cross

References

External links

Hallaton Parish Walks A good walk: Hallaton and Medbourne, Leicestershire The Times 4 April 2009
Villages in Leicestershire Civil parishes in Harborough District {{Leicestershire-geo-stub

History and description

See also

References

External links