This is the 13th of a series of articles written by popular historian Arthur Tomlin more than 25 years ago. Mr Tomlin sadly died a couple of years ago. He was extremely well-known in the area as an artist and historian

THE PLEASANT village of Sapcote is situated on the west side of the vale of the Soar.

It is four miles east of Hinckley and is bounded by the Roman Fosse Way. It contains 1,556 acres of land.

Anciently, it was known as Sapecote, Scopecote, Sapcotes and Sapcot. It is believed the name Sapcote derived from a remarkable well, known as Soapwell which was renowned for its soft water, as the womenfolk claimed they could do their washing without using soap. The Saxon word for soap was “sap” and “cote” was a small village – hence the name Sapcote.

The water mill at Sapcote was powered by the River Soar which is believed to have been a tributary of the Rhine before the British Isles broke away from the continent, and can be traced back to medieval time.

The Roman invasion of Britain had a profound influence on the village on account of its proximity to the Fosse Way.

The Fosse was constructed by the Romans in 47-48AD and ran from Lyme Regis to the Humber. The toll gate and house were situated in Sapcote parish at the junction of the Frolesworth Road in 1814.

After the Norman Conquest, two wealthy barons took possession of most of the land in Sapcote, although the existing Danish and Saxon owners were not all ejected.

These two barons, the Earl Aubrey and Hugo de Grentemaisnel were in possession until 1118 when the village was granted to the Earls of Leicester by King Henry I.

The Basset family were extremely ancient and wealthy and owned the village for three centuries although they never actually resided there.

They lived in a gorgeous mansion within beautiful grounds near to Thurlaston known as Basset House. Ralph Basset held the high office of Justice of England and was knighted and in later years he was made a baron.

In the itinerary of 1280, Sapcote, Stanton and Elmesthorpe answered collectively as one village.

Lord Basset of Sapcote was very much in favour with King Edward III with whom he fought in the wars with France and Flanders.

In 1373, disaster struck the village when the Black Death accounted for a third of its population and only 34 families remained in Sapcote.

Today a park is a place where one can stroll, absorb the fresh air and admire the surrounding trees. This was not so in the medieval times, as it was a piece of land enclosed by a strong high fence in which all the wild animals in the district were kept.

The Sapcote Park was situated off the Hinckley Road and contained 9.5 acres.

In the 13th Century, a person wishing to constitute a park had to obtain a licence from the crown. Deer were the main animals and were used for both sport and food usually by the Lord of the Manor.

Like most villages Sapcote had its pinfold which was adjacent to the park, but on the other side of the road. This was a wooden enclosure for impounding cattle which had strayed and were not released until the appropriate fee had been paid. In this meadow was a substantial building known as the dovecote which records indicate was in existence as far back as 1581.

These were breeding houses for both doves and pigeons which were of substantial benefit to the poor of the village as a means of providing food.

In 1536, judgement was passed in the Court of the Exchequer to remove the King (Henry VIII) from the possession of the manors of both Sapcote and Stanton.

The plague in London in 1665 was taking its toll and many from the city fled to Sapcote to find refuge on a piece of waste land which is still known as “Little London”, which is where Calver Hall Cottages now stand.

Richard Harrison in 1672 was granted a licence to use his house as a meeting place for Presbyterians.

The village was enclosed in 1638 but the main enclosure took place in 1778 when the Enclosure Act came into being during the reign of George III.

During the 1700s, Sapcote became famous for its cheese as over 30 tons were produced annually and sold at Leicester Cheese Fair.

Centuries earlier it is believed that cheese from the Roman villa in Sapcote was sold to the Government centres which had been set up during that period.

On the east side of the village was Calver Hill Quarry which was excavated in 1770.

During these operations a tessellated pavement was uncovered together with massive Roman tiles and a number of Roman and Saxon coins were found.

With the invention of the stocking frame, the lifestyle in most villages changed dramatically.

Most people in Sapcote had been employed in agriculture but almost overnight most of the thatched cottages in the village were converted for stocking frames.

By 1779, over 85 frames were in reg- ular use for which the artisan was paid seven shillings per week, and by the turn of the century more than 200 frames were in constant use and the completed product was sold to factories in Hinckley.

The blacksmith was always regarded as one of the earliest professions.

In 1693, the Sapcote blacksmith’s residence and forge were burnt to the ground in the “Great Fire of Sapcote”.

The Church of Sapcote is dedicated to All Saints. In 1188 William Basset was the patron of the living and the first rector was Thomas in 1220.

The origin of the church suggests the Norman period and a chantry chapel was added in 1361. The bowl of the circular front is Norman, the exterior being decorated with upright leaves and overall extremely uncommon.

The walls of the nave are of local pink granite but the ashlar faced buttresses are of sandstone. The stonework in the south doorway dates from 1380-1400 and the lead covered flat roof was replaced by a pitched roof and covered with Swithland slates.

The chancel remained undisturbed until 1843 when it was neatly rebuilt. The tower is 60ft in height and the slim octagonal spire rises a further 60ft.

In 1757, a tremendous gale necessitated the rebuilding of 16ft of the spire at a cost of £140. On the second occasion the spire was struck by lightning in 1804 and the weathercock had to be replaced but it is now being preserved in the vestry.

At the present time there are 10 bells in the tower. In 1611 only three bells existed until the “Great Bell” cracked on a feast day and was recast into two bells. The four bells were rehung on girders in 1721. Later two bells were added in 1895. A further pair of bells was added in 1977. The remaining two were donated by head ringer Mr Michael Brown.

Sapcote became one of the only two villages in the county to have a ring of 10 bells. The Chantry College was institute by Ralph Basset in 1361 and is believed to have provided education and also served as a song school for landowners’ sons.

The 14th Century hagioscope which pierces the chancel arch was formed to allow a view of the Communion table from the side aisle. In the chancel are the pescina and the aumbrey which are quite ancient but the double sedilia is 19th Century.

In 1765, the Communion plate was stolen and was never recovered. The clock was given by Mary Frewen Turner in 1793 and originally only had one hand. It was restored in 1853 when a minute hand was added and the words “The hour is coming” were inserted in gilded letters on the centre face.

The lynch gate was build as a war memorial in 1947 and the church hall as built through a legacy left by Miss may Kirby in 1968.

The first reference to a school in the village dates back to 1614 and a further reference that: “a public schoolroom was built in 1792”. Leicester Road school was erected in 1919, as a national school. The Basset Lane school was built in three phases between 1967-1973.

The elegant present day Weslyan Chapel was built of stone quarried from the village and dates back to 1805. The Sapcote churchyard was closed for burials in 1975. Many of the gravestones are made of Swithland slate, although there is an outstanding red marble obelisk in memory of the Miles family.

In 1750, an oak tree was excavated from a bog in the parish and was found to be perfectly sound but as black as ebony. It was sawn into boards and used for interior work in Aston Flamville Church.

Great speculation evolved when a piece of land which had been designated by archaeologists as probably the site of the Chantry College. It was not until 1803 when a number of Roman coins were found that the site was confirmed as Roman origin.

During the digging operations, a pavement of spectacular significance was discovered which consisted of coloured quarries one inch square.

In 1923, a thorough excavation was carried out and a unique tessellated mosaic pavement was discovered as part of a Roman villa. The pavement was purchased by Sir Roger Newdigate of Arbury Hall, Nuneaton, as part of his mosaic collection.

In 1879 when a drain was being dug near to the Old Fosse a woman’s stirrup was found which dated back to medieval times.

A town mill was erected in 1806 by public subscription for the purpose of grinding corn for domestic use.

A member of the well known local Garrett family composed the hymn tune When I Survey The Wondrous Cross, but was unfortunately cheated out of the copyright.

Sapcote tower windmill was built in red brick and 1806 for £1,300. On November 6 1899, a group of youths on a “Guy Fawkes” rampage set fire to the mill and it was burnt to a shell and it remained an aesthetic ruin for