School & Village History

Village History

The village of Croxton Kerrial is near the ancient Salt Way, which was the route used to bring salt inland from the Lincolnshire coast throughout the Bronze Age, Roman times and Middle Ages. The earliest site of an actual village settlement is thought to be a little west of the current position where ancient burial barrows can be found.

It is understood that that the name "Croxton" dates from the 7th Century and most probably means "the settlement of the bend on the hill", which is an excellent description that holds true today! The name "Kerrial" was added later to mark the influence of the Criol, Curiel or Kyriel family.

In mediaeval times, the village developed on land belonging to Croxton Manor with tenant farmers working an open-field system. In the 12th Century, this land was granted to an order of monks who founded an Abbey.

The Abbey at Croxton Park had extensive estates throughout the East Midlands with the monks playing an important part in the wool trade with Florence in Italy. The Abbey remained an important and dominating influence on the village until the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry 8th. The Abbey was then demolished and the lands passed to the Earl of Rutland.

During the 18th century, farming patterns changed with tenant farmers working shares of meadowland, pasture land and wasteland. Hunting became established in the area and Croxton Races were established on a course at the park.

The village saw huge growth in the 19th Century when the population doubled. There were 657 people living in Croxton in 1841 and they gained a Methodist Church, school and post office. Our school was built in 1845 (at a cost of £330) with its own playground or yard and outside toilets. The building has certainly changed inside since then but the main structure remains the same with its fine brickwork and authentic architectural features.

In Victorian times the village was fortunate enough to have three inns, three grocers, three carpenters, three bakers, two blacksmiths, four boot and shoe makers, three tailors, fifteen farmers and graziers, a stonemason, an upholsterer, a park keeper and a park bailiff. The road provided a steady stream of people trading and travelling between Grantham in Lincolnshire and Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire. There was also a regular mail coach.

As the industrial revolution gathered pace, there was a drift from the land and traditional farming. More employment became available in the towns as well as a new industry in the extraction of ironstone. This industry lasted right up to the 1970s.

There has been no major source of local employment since then to replace the lost jobs in farming and ironstone mining. However, the village is a vibrant community with its own village hall and social club with a large recreational field. The school has grown in numbers in recent years, reflecting the development of new housing and the choices that some parents are making in choosing smaller village schools. The village hall provides a home for further education classes, interest groups, a youth club and mother and toddler group (Belvoir Babes).

School History

The village of Croxton Kerrial was granted a school under the authority of two acts passed during the reign of Queen Victoria. The first Act in 1842 and second Act in 1845 allowed land to be endowed for schools that would provide education for the poor.

The Most Noble John Henry Duke of Rutland and the Right Honourable George Henry Earl of Falmouth conveyed a plot of land in the village to the Vicar and Churchwardens of the time for a school. The transfer document makes fascinating reading and explains how the area of pasture land, any buildings erected at the time or to be erected later should be used for the sole purpose of educating children and adults, or children only of the labouring, manufacturing and poorer classes of Croxton Kerrial parish.

The school was given into the care of the established Church under the general management of the Duke, the Bishop of Peterborough and the Vicar of Croxton Kerrial. This care was to be passed on to their successors and the school was to be open to inspection.

The conveyance and transfer took place on 25th March 1845 and the school has remained active and on the same site ever since.