History of Market Bosworth

Navigation

• History of Market Bosworth
• Geology
• Ice Ages
• From an Open Wooded Hilltop
• Neolithic and Bronze Age
• Iron Age and Roman
• The First Village
• Anglo-Saxon and Saxo-Norman
• Viking Neighbours
• Domesday
• The Town of the High Medieval
• The First Market
• Medieval expansion
• Taxatio Ecclesiastica - Church and Chantry
• Great Famine and Black Death
• Late Medieval
• Battle
• The Great Rebuilding
• Tudor Building Cores
• Post Medieval
• Seventeenth Century
• Eighteenth Century
• Nineteenth Century
• The Grammar School Buildings
• The Lords of the Manor Effect
• The Market
• Twentieth and Twenty First Centuries
• Jubilees
• Monarchs visiting
• Go to Start of Site
• Inside Tour (for mobiles)
• Outside Tour (for mobiles)
• Detailed Church Guide
• History of Market Bosworth
• Lords of the Manor
• Carved Faces and Figures
• Stained Glass and Dragons
• Victorian and later Renovations
• Music and the Organ
• Churchyard and Parish Registers
• Other Parishes in the Area
• Images, References and Navigation

History of Market Bosworth Overview

Geology

Ten miles north east - Edicaran

Ten miles south west - Cambrian

There is coal to the north and south, but why not here?

Desert

Ice Ages

Not one, but many

From an Open Wooded Hilltop

Neolithic and Bronze Age

After the retreat of ice, there is nothing to say that humans dd not occupy this landscape. Indeed, ten miles away in Bradgate Park there is archeological evidence the encampment of a roaming band of Late Upper Palaeolithic hunters (Liddle, 2025) trapping and hunting deer in the gorge of the River Lin, so it is possible there was Homo sapiens present in this area at the time or later. It's just that, as yet, evidence has not been found.

There is, however, strong evidence for an extensive late Neolithic or early Bronze Age landscape beneath the town which may be sited over a late Neolithic or early Bronze Age barrow cemetery. Peter Foss (2025) suggests that the church may be on the site of such a barrow.

Probable Neolithic pot from pits to west and north of the town centre. The late Neolithic date is contemporaneous with the era of the construction of Stonehenge.

Iron Age and Roman

Widespread Roman activity, probably associated with a known villa immediately north of the town. Small quantities of Roman pottery were found widely distributed across the town, but concentrated near known Roman sites.

Only Iron Age find was near known Iron Age and Roman activity east of the market place.

The First Village

Anglo-Saxon and Saxo-Norman

Early Anglo-Saxon activity at the villa site and the adjacent Silk Hill. Four test-pits produced Anglo-Saxon pottery, the first recorded evidence of Anglo-Saxon activity in the parish.

The name of Bosworth may be a development from Bosá's farmstead.

Market Bosworth began to develop in its present location until the 10th century, a linear settlement concentrated along Park Street to the south of St Peter's parish church.

Viking Neighbours

Viking settlement activity from Cadeby.

Domesday

The Town of the High Medieval

By the 12th century the town appeared to be well established, the bulk of the activity again focused along the southern side of Park Street and east of the market place. This suggests a possible date for the first church on the current site.

During the 13th century, habitation spread westwards and north.

In the 14th century the church as we see it today was built.

The First Market

Medieval expansion

Taxatio Ecclesiastica – Church and Chantry

Taxatio Ecclesiastica of 1291/2 puts Market Bosworth as the second poshest parish in Leicestershire based on ecclesiastical income.

Great Famine and Black Death

By the 15th century, occupation had become patchier with a 41% drop in pottery-using population which can perhaps be taken as an indication of population decline following the Black Death in the mid-14th century.

Late Medieval

In the 16th century, occupation across Market Bosworth appeared to have re-occupied areas which had seemingly depopulated at the end of the medieval period.

The Chantry Act of 1547, of Edward VI, abolished chantries, which were institutions where priests said masses for the dead. It was then that the Chapel of St Thomas and St Anne ended.

Battle

The Great Rebuilding

Tudor Building Cores

Post Medieval

Seventeenth Century

Eighteenth Century

Nineteenth Century

The Grammar School Buildings

The Lords of the Manor Effect

The Market

Twentieth and Twenty First Centuries

Jubilees

Monarchs visiting

Putting the mouse pointer over images will enlarge them - Last updated 17 December 2025 John Colby