Market Bosworth

Market Bosworth is a small market town and civil parish in western Leicestershire, England. At the 2001 Census, it had a population of 1,906,[1] increasing to 2,097 at the 2011 census.[2] It is most famously near to the site of the decisive final battle of the Wars of the Roses.[3]

Market Bosworth

Market Bosworth Market Place
Market Bosworth
Location within Leicestershire
Population2,097 Census 2011
OS grid referenceSK4003
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townNUNEATON
Postcode districtCV13
Dialling code01455
PoliceLeicestershire
FireLeicestershire
AmbulanceEast Midlands
UK Parliament

In 1974, Market Bosworth Rural District merged with Hinckley Rural District to form the district of Hinckley and Bosworth.

Although the town is in Leicestershire, its postal address is Nuneaton, Warwickshire and postal area code CV13.

History

The town's historic cattle market closed in 1996.[4] Building work here and at other sites has revealed evidence of a settlement on the hill since the Bronze Age.[5] Remains of a Roman villa have been found on the east side of Barton Road. Bosworth as an Anglo-Saxon village dates from the 8th century.

Before the Norman Conquest of 1066, there were two manors at Bosworth one belonging to an Anglo-Saxon knight named Fernot, and some sokemen.[6] Following the Norman conquest, as recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, both the Anglo-Saxon manors and the village were part of the lands awarded by William the Conqueror to the Count of Meulan from Normandy, Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester. Subsequently, the village passed by marriage dowry to the English branching of the French House of Harcourt.

King Edward I gave a royal charter to Sir William Harcourt allowing a market to be held every Wednesday. The village took the name Market Bosworth from 12 May 1285, and on this day became a "town" by common definition. The two oldest buildings in Bosworth, St. Peter's Church and the Red Lion pub, were built during the 14th century.

The Battle of Bosworth took place to south of the town in 1485 as the final battle in the Wars of the Roses between the House of Lancaster and the House of York, which resulted in the death of King Richard III. Following the discovery of the remains of Richard III in Leicester during 2012, on Sunday 22 March 2015 the king's funeral cortège passed through the town on its way to Leicester Cathedral for his reburial. This event is now commemorated with a floor plaque in front of the war memorial in the town square.

In 1509 the manor passed from the Harcourts to the Grey family.

In 1554, following the beheading of Lady Jane Grey, the manor of Bosworth was among lands confiscated in the name of Mary I of England and her husband Philip II of Spain. They awarded the manor to the Catholic nobleman Edward Hastings. In 1567, his heirs sold it to Sir Wolstan Dixie, Lord Mayor of London, who never lived in Bosworth. The first Dixie to live in Bosworth was his grand-nephew, Sir Wolstan Dixie of Appleby Magna, who moved to the town in 1608. He started construction of a manor house and park, as well as establishing the free Dixie Grammar School. The modern hall, Bosworth Hall, was the work of Sir Beaumont Dixie, 2nd Baronet (1629–1692).

In 1885 the 11th Baronet 'Beau' Dixie was forced to auction Bosworth Hall to pay his gambling debts. It was bought by Lady Agnes Tollemache, whose husband Charles Tollemache Scott enlarged the estate, planted woodlands and rebuilt the lodges and farms.[7] Lady Agnes' daughter sold the estate in 1913.

The War Memorial in the town square honours 19 local men who died in the First World War, and 11 men dead in the Second World War.[8]

Notable residents

This includes people born, educated, or having lived in Market Bosworth.

  • Davey Graham (1940-2008) - influential folk guitarist, born at Bosworth Infirmary (now Bosworth Hall Hotel) and commemorated with a blue memorial plaque
  • James Holden (b. 1979) – electronic music producer
  • Thomas Hooker (1586 Markfield – 1647) – Puritan, founder of Connecticut
  • Samuel Johnson – essayist and lexicographer; in 1732 worked at the Dixie Grammar after leaving Oxford because of debt, but left after four months, unable to bear the "boorish" 4th Baronet
  • Andy Morrell (b. 1974) – footballer
  • Colin Pitchfork (b. 1960) - First person convicted of murder using DNA Fingerprinting, attended school in Market Bosworth
  • Cliff Price (1900-unknown) – footballer for Southampton F.C. in the 1920s
  • Thomas Simpson (1710–1760) – mathematician
  • Ollie Smith (b. 1982) - England international rugby player began his career with Market Bosworth RFC

Community

The Town entered into the Britain in Bloom competition on the 500th anniversary of the battle in 1985. Floral decorations were displayed around the town. The success of this entry caused the formation of the "Bosworth in Bloom Committee", to prepare for more displays. In 2012 – the Town reached the national finals for England and won a Gold Award.[9]

The town has two football teams, AFC Market Bosworth (playing mostly on Saturdays) and Market Bosworth FC (mostly Sundays). Both have teams across various age groups from under 5s to over 35s. The triathlon club and cricket club are based at the same ground as Market Bosworth FC, the sports and social club.[10][11][12]

The town also has a rugby club and a tennis club.

Facilities and places of interest

The facilities within Market Bosworth are very good for a town of its size.

The market square is in the centre of the town, surrounded by various shops, including craft and antique shops, small cafes, a traditional green grocery store, co-op, newsagents, an HSBC bank and estate agents. A regular market takes place on Wednesdays and monthly Sunday Farmers’ Markets. The town also has a doctor's surgery, dentist and library.

The town has three schools, Market Bosworth Primary and Junior School, The Market Bosworth School, and the private Dixie Grammar School, three churches, Anglican,[13] Catholic and Free Church, a fire station, and a large hotel.

The town centre boasts many characterful, historic buildings. In the corner of the Market Place are two cottages, known as the Rose and Thistle Cottages, named to confirm the link of the Dixie family to England and Scotland. The properties date back to 1640 (engraved in the frame at first floor) and the original Crook A frame can still be seen in Thistle Cottage which is now a tea room and bistro. Rose Cottage remains as a private residence. The cottages were extensively rebuilt and re-faced with brickwork in 1807 (evidenced by date stamped brick on Thistle Cottage facade) to modernise the appearance in keeping with other properties around the Market Place.

There are three pubs, The Black Horse,[14] The Dixie Arms Hotel[15] and the Red Lion,[16] which is one of Bosworth's oldest buildings. Earlier pubs included King William IV, now converted into private residences; Inn on the Park, demolished to accommodate the Sycamore Way housing estate, and the Wheatsheaf, now a small shopping courtyard.

Market Bosworth Country Park[17] and Bosworth Water Park[18] offer outside recreation. The site of the Battle of Bosworth[19] is a few miles south of the town. Market Bosworth was previously served by the Ashby and Nuneaton Joint Railway which is now the heritage Battlefield Line Railway and runs at weekends from Shackerstone, via Market Bosworth station to Shenton. The Ashby Canal runs adjacent to the railway and is served by Bosworth Marina with moorings for 150 boats.

There are hourly bus services to Leicester, Hinckley and Coalville.[20]

References
  1. Census 2001 Parish Profile
  2. "Town population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Archived from the original on 11 October 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  3. "Market Bosworth". www.travelaboutbritain.com. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  4. Tomlin, Arthur (11 September 2016). "Past Times: A history of Market Bosworth". hinckleytimes. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  5. Market Bosworth Conservation Area Character Appraisal
  6. Dennis R. Mills Lord and peasant in nineteenth century Britain p110
  7. James Holden, "How Charles Tollemache Scott transformed the Bosworth Estate", New Aspect, November 2005.
  8. http://www.ukniwm.org.uk/server/show/conMemorial.37824/
  9. Market Bosworth in Bloom
  10. "Market Bosworth football club". Archived from the original on 18 June 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
  11. https://afcmarketbosworth.co.uk Archived 18 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  12. http://www.marketbosworthfc.co.uk/
  13. Market Bosworth Benefice Archived 1 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  14. "The Black Horse – Restaurant". theblackhorserestaurant.co.uk. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  15. "Dixie Arms Hotel & La Bella Piazza Italian Restaurant, Pub, Market Bosworth, Leicestershire". www.dixiearmshotel.co.uk. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  16. "Ye Olde Red Lion, Market Bosworth | Accommodation, Bar & Restaurant serving traditional home cooked food". www.redlionmarketbosworth.co.uk. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  17. Leicester County Council – Market Bosworth Park
  18. "Home". Bosworth Water Park. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  19. Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre and Country Park
  20. Ltd, Mapway. "Home". Traveline.info. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
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