Swepstone is a village in the

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 ...

of Swepstone and Newton Burgoland, in the

North West Leicestershire North West Leicestershire is a local government district in Leicestershire, England. The population of the Local Authority at the 2011 census was 93,348. Its main towns are Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Castle Donington, Coalville and Ibstock. The ...

district of Leicestershire, England, about five miles south of

Ashby de la Zouch Ashby-de-la-Zouch, sometimes spelt Ashby de la Zouch () and shortened locally to Ashby, is a market town and civil parish in the North West Leicestershire district of Leicestershire, England. The town is near to the Derbyshire and Staffordsh ...

. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census 656. The parish includes the villages of Swepstone and Newton Burgoland.OS Explorer Map 245: The National Forest : (1:25 000) :Map Details
retrieved 11 April 2013 On 1 March 2023 the parish was renamed from "Swepstone" to "Swepstone and Newton Burgoland". The earliest documentation of the village is found in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

where it appears as ''Scopestone''. Later documentary appearances are given as ''Swepeston'' from around 1130 to 1471, and ''Swepston'' from 1234. The name is probably derived from the Old English personal name ''Sweppes'', and the suffix ''tūn'', meaning "Sweppi's farm or village". Swepstone farmers regularly sold their cattle in local market towns. In 1597 three Swepstone farmers, Richard Dudley, William Chilwell and Thomas Burrows were called to give evidence in an archdeaconry court case. It is recorded that the three were drinking together in an alehouse near the market square in Atherstone while their beasts were tethered outside. Swepstone's only public house is The Old Crown Inn, previously known as The Odd House, which serves food. Planting of The National Forest is taking place near the village.

References

External links

Villages in Leicestershire North West Leicestershire District {{Leicestershire-geo-stub