River Eye, Leicestershire
Encyclopedia
The River Eye is a river in north eastern Leicestershire which becomes the Wreake
.
The Eye rises at Bescaby
about six miles (10 km) north east of Melton Mowbray
. It flows east towards Saltby
, where it turns south and flows past Sproxton
, Coston
and Garthorpe. At Saxby it turns west and flows by Stapleford
, Freeby
, Wyfordby, Brentingby
and Thorpe Arnold
. At Swan's Nest it enters Melton Mowbray where it flows under bridges at Burton Road and Leicester Road. It then passes Sysonby
, where, at Sysonby Lodge it changes its name to the River Wreake
which flows into the River Soar
. Its full journey is about 13 miles (21 km).
by fields bounded by hawthorn hedges. There is very little woodland in the area, what's there is largely man-made in the form of fox coverts. Farming in the district is largely pastoral, with the grassland given over to sheep and cows, the traditional beasts of local agriculture. Stilton and Red Leicester cheeses originally came from the village and farm dairies in the Eye basin.
, which may have been a territorial frontier. The county boundary follows the watershed between the River Eye and River Witham
, and is marked by the ancient routeway from south east England to the north, known as Sewstern Lane or The Drift.
About six miles south of the river at Melton Mowbray
lie the impressive remains of an Iron Age
hill fort
at Burrough Hill
. It is suggested that this may have been the tribal centre for the Corieltauvi people who lived in the East Midland counties of Leicester, Lincoln, Nottingham and Rutland. There is a presumed prehistoric trackway from Burrough Hill northward towards Melton Mowbray, where it crosses the River Eye and heads north towards the Vale of Belvoir
. In Roman
times the tribal centre was moved to Leicester
, which the Romans named Ratis (or Ratae) Corieltauvorum.
Melton Mowbray appears to have become the Eye basin's trading centre in Saxon times. Its market probably pre-dates the Norman conquest and is one of the few in England
listed in the Domesday Book
(1085). Melton continued as the main trading centre in the area throughout medieval times, up to the present day.
when it was built early in the nineteenth century. The stretch of the river from Stapleford to Sysonby (about six miles, 10 km) was canalised. There are a few sparse remains of the canal, although the river has largely reverted to its natural state. In 1844 the Midland Railway
built the Syston and Peterborough Railway
alongside the canal. It had to buy out the canal company as part of the agreement to build the railway. The Midland Railway allowed the canal to fall into disrepair because it was the major competitor to its new route.
River Wreake
The River Wreake is a river in Leicestershire, England. It is a tributary of the River Soar. The river between Stapleford Park and Melton Mowbray is known as the River Eye and becomes the Wreake below Melton Mowbray....
.
The Eye rises at Bescaby
Bescaby
Bescaby is a hamlet and deserted medieval village in Leicestershire, England.The hamlet of Bescaby lies close to, and can only be reached by public road from, neighbouring Waltham-on-the-Wolds. It was not always so...
about six miles (10 km) north east of Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray is a town in the Melton borough of Leicestershire, England. It is to the northeast of Leicester, and southeast of Nottingham...
. It flows east towards Saltby
Saltby
Saltby is a village within the civil parish of Sproxton and Melton borough of Leicestershire, England. It lies close to the River Eye and the border with Lincolnshire.The village includes the former RAF Saltby....
, where it turns south and flows past Sproxton
Sproxton, Leicestershire
Sproxton is a village and civil parish within the Borough of Melton in Leicestershire, England, close to the border with Lincolnshire. It has a population of 480....
, Coston
Coston, Leicestershire
- Governance :Coston forms part of the civil parish of Garthorpe that, in turn, is part of the district of Melton.-Church:The parish church, dedicated to St Andrew, is thought to date back to the 13th century and was restored in 1846....
and Garthorpe. At Saxby it turns west and flows by Stapleford
Stapleford, Leicestershire
Stapleford is a village in the Melton district of Leicestershire, England, east of Melton Mowbray. It is just south of the River Eye, and is part of the civil parish of Freeby....
, Freeby
Freeby
Freebyis a village and civil parish in the Melton district of Leicestershire, England, about three miles east of Melton Mowbray. The parish has a population of about 300 .-History:...
, Wyfordby, Brentingby
Brentingby
Brentingby is a village in Leicestershire, England....
and Thorpe Arnold
Thorpe Arnold
Thorpe Arnold is a village in the English county of Leicestershire. Situated on the top of a hill close to the town of Melton Mowbray, Thorpe Arnold is a small farming village with roots going back to before its first recorded mention in the Domesday Book of 1086...
. At Swan's Nest it enters Melton Mowbray where it flows under bridges at Burton Road and Leicester Road. It then passes Sysonby
Sysonby
Sysonby was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. He won every start easily, except one, at distances from one mile to two and a quarter miles...
, where, at Sysonby Lodge it changes its name to the River Wreake
River Wreake
The River Wreake is a river in Leicestershire, England. It is a tributary of the River Soar. The river between Stapleford Park and Melton Mowbray is known as the River Eye and becomes the Wreake below Melton Mowbray....
which flows into the River Soar
River Soar
The River Soar is a tributary of the River Trent in the English East Midlands.-Description:It rises near Hinckley in Leicestershire and is joined by the River Sence near Enderby before flowing through Leicester , Barrow-on-Soar, beside Loughborough and Kegworth, before joining the Trent near...
. Its full journey is about 13 miles (21 km).
Overview
The river is never wide nor fast flowing, although it does flood periodically. It drifts through the gentle rolling countryside of north east LeicestershireLeicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
by fields bounded by hawthorn hedges. There is very little woodland in the area, what's there is largely man-made in the form of fox coverts. Farming in the district is largely pastoral, with the grassland given over to sheep and cows, the traditional beasts of local agriculture. Stilton and Red Leicester cheeses originally came from the village and farm dairies in the Eye basin.
History
The name Eye comes from the Old English ēa, meaning 'the river' . It probably had an older, pre-historic name that has now been lost. However the Wreake is Danish in origin, meaning the twisting or meandering one.Iron Age remains
The river has been the centre of human activity for many centuries. To its north east, at Saltby Heath, are King Lud's Entrenchments, which may date from prehistoric times, although historians debate this. It may be significant that the Entrenchments lie just inside the county boundary with LincolnshireLincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, which may have been a territorial frontier. The county boundary follows the watershed between the River Eye and River Witham
River Witham
The River Witham is a river, almost entirely in the county of Lincolnshire, in the east of England. It rises south of Grantham close to South Witham, at SK8818, passes Lincoln at SK9771 and at Boston, TF3244, flows into The Haven, a tidal arm of The Wash, near RSPB Frampton Marsh...
, and is marked by the ancient routeway from south east England to the north, known as Sewstern Lane or The Drift.
About six miles south of the river at Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray is a town in the Melton borough of Leicestershire, England. It is to the northeast of Leicester, and southeast of Nottingham...
lie the impressive remains of an Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
hill fort
Hill fort
A hill fort is a type of earthworks used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze and Iron Ages. Some were used in the post-Roman period...
at Burrough Hill
Burrough Hill
Burrough Hill is an Iron Age hillfort in Burrough on the Hill, south of Melton Mowbray in the English county of Leicestershire. Situated on a promontory about above sea level, the site commands views over the surrounding countryside for miles around. There has been human activity in the area...
. It is suggested that this may have been the tribal centre for the Corieltauvi people who lived in the East Midland counties of Leicester, Lincoln, Nottingham and Rutland. There is a presumed prehistoric trackway from Burrough Hill northward towards Melton Mowbray, where it crosses the River Eye and heads north towards the Vale of Belvoir
Vale of Belvoir
The Vale of Belvoir is an area of natural beauty on the borders of Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire in England. Indeed, the name itself derives from the Norman-French for beautiful view.-Extent and geology:...
. In Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
times the tribal centre was moved to Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, which the Romans named Ratis (or Ratae) Corieltauvorum.
Danish and Saxon villages
Nine of the villages bordering the river have Danish names. The rest are Saxon. It is likely that these incomers used the river to reach their new homes. All these villages are likely to have been sited on dry ground close to a good source of water. The River Eye provided this source. Stapleford means 'the ford (over the River Eye) marked by posts' and indicates that the lanes around the Eye were in use twelve hundred years or so ago.Melton Mowbray appears to have become the Eye basin's trading centre in Saxon times. Its market probably pre-dates the Norman conquest and is one of the few in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
listed in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
(1085). Melton continued as the main trading centre in the area throughout medieval times, up to the present day.
Nineteenth century
The Eye valley was used by the Oakham CanalOakham Canal
The Oakham Canal ran from Oakham, Rutland to Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It opened in 1802, but it was never a financial success, and it suffered from the lack of an adequate water supply. It closed after 45 years, when it was bought by the Midland Railway to...
when it was built early in the nineteenth century. The stretch of the river from Stapleford to Sysonby (about six miles, 10 km) was canalised. There are a few sparse remains of the canal, although the river has largely reverted to its natural state. In 1844 the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
built the Syston and Peterborough Railway
Syston and Peterborough Railway
The Syston and Peterborough Railway was an early railway in England opened between 1845 and 1848 to form a branch from the Midland Counties Railway at Syston just north of Leicester to Peterborough.-Origins:...
alongside the canal. It had to buy out the canal company as part of the agreement to build the railway. The Midland Railway allowed the canal to fall into disrepair because it was the major competitor to its new route.