Ryhall is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below district ...

in the county of

Rutland Rutland () is a ceremonial county and unitary authority in the East Midlands, England. The county is bounded to the west and north by Leicestershire, to the northeast by Lincolnshire and the southeast by Northamptonshire. Its greatest l ...

in the

East Midlands The East Midlands is one of nine official regions of England at the ITL 1 statistical regions of England, first level of International Territorial Level, ITL for Statistics, statistical purposes. It comprises the eastern half of the area tradi ...

of England. It is situated close to the eastern boundary of the county, about 2 miles (3 km) north of Stamford. The parish includes the hamlet of Belmesthorpe.

History

The village's name means '

Rye Rye (''Secale cereale'') is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe (Triticeae) and is closely related to both wheat (''Triticum'') and barley (genus ''Hordeum''). Rye grain is u ...

nook'. The 'nook' in question has been identified as a bend in the River Gwash. The 13th-century Church of St John the Evangelist, Ryhall, has a number of carved figures around the exterior. The southern entrance has a porch with a room over it, originally for the priest, now called the

Parvis A parvis or parvise is the open space in front of and around a cathedral or church, especially when surrounded by either colonnades or porticoes, as at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. It is thus a church-specific type of forecourt, front yard ...

Room. Saint Tibba, patron saint of falconers, is believed to have lived in Ryhall in the 7th century. She was buried here, but in the 11th century her relics were translated to

Peterborough Abbey Peterborough Cathedral, properly the Cathedral Church of St Peter, St Paul and St Andrew – also known as Saint Peter's Cathedral in the United Kingdom – is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Peterborough, dedicated to Saint Peter, Saint Pa ...

, now

Peterborough Cathedral Peterborough Cathedral, properly the Cathedral Church of St Peter, St Paul and St Andrew – also known as Saint Peter's Cathedral in the United Kingdom – is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Peterborough, dedicated to Saint Peter, Saint Pa ...

, by Abbot Ælfsige (1006–1042). According to legend, St Tibba was a niece of King Penda of Mercia. The remains of a small hermitage associated with the saint can be seen on the west side of the north aisle of church. A 19th-century book refers to a

holy well A holy well or sacred spring is a well, spring or small pool of water revered either in a Christian or pagan context, sometimes both. The water of holy wells is often thought to have healing qualities, through the numinous presence of its gua ...

dedicated to Saint Tibba, though the location cannot now be identified, and there is similar doubt about the location of a well said to have been dedicated to Tibba's alleged relative, St Ebba. The route of the Stamford and Essendine railway passed through the parish, on embankments still clearly visible today. It included a station called " Ryhall & Belmisthorpe", located in Belmesthorpe. The line opened in 1856 but closed a century later in 1959.

Community

In 2011 Ryhall had a population of 1,614, making it one of the largest villages in Rutland. It is bounded to its west by the A6121 main road from Stamford to Bourne and on the other three sides by the River Gwash, although some development has spilled over the river to the north and out along the Essendine road. Ryhall has a

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 ...

Academy School with an attendance, in March 2022, of 192 pupils aged 4 to 11. The village also has a post office/village shop, Methodist Chapel, library and two

public houses A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and w ...

, The Millstone and The Green Dragon. The former Fordham's supermarket of the 1960s-70s was a kitchen showroom, which closed in 2016.

Sport

The local football club, Ryhall United F. C., left Ryhall in 2015, moving to nearby Stamford under the new name of Stamford Lions.

Parish structure

Also in the parish is the hamlet of Belmesthorpe situated just South of Ryhall about three miles (5 km) north of Stamford in

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a 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-west, Leicestershir ...

. Apart from the Blue Bell Inn, there are two old farmhouses here as well as a few old cottages in the main street as well as two former dovecotes both now converted into private dwellings. Castle Rise is a cul-de-sac added in the 1960s but there is no evidence for any castle having been located there. The ecclesiastical parish is Ryhall with Essendine and Carlby, part of the Rutland

Deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or reside ...

of the Diocese of Peterborough. As of April 2022, the incumbent is The Revd Jo Saunders.

Businesses in Ryhall

* The Millstone pub * The Green Dragon Inn * Village Store * C S Fenn & Sons, Builders * T&S Fenn * Quibble Content

Businesses in Belmesthorpe

* The Blue Bell Inn

References

External links

*
Rutland Website - Ryhall

Ryhall.com - A Community Website for the Village of Ryhall in Rutland.

Ryhall Village Hall's website
{{authority control Villages in Rutland Civil parishes in Rutland Burial sites of the House of Icel