Morcott
| Morcott | |
|---|---|
 St Mary's Church, Morcott |
|
 Morcott
|
|
| Morcott shown within Rutland | |
| Area | 2.13 sq mi (5.5 km2) |
| Population | 329 2001 Census |
| • Density | 154/sq mi (59/km2) |
| OS grid reference | SK923007 |
| • London | 79 miles (127 km) SSE |
| Unitary authority | |
| Shire county | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | OAKHAM |
| Postcode district | LE15 |
| Dialling code | 01572 |
| Police | Leicestershire |
| Fire | Leicestershire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| EU Parliament | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
Morcott is a village in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. The population at the 2001 census was 329 falling slightly to 321 at the 2011 census. It is located about seven miles (11 km) south-east of county's capital Oakham on the A47 and A6121 roads. A prominent reconstructed windmill can be seen from both East and West-bound approaches to Morcott along the A47.
Rutland County Council designated Morcott a Conservation Area in 1981, one of 34 conservation areas in Rutland which are “of special architectural or historic interest, the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance”.
Rutland County Council documents describe Morcott as a moderately sized, compact and attractive Rutland village four miles to the east of the nearest town, Uppingham located in undulating, open countryside, approximately 75 metres above sea level on the north facing slope of a tributary of the River Chater.
The village name is an Old English derivation of “a cottage on the moor”. The village is recorded as Morcote in the Domesday survey of 1086 and formed part of the king’s manor of Barrowden. The village served the manorial interests of several different ownerships but passed to the Fydell Rowley family in the early 19th Century. The Church of St Mary is the defining landmark in the village and is regarded as the most complete Norman church in Rutland.
The historic origins of the village is associated with agriculture and has resulted in a legacy of good, stone built farmhouses, cottages and outbuildings. Although none of the surviving houses are believed to date from earlier than the 17th Century, the style of many of the buildings and the dated examples indicate that Morcott shared in a period of transformation in the 17th and 18th Centuries that reflected wider economic prosperity, based on growing demand and improvements in agriculture, notably in crop rotation and the wealth generated by sheep farming, that occurred in large parts of rural middle England at that time.
The historic importance of a number of the buildings within the village is reflected in there being 30 entries on the National Heritage List for England. Outside of the village, but within the parish, the windmill on Barrowden Road is a prominent landmark in views from the conservation area and surrounding countryside.
The defunct Morcott railway station on the branch line between Seaton and Luffenham closed in 1966. The road bridge which carries the High Street over the old railway cutting is a skew arch containing construction features rarely seen.
...
Wikipedia