Steaming into the next century This is the latest 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 lovely ancient little village of Shackerstone is situated eight miles from Hinckley.
At the time of the Domesday Survey (1086), the village was known as Sacrestone which is believed to have derived from the French word ‘sacre” (sacred) as the church in its early days was a Benedictine religious house.
In later years it evolved to be known as Shaxton and Shackston.
The first known landowner in the village was Robert Dispenser and he was followed by Henry de Ferrers.
Shackerstone contains 1,182 acres of land and the soil is of a medium loam.
The manor of Shackerstone was owned jointly by the families of Sepey and Danvers in 1279.
In 1280, Shackerstone, Norton Appleby, Odstone and Snarestone answered collectively as one village.
The Earl of Lincoln, William de Clinton held the advowson of Shackerstone Church until 1400 when Philippa, the wife of the Earl of Pembroke took over.
The Priory of Coventry which owned a substantial amount of land throughout the county, also held the majority of the land in Shackerstone.
A convent which existed at Shackerstone in 1418 was known as Mary de Pratis, although previously to this in 1406 the Prioress of Harewold in Bedfordshire had obtained a licence for the appropriation of the church.
The Harewold Priory only had four nuns – two of whom had children!
The Prioress of Harewold had acquired the church for the Augustinian Order and was instrumental in its rebuilding and many features still remain.
In 1630, John Hall succeeded his father as the lord of the manor of Shackerstone taking over the beautiful mansion known as the hall and also the water-corn mill.
The water mill was powered by the River Sence, which flows throughout the south-west of the village, where it negotiates a miniature aqueduct which takes it under the Ashby-de-laZouch canal.
For many years the mill was operated by members of the Petcher family and was finally closed in 1870 owing to the introduction of the Shackerstone Railway.
The Petchers also farmed Bridge Farm for many years at which they ran the village bakery.
Shackerstone Hall was built on the site of an earlier building and was the home of successive members of the Hall family until they emigrated to Western Australia in 1830 on the ship named “Protector”. Sadly, the hall was destroyed by fire early in the 19th century. On the north side of Shackerstone church is a huge mound which was the site of a Norman Castle and was then known as a motte. It probably dates back to before the reign of King Steven (11351154).
The mound was surmounted by a wooden tower or “keep” with one or more outer courts and defended by a stockhanded bank and a large moat.
The castle was erected at the period when much hostility prevailed throughout the county. The mound which is now a landmark is known as Munt Hill.
During excavations near to this site, a skeleton of a Celt was discovered. It is believed that the Celt was a member of an Indo-European tribe which, in pre-Roman times, inhabited Britain. The skeleton is now preserved in the Perkins Museum.
The village was partly enclosed in 1769 when 54 acres were allocated as glebe land and at the same time three meadows were divided into strips 28 yards long and were then known as yard lands.
This same system can still be perceived in meadows that have not been ploughed for over a century and are recognised at the present time as “lants”.
Records indicate that Shackerstone was an Anglo-Saxon settlement and it is certain that the church, which is dedicated to St Peter, has been in existence since the beginning of the 13th century as it had a rector in 1220.
It is possible that prior to 1220, a church existed on the same site and would undoubtedly have been a wooden structure as most of them were during this period.
The first church register dates back to 1558 and is now in the Bodleian Library at Oxford.
The tower contains three bells. The oldest was installed in 1633 followed by the middle bell in 1664.
Early in the 19th century the patronage of the church had passed to the Howe family which lived at Gopsall Hall.
In 1845, Lord Howe rebuilt the south aisle shortened the chancel by one window and restored the nave and north aisle. He also installed the box pews and balcony and presented the church with an organ.
The organ was remodelled in 1898 and repairs were carried out to the roof in 1900. On the lectern is a beautiful huge Bible which dates back to 1795.
In 1920, the east window was installed as a memorial to the men of the parish who died as a result of the First World War.
A new alter rail was donated by a parishioner in 1969. A new electric organ was acquired in 1988, and a plaque dedicated to the memory of James Henry Insley who was a great benefactor of the church.
The Wesleyans built a chapel in the village in 1827 at a cost of £160 but this has now closed.
The national school which accommodated all the pupils from Shackerstone, Congerstone and Bilstone was built at Congerstone by Lord Howe and was entirely supported by him.
With the rapid development of the coal-mining industry, Britain soon became hooked by “railway mania” and a railway network spread rapidly across the land.
In 1873, after a considerable delay a line was constructed between Ashby and Nuneaton which passed through Shackerstone with a branch line from there to Loughborough.
The Coalville to Shackerstone line closed completely in 1964 but the Ashby – Nuneaton line remained open for goods until 1970.
In 1906, King Edward VIII arrived at Shackerstone station en route for nearby Gopsall Hall, with hundreds of local people waiting patiently for a glimpse of royalty.
In that same year a tragedy occurred in the Howe family, Georgina the beloved wife of the fourth Earl passed away after a long illness at the early age of 46.
Her death occurred at Curzon House in Mayfair and a special train brought her body to Shackerstone Station where her coffin was placed in the hearse which was waiting on the snow covered ground.
The hearse drawn by two magnificent black horses slowly carried the body to Gopsall Hall for a short service in its beautiful chapel.
During the war years, King George VII had occasion to pass through Shackerstone as he visited placed which had suffered through the bombing.
In 1969, a small group of railway enthusiasts got together to form a society. The society then began searching somewhat despairingly for a “home”.
A single line from Shackerstone to Bosworth had miraculously remained intact and the society decided to negotiate with British Rail for the purchase of the line together with both stations for which they eventually became successful. There were now known as the Shackerstone Railway Society and from then onwards no effort was spared to raise funds for the project.
The railway is run entirely by the voluntary efforts. The line was linked to Shenton and now has made contact with the battle of Bosworth site.
The Shenton station was purchased from Humberstone in Leicester and was removed brick by brick and set up identically how it stood in Humberstone.
The history of Shackerstone would not be complete without mentioning the Insley family who were renowned carriage builders, wheelwrights and also ran the smith. A Leicestershire-type farm wagon made by Insleys is now being preserved in the Snibston Discovery Park, James Insley was a great benefactor to Shackerstone Church.
The hamlet of Odstone This little village which was anciently known as Oddestone lies four miles north of Bosworth and contains 1,098 acres of land and the soil is a strong rich marl with some gravel.
The manor was held by the Dispenser and Ferrers families but later sold to Earl Howe.
In 1600, Odstone Hall, which was an elegant mansion was the residence of John Bradshaw, who was president of the High Court and president over the ever memorable trial of Charles I and signed the death warrant.
Odstone has had a water mill since 1313 and was known as Help-Out Mill on account of it having an abundant supply of water throughout the day and was able to help other millers to grind their corn, when the flow of water to their mills was inadequate.
A steam engine was installed in 1860 which ran until 1902 when a turbine was put in.
The mill was in the hands of the Timms family from 1734 to 1970.