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Mountsorrel is not listed in the Domesday Survey of 1086, and there is no evidence that it existed before the arrival of the Normans. The earliest record of its existence is in a charter c.1148, in which Ranulf Earl of Chester granted the village and castle of Mountsorrel to Robert Earl of Leicester.
The castle was built in the late tenth or early eleventh century and the village probably had its beginnings as a settlement to provide goods and services to the castle. It later became a market town and borough. Hundreds of ‘New Towns’ were laid out during the 300 years from the Norman Conquest until the Black Death of 1350. Such towns are often called “planted towns”. The New Town of Mountsorrel was planted in the unsettled waste land between Rothley and Barrow.
New Towns were intended to become centres of commerce with markets and fairs. In the early days most new market towns were set up by the church and some, like Mountsorrel, as appendages to castles. Later Lords of the Manor and other landowners stepped in realising there was good money to be made from rents. The standard medieval town plan was a long, straight main road widening at some point, often close to the church, to form a market place and lined with long thin plots of land called burgage plots.
The market place typically featured a market cross where goods were displayed and transactions agreed. The crosses were mounted on steps, usually three, representing the Trinity, sometimes five, representing the wounds of Christ or even eight symbolising the Beatitudes.
Houses and shops were often built with the gable end fronting the road giving the maximum number of buildings and the maximum rent income for the owner, usually the Lord of the Manor. he burgage plots could be used for a variety of purposes, including stores, workshops, kitchen gardens and land for grazing livestock. Access to the street was ideal for business and the rear of the plots often opened onto ‘back lane’ where supplies could be delivered. For Mountsorrel the’back lane’ was the river. The burgage plots were measured out using a ‘pole’ or ‘rod’ [16½ feet long]. The size of a burgage plot varied but neighbouring plots were of similar size. A plot of 2 poles by 20 poles made a quarter of an acre, and this seems to have been the size of the Mountsorrel plots.
Evidence of the long narrow ‘burgage plots’ can still be seein this 1903 map blue-chuech, red site of market crocc
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Evidence of Mountsorrel’s borough status is first seen in the c. 1148 charter-“The earl of Leicester ought to receive earl Rannulf in the borough and baileys of Mountsorrel-in burgo et baliis de Muntsorel”
Many new towns were founded in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries-some like Mountsorrel as appendages to castles. They were intended to become centres of commerce with markets and fairs. And they were often given borough status, which conferred certain privileges to its leading inhabitants, the burgesses.
The privileges enjoyed by each borough varied, but typically they included the right to hold land on burgage tenure. involved money rent paid to the lord instead of the labour services demanded for rural tenure.
Towns were often laid out with a single street widening at some point to form a market place. Burgage plots were typically grouped together with one side facing the market place or main street. Land with a street frontage and close to the market was more valuable-hence the plots were long and narrow, with the narrow end facing the street. Access to the main street allowed business to be carried out. The strip of land could be used for a variety of purposes, including stores, workshops, kitchen garden and land for grazing livestock.
Mountsorrel Inferior (the north end) was granted to Stephen de Segrave by Ranulf, Earl of Chester.
Mountsorrel Superior (the south end) was granted to him by the Duchess of Windsor,Margaret de Quincey. She granted to Stephen all her land in Mountsorrel called Hunthinc, within or without the village.The yearly rent was a pair of white gloves at Easter.
Stephen’s eldest son John died without issue.His second son and heir Gilbert died in 1254 when the value of his manor, which included Mountsorrel, was assessed.
The burgage rents from the south end of the town amounted to £2 4s 9¾d a year, and for the north end £8 5s 3d. He also received one mark (13s 4d) for the mill from Hugh le Despenser
In 1292 Gilbert’s son Nicholas de Segrave, was granted a weekly market and an annual fair by Edward I
Mountsorrel was taxed as a borough from 1315 and in 1334 the tax assessment was 40s
There were 167 taxpayers in 1377 compared to Loughborough which had 360 taxpayers
In 1586 William Camden commented “Mountsorrel now is famous onely for a mercate there kept”
This is very interesting. Thank you.
Grew up i Mountsorrel, never knew it was so old.