River Sence
Encyclopedia
The River Sence is a river in Leicestershire, England. The tributaries of the Sence including the Saint and Tweed fan out over much of western Leicestershire
from Charnwood Forest
and Coalville in the north-east to Hinckley and almost to Watling Street
in the south and south-west. Its watershed almost coincides with Hinckley and Bosworth
Borough of Leicestershire, which was formed in 1974 by amalgamation of Market Bosworth Rural District and Hinckley Urban District. It flows into the Anker
, which in turn flows into the River Tame
. It is part of the wider River Trent
catchment, which covers much of central England. In 1881 Sebastian Evans wrote that the usual names for this river were Shenton Brook and Sibson Brook.
, Shearsby
and Oadby
, joining the Soar at GR551985, about 7 km south of Leicester
city centre..
It is also used of the Saint and its tributary from Stapleton
. Antiquarian accounts of the Battle of Bosworth label the brook upstream of Shenton
“Tweed”. Recent Ordnance Maps 1:25 000 (2000) label only the “Tweed River” south-west of Stapleton and the 1:50 000 (1990) map gives it no name. The lower reaches from Shenton
to Ratcliffe Culey
are known locally as the Saint, as used below.
(GR SK461132; alt. 278 m), crosses the A50 (GR SK453122) and gathers a group of three headwaters around Bardon (GR SK457123) and Stanton under Bardon. It flows westwards with a tributary stream from Coalville
, past Hugglescote
(GR SK424123) and Donington le Heath
. It then turns south-west, receiving Blower’s Brook and another tributary from Ravenstone
, continuing between Heather
and Ibstock
, between Newton Burgoland
and Odstone
, through Shackerstone, between Bilstone and Congerstone, and between Sheepy Magna and Sheepy Parva. It joins the Anker on the boundary with Warwickshire
between Sheepy
, Ratcliffe Culey
and Atherstone
at the Mythe, an ancient chaplry of Sheepy
(GR SK315991). From Bardon village over a distance of about 20 km, it falls by about 100 m, a gradient of 1:200.
and Nailstone
. It runs between Carlton
and Market Bosworth
, and joins the Sence south of Congerstone
.
(GR SP435961; alt. 125 m) and on Barwell Lane (GR 438957; alt. 115 m). A branch from Hinckley
(GR SP429951; alt. ca 125 m) joins the Tweed south-west of Stapleton, south of Harper’s Hill. The Tweed runs west almost to Dadlington
, whence it is canalized north-west to the confluence with Stapleton Brook. It then runs west along the foot of Ambion Hill
. It gains a stream from between Higham on the Hill and Wykin running north and another from Lindley running north-east and turns north to Shenton
, where it joins a smaller stream running west from Cadeby
(GR SK429020; alt. 128 m) to become the Saint flowing westwards. A large stream from the north rises west of Market Bosworth
and north-west of Hoo Hills, Wellsborough, passing the Bosworth hamlet of Far Coton to join the Saint on Upton
Ridge. Thence the Saint continues west to Sibson and meanders to the Sence between Sheepy
and Ratcliffe Culey
(GR SK326999). In general, its course from Barwell to Ratcliffe covers about 13 km, in which it falls about 50 m, a gradient of about 1:650, resulting in a slower flow than of the Sence, and a muddy, marshy and more meandering channel than the Sence. Only across the Upton–Linley north–south ridge between Shenton and Sibson is its flow faster.
Brook and Frog Moor Stream, both running south-west into the Anker, and the Gillwiskaw, a stream running into the River Mease
north of Gopsall
. The boundary runs north-west from Orton on the Hill
, through Norton juxta Twycross and Newton Burgoland
, between Normanton le Heath
and Heather, through Alton
to Swannington
.
To the north-east along Charnwood Forest, headwaters adjoin Grace Dieu Brook and Black Brook running north-east towards the Soar
.
To the east and south-east, the Sence adjoins various brooks running into the Soar running south and south-east: Slate Brook, Rothley Brook and Thurlaston Brook. The boundary runs south-west from Stanton under Bardon
to Bagworth
, where it turns south.
The watershed of the Saint–Tweed runs through Cadeby
, Stapleton and Barwell
to Hinckley
. To the south, the boundary runs through Higham on the Hill
and Lindley
, where it turns north-west over Upton Ridge through Upton to Ratcliffe Culey
. South of Hinckley, it adjoins Soar Brook, and two small tributaries of the Anker, Sketchley Brook and Harrow Brook. The area west of Upton Ridge between Fenny Drayton
, Atterton
and Witherley
is reclaimed marsh draining into the Anker north of Witherley.
(Precambrian) rocks north-east of the Ticknall
–Thringstone
Fault with Carboniferous
measures to the south-west of the fault, including coal, clay and sandstone, which have been exploited in the 19th and 20th centuries as the Leicestershire and South Derbyshire Coalfield. Over much of the watershed, the Ordovician outcrop of Bardon Hill is prominent. Most of the Carboniferous measures of western Leicestershire
are covered with red mudstones of the Triassic
Mercia Mudstone
Group. The outcrop of these rocks gives rise to a moderately undulating landscape characterised by mixed pasture and arable agricultural use that has developed on the neutral clay soils. The most prominent hills in the landscape are at Market Bosworth
and Wellsborough. The higher land towards the north-east formed a plateau, in which the tributaries of the Sence have cut narrow valleys.
The Saint–Tweed valley contained a major branch of the ‘Proto-Soar’ until the Pleistocene glaciation when the valley was blocked by sands and gravels around Cadeby
and Stoke Golding
. The lower parts of the Sence Valley and most of the Tweed–Saint Valley were filled with clays from Lake Harrison
, which filled much of Leicestershire
and Warwickshire
towards the end of the Ice Age
, when drainage was blocked by ice from Wales and the north. Water from south-west Leicestershire would have escaped from Congerstone, along the line of the Ashby de la Zouch Canal, then along the line of the Anker south-east past Nuneaton to the Fenny Compton Gap towards the Thames. From the Anker, it also escaped southwards through Nuneaton towards Coventry and the Avon. At a later stage, a smaller lake east of Upton remained with overflows southwards and through Fenny Drayton to the Anker as well as that towards the Sence, until it cut through Upton Ridge to form the Saint.
Upton Ridge and Wellsborough Hill give good views of the flood plain of the lower reaches. The middle reaches of both rivers are less visible in the landscape.
The coalfields were exploited from mines at Coalville, Snibston, Hugglescote, Ibstock, Nailstone, Bagworth and Ellistown. Brickworks and terracotta works were mainly around Ibstock and Heather.
.
Barwell, Barwalle (1043), Barewelle (1086), sometimes pronounced ‘Barrull’. The first element is Old English bār, ‘boar’. Old English wella signifies a spring or stream In west Leicestershire, it seems to mean the stream issuing from a spring rather than the spring itself. The area of the headwaters of the Tweed would have been frequented by wild boar in Anglo-Saxon times. The other example of wella in the wateshed is “Twitchell”.
Brook Farm, west of Stoke Golding
takes its name from the unnamed stream running north towards the Tweed at the foot of Ambion Hill
.
King Dick’s Hole is a deep part of the Anker at its confluence with the Sence. Since at least Victorian times, it has been a popular bathing place for the youth of Atherstone and Sheepy. Local tradition has it that it is where King Richard bathed before the battle. More likely ‘hole’ is a corruption of early English halgh; an area of flood plain enclosed by a meandering river. The name could originally have referred to the area where Richard stationed some of his troops while lodging the night at Mythe Hall.
Lovett or Lovett’s Bridge, sometimes ‘Lovatt’ links Sheepy Parva across the Sence towards Orton on the Hill
and Polesworth
. Though there is now a footbridge, the ford there is at least 1000 years old. No association with a person so called has been found. Its relation to a branch of Redway towards Polesworth
and to an ancient crossing of the Saint through Ratcliffe Culey
suggests at least Iron Age
origin. Nearby on that branch, Watery Lane, was an undatable Swithland slate courseway raised above flood level demolished by the Highways Authority around 1950. The River Ouzel
in Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire used to be called ‘Lovat’ and in Sussex is the River Lavant
, both explained from Celtic British, perhaps here meaning either ‘smooth-flowing’.or ‘deep pool’.
Mythe derives from Old English gemyþe, ‘place where waters meet, confluence’, here the confluence of the Sence with the Anker. The name exists also for a settlement where the Avon joins the Severn north of Tewkesbury.
Ratcliffe, Redeclive (1086), ‘road-cleave’. Ratcliffe Culey
takes its name from the ford where the Hinckley–Mythe road was ‘cleaved’ by the Sence 100 m upstream of its confluence with the Anker.
Sandeford is mentioned as the place where Richard III
was killed in the Battle of Bosworth Field
but its situation is lost. It might be where Fenn Lane crosses the Tweed (GR 407989) or a tributary from Higham on the Hill
(GR 391984) or on the Redway where a stream ran into the marsh north of Fenny Drayton
(GR 352979) Both sites are rather marshy, so that a site on the River Saint at Miles Ford north-west of Shenton (GR 377010) is more probable.
Sence and Saint probably share their origin with the British tribe Iceni
in a word-root isc-, 'shine', iscent-, ‘shining’. In common with other rivers of the Midlands, a Celtic origin is more likely than Old English scenc, 'cup, drinking can. Either by coincidence or by association with the river name, All Saints is the dedication of the churches at Sheepy
, Ratcliffe Culey
and Nailstone
in the Sence watershed. It is also the dedication of Ranton
, Staffordshire, whose Priory owned Sheepy Manor until the Reformation.
Sheepy
probably also derives its name from Celtic isc- with apa, ‘shining water’ rather than from Old English. sceap-ea, 'sheep river', or sceap-e.g., 'sheep island'.
Shenton
, “Scenctun” (1002), Scentone (1086) derives its name from the river: scenc-tūn, ‘settlement on the Saint’.
Tweed derives from Celtic tueda, ‘powerful, swollen’ and tuea, ‘swell’. like the River Tweed
in southern Scotland. It may describe the growth of the stream from Barwell to Shenton or the swelling marsh in rainy times..
Twitchell is a small stream running into the Sence at Sheepy Magna and the lane it adjoins. The origin of the name might be Twice-wella, a stream rising from two springs.
Corn Mill; Ravenstone
Mill; Ibstock
Corn Mill; Help-Out Mill, Shackerstone
; Congerstone
Corn Mill; Temple
Corn Mill; Sibson Corn Mill; Sheepy
Corn Mill. Perhaps in earlier times, there was a mill at the moated site at Old Hall Farm and Brook Farm, Bardon. Early in the 19th century, the formerly moated site of Mythe Hall had a mill fed by water from the Sence and discharging into the Anker. The tributary from Bagworth
to Shackerstone
may have had mills at the moated sites of Pickering Grange and Ibstock
Grange. On Carlton Brook between Carlton and Market Bosworth
was Bosworth Mill.
Help-Out Mill fell out of use in the late 1960s. When Elijah T. Timms died in 1970, it ended a family association with the mill dating back to 1734. The name is believed to derive from the reliable water supply compared with mills on the branch streams. The overcast waterwheel was replaced by a water turbine in 1902.
Temple Mill was first mentioned in 1279 and continued operating till after World War II.
Sibson Mill is remarkable in being on the Sence, not its own Saint river, some distance from Sibson village.
Sheepy Mill is mentioned in the Domesday Book and was exploited by Ranton Priory until the Reformation. It was enlarged in the 19th Century by Charles Bonington Lowe and switched to steam power. After World War II, the mill installed a water turbine but switched to electrical power. It closed around 1970. For the first half of the 20th century under the name C. B. Lowe Ltd, it was a major employer in the village and a supplier of flour for a wide district. Its Sentinel steam lorries drew water from the river.
The Saint, with its low gradient is unsuitable for water power and probably never had many mills. The names Mill View near the Tweed in Barwell and Mill Lane south of Shenton suggest that water mills existed there in earlier times.
The Domesday Survey lists only three mills in the Sence watershed: at Alton, Congerstone and Sheepy. The mill at Alton near Ravenstone was probably wind-driven.
, used for fishing in an area of former clay workings. Sheepy
Lake was formerly fed from the river and supplied the mill in times of drought. It too is used for fishing and is now fed from ground water. Stapleton Brook has a lake east of Sutton Lane in Bosworth Park.
In the 12th Century, Richard de Harcourt of Great Sheepy (Leics.) gave Ranton
Priory in Staffordshire 9 virgates of land with fishing rights and 2s. rent from his mill there. This property was the priory's most important temporal estate outside Staffordshire and remained so until the dissolution of the priory in 1537. Ranton Priory probably enlarged the mill and dug out the reservoir called Sheepy Lake.
Legend has it that Richard III granted the freemen of Sheepy fishing rights in the Sence in thanks for their hospitality on the eve of the eve of the Battle of Bosworth Field
. In practice, those rights remained with the owners of the Manor of Sheepy, though they sometimes turned a blind eye to villagers who exploited their claim. According to that legend, Richard stayed at Mythe Hall.
In recent years, Leicestershire
County Council took over clay workings and coal pits in the Sence Valley between Ravenstone
, Ibstock
and Heather and later transferred them to the Forestry Commission
, which reclaimed the area as the Sence Valley Forest Park
. It contains woodland, lakes linked to the River Sence, grassland and a wild flower meadow. An artificial nesting wall for sand martins has also been constructed alongside Horseshoe Lake. In this varied habitat, 150 species of bird have been recorded. The lakes provide habitat for heron
, coot
, tufted duck
, pochard, wigeon
and great-crested grebe
. Kestrel
s nest each year and, though less evident in daytime, there are barn owl
s and short-eared owl
s. Raptors
, marsh, hen and Montague's harrier
, osprey
, red-footed falcon
, merlin
, peregrine
and buzzard
have all been seen. The bird list for the park currently stands at 101 species. Long grassy areas have become home for many wild mammals including field vole
, shrew
, stoat
, rabbit
and fox
. Water voles are present on streams feeding the river. Otter
s too are once again using the river. Among the species of bat
s are pipistrelle, Daubenton's bat
and noctule. Insects in summer include gatekeeper butterfly, meadow brown, speckled wood
, small skipper
, green-veined white
, peacock butterfly and small tortoiseshell
. Around the lakes, damselflies
such as common blue, blue-tailed and azure as well as dragonflies
such as the southern hawker and brown hawker are also fairly abundant.
In the middle reaches of the Sence around Shackerstone, Bilstone and Congerstone, fishing rights belong to Gopsall
, now falling under Crown Estate, which is working in cooperation with the Environment Agency and Gopsall Fishing Club to reverse bank erosion caused by cattle poaching, land drainage, dredging and tunnelling of the river and to divert otters away from the A444.
and the A447 Ravenstone
–Hinckley
–Nuneaton
. The A50 Burton on Trent–Ashby de la Zouch–Leicester
road runs south-east across the headwaters. The prehistoric roads almost avoided river crossings. No motorways pass through the watershed, though the M1 adjoins a headwater east of Bardon.
The one canal and a former through-line of railway exploited glacial overflow channels linking the valleys of the Sence and Tweed–Saint.
, crosses Roman roads in a way that suggests it is earlier. It aligns with a road from Ripon
, Yorkshire, to Little Chester at the River Derwent
crossing to Derby
, always running due south. From Derby
, it crosses western Leicestershire
towards Coventry
and ends at Edge Hill
, Warwickshire. It entered the Sence watershed between Swepstone
and Newton Burgoland
. South of Bilstone near Temple Mill, it crossed the Sence, probably by a bridge since prehistoric times. Just south of Sibson, it crossed the Saint by a muddy ford towards Atterton, whence it crossed the eastern edge of the marsh of Fenny Drayton
, leaving the county at Redgate, Fenny Drayton
, also meaning ‘Road-Way’. The section from the Sence to Redgate has been replaced by the A444, mostly 100–200 m further east.
From the west side of the river at Temple, a branch followed the west bank of the river, skirting north of Sheepy Magna and running as Green Lane south of Orton on the Hill
through the deserted village of Bell Weston towards Polesworth
.
and running between Higham on the Hill
and Stoke Golding
, crossing Fenn Lane near Fenn Lane Farm and Upton Park, whence most of its route to Ratcliffe Culey
is preserved as a green lane. From Ratcliffe, it crossed the Sence 100 metres upstream of its confluence with the Anker as a cobble-bottomed ford to Mythe Hall. Most of its course is close to the watershed boundary with the middle reaches of the Anker.
Munitions from the time of the Battle of Bosworth Field
have been found near the intersection with Fenn Lane. According to a recent theory, King Richard passed that point on his way towards Ratcliffe
and the Mythe on the eve of the battle and Henry could well have established his lines near the intersections of the Hinckley road, the Redway and Fenn Lane, if he approached the battlefield along the Redway.
and crossed the Sence by Temple Mill. Thence it crossed Wellsborough Hill to Far Coton, skirting the larger tributaries of the River Saint and Tweed, probably to Barwell. A branch towards Leicester ran through Measham, possibly through Heather, Ibstock
and Bagworth
.
, between Normanton le Heath
and Heather, through Newton Nethercote, Norton juxta Twycross, Orton on the Hill
, Little Warton
to an ancient crossing of the Anker at Polesworth
. Its importance in Anglian–Danish times is indicated by the name of the route east of Norton: Shelford Lane, ‘Shallow Ford’ Lane.
, through Ravenstone
to Bagworth
. It crossed Blower’s Brook south of Alton
, Ravenstone Brook in Ravenstone, a stream from Coalville
at Snibston
and Sence Brook near the Manor House, Donington le Heath
. Though it crosses hilly terrain, the rivers are crossed as small streams. The continuing communication along this line into Christian times is suggested by the shared unusual dedication of their churches to the Holy Rood. From Bagworth
, it runs close to the watershed. perhaps through Cadeby or slightly further east through Newbold Verdon
, to Barwell
and Hinckley
.
A road from Bagworth to Polesworth along the line of Bagworth Brook to Shackerstone, continuing through Congerstone towards Polesworth seems also to be an Anglian or Iron Age route.
to Manduessedum
, now Mancetter
and Witherley
, entered the watershed of the Saint south-east of Sutton Cheney
, where it crosses Salt Street. Between Upton Park and Fenn Lane Farm, it crosses the Hinckley
–Mythe road and near Fenny Drayton
church it formerly crossed the Redway. It is not aligned on Mancetter but joins the Watling Street 1 km further east because of the then impassable marshes between Fenny Drayton and Witherley. The section where it crossed the poorly drained part of the Saint–Tweed river system between Sutton Cheney
, Shenton
, Dadlington
and Stapleton has been lost and was probably an unstable courseway when constructed. Richard III followed this route from Leicester on the eve of the Battle of Bosworth Field
. It is a matter of debate where he stopped for the night. The Ordnance Map of 1887 labels his camp at Barn Farm (OS 429980) near Barwell. Recent sources suggest that he continued further, perhaps to the Mythe, expecting to face Henry across the River Anker.
were closed during the 20th Century because of mining subsidence.
from Cadeby to Shackerstone
is a conserved part of the railway from Nuneaton
to Measham
and Moira
, which opened in 1873. It was built along the same line as the Ashby Canal. At Shackerstone station, there was a junction with a line up the Sence Valley towards Coalville
. In 1883, the Charnwood Forest Railway
was opened, which extended that branch from Coalville to Loughborough.
The Burton on Trent–Ashby de la Zouch–Leicester
line enters the watershed of the Sence between Coalville
and Bardon. It opened in 1845 and is now used only by goods traffic. In contrast to the Nuneaton–Measham line, it cannot follow the contours. The two lines provided better access to the Leicestershire coalfield.
Onthe geology: * http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/conservation/geodiversity/englands/counties/area_ID21.aspx
Onthe Sence Valley Forest Park:
Onthe Ashby Canal:
On the fishing
Leicestershire
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...
from Charnwood Forest
Charnwood Forest
Charnwood Forest is an upland tract in north-western Leicestershire, England, bounded by Leicester, Loughborough, and Coalville. The area is undulating, rocky and picturesque, with barren areas. It also has some extensive tracts of woodland; its elevation is generally 600 ft and upwards, the area...
and Coalville in the north-east to Hinckley and almost to Watling Street
Watling Street
Watling Street is the name given to an ancient trackway in England and Wales that was first used by the Britons mainly between the modern cities of Canterbury and St Albans. The Romans later paved the route, part of which is identified on the Antonine Itinerary as Iter III: "Item a Londinio ad...
in the south and south-west. Its watershed almost coincides with Hinckley and Bosworth
Hinckley and Bosworth
Hinckley and Bosworth is a local government district with borough status in south-western Leicestershire, England, administered by Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council. Its only towns are Hinckley, Earl Shilton and Market Bosworth...
Borough of Leicestershire, which was formed in 1974 by amalgamation of Market Bosworth Rural District and Hinckley Urban District. It flows into the Anker
River Anker
The River Anker is a river in England. The river flows through the centre of Nuneaton towards Tamworth in Staffordshire. The river continues on before merging with the River Tame in Tamworth...
, which in turn flows into the River Tame
River Tame, West Midlands
The River Tame is the main river of the West Midlands, and the most important tributary of the River Trent. The Tame is about 40 km from source at Oldbury to its confluence with the Trent near Alrewas, but the main river length of the entire catchment, i.e...
. It is part of the wider River Trent
River Trent
The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent...
catchment, which covers much of central England. In 1881 Sebastian Evans wrote that the usual names for this river were Shenton Brook and Sibson Brook.
Confusions of the name Sence
The name Sence is also used of two other watercourses. It applies to a brook with headwaters from KnaptoftKnaptoft
Knaptoft is a civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England, with a population of around 50. It is also a deserted village in this parish. Knaptoft just off the A5199 near Husbands Bosworth. Knaptoft House Farm nearby is bed and breakfast accommodation and a stud farm...
, Shearsby
Shearsby
Shearsby is a rural village in the English county of Leicestershire.It is in the Harborough district around nine miles due south of Leicester and north east of Lutterworth....
and Oadby
Oadby
Oadby is a town within the borough of Oadby and Wigston, in Leicestershire, England. It is to the east of Wigston Magna, and to the southeast of Leicester. Oadby forms part of the Leicester Urban Area, and is situated on the A6 road....
, joining the Soar at GR551985, about 7 km south of 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...
city centre..
It is also used of the Saint and its tributary from Stapleton
Stapleton, Leicestershire
The hamlet of Stapleton is situated in south-west Leicestershire, England, about ten miles south-west of Leicester city centre as the crow flies and is inhabited by 427 people ....
. Antiquarian accounts of the Battle of Bosworth label the brook upstream of Shenton
Shenton
Shenton is a hamlet in Leicestershire.It is the southern terminus of the Battlefield Line Railway, which runs to here from Shackerstone. The station is located at the foot of Ambion Hill and is actually the reconstructed Humberstone Road Station from Leicester...
“Tweed”. Recent Ordnance Maps 1:25 000 (2000) label only the “Tweed River” south-west of Stapleton and the 1:50 000 (1990) map gives it no name. The lower reaches from Shenton
Shenton
Shenton is a hamlet in Leicestershire.It is the southern terminus of the Battlefield Line Railway, which runs to here from Shackerstone. The station is located at the foot of Ambion Hill and is actually the reconstructed Humberstone Road Station from Leicester...
to Ratcliffe Culey
Ratcliffe Culey
Ratcliffe Culey is a hamlet near the border of Warwickshire and Leicestershire, England. It is part of the civil parish of Witherley.The Gate, a popular non-smoking pub is situated in Ratcliffe Culey along with a post office, greyhound kennels and an All Saints Church.The name Ratcliffe derives...
are known locally as the Saint, as used below.
River Sence in the strict sense
The Sence rises on Bardon HillBardon Hill
Bardon Hill is a hill in the civil parish of Bardon near Coalville, Leicestershire. It the highest point in Leicestershire and the National Forest, above sea level. The hill has two very distinct faces – one half preserved as a site of special scientific interest , the other removed by Bardon Hill...
(GR SK461132; alt. 278 m), crosses the A50 (GR SK453122) and gathers a group of three headwaters around Bardon (GR SK457123) and Stanton under Bardon. It flows westwards with a tributary stream from Coalville
Coalville
Coalville is a town in North West Leicestershire, England, with a population estimated in 2003 to be almost 33,000. It is situated on the A511 trunk road between Leicester and Burton upon Trent, close to junction 22 of the M1 motorway where the A511 meets the A50 between Ashby-de-la-Zouch and...
, past Hugglescote
Hugglescote
Hugglescote is a village in North West Leicestershire, England. It formerly formed a civil parish with the adjacent settlement of Donington le Heath, though this was dissolved in 1936, when the area joined the urban district of Coalville...
(GR SK424123) and Donington le Heath
Donington le Heath
Donington-le-Heath is a historic settlement lying just over a mile away from the centre of Coalville in North West Leicestershire and merges with the adjacent village of Hugglescote ....
. It then turns south-west, receiving Blower’s Brook and another tributary from Ravenstone
Ravenstone, Leicestershire
Ravenstone is a small rural cluster village with a population of 2149, situated just off the A511 road between Coalville and Ashby-de-la-Zouch, in North West Leicestershire, and within the National Forest, England....
, continuing between Heather
Heather, Leicestershire
The village of Heather is due west of the village of Ibstock in North West Leicestershire, England. In the Domesday Book of 1086, its name is recorded as Hadre, meaning "the heathland"...
and Ibstock
Ibstock
Ibstock is a village and civil parish about south of Coalville in North West Leicestershire, England. The village is on the A447 road Between Coalville and Hinckley....
, between Newton Burgoland
Newton Burgoland
Newton Burgoland is a hamlet forming part of the Swepstone civil parish in the North West Leicestershire district of Leicestershire, England. The Swepstone parish also includes a small settlement named Newton-Nethercote, which forms as part of the village....
and Odstone
Odstone
Odstone is a hamlet forming part of the Shackerstone civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England. It stands on a marked promontory of high ground between two river valleys....
, through Shackerstone, between Bilstone and Congerstone, and between Sheepy Magna and Sheepy Parva. It joins the Anker on the boundary with Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
between Sheepy
Sheepy
Sheepy is a civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England, containing the villages of Sheepy Magna, Sheepy Parva, Sibson, Wellsborough, Upton, Pinwall and Cross Hands - a total of 449 homes...
, Ratcliffe Culey
Ratcliffe Culey
Ratcliffe Culey is a hamlet near the border of Warwickshire and Leicestershire, England. It is part of the civil parish of Witherley.The Gate, a popular non-smoking pub is situated in Ratcliffe Culey along with a post office, greyhound kennels and an All Saints Church.The name Ratcliffe derives...
and Atherstone
Atherstone
Atherstone is a town in Warwickshire, England. The town is located near the northernmost tip of Warwickshire, close to the border with Staffordshire and Leicestershire and is the administrative headquarters of the borough of North Warwickshire.-History:...
at the Mythe, an ancient chaplry of Sheepy
Sheepy
Sheepy is a civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England, containing the villages of Sheepy Magna, Sheepy Parva, Sibson, Wellsborough, Upton, Pinwall and Cross Hands - a total of 449 homes...
(GR SK315991). From Bardon village over a distance of about 20 km, it falls by about 100 m, a gradient of 1:200.
Carlton Brook
Carlton Brook is fed by a group of streams around BagworthBagworth
Bagworth is a village in Leicestershire, England, west of Leicester.-History:There are records of the manor of Bagworth from the early 14th and early 15th centuries, when it was held by the same feudal lords as the neighbouring manor of Thornton....
and Nailstone
Nailstone
Nailstone is a village and civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England, situated to the west of Leicester and north-east of Market Bosworth. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 521....
. It runs between Carlton
Carlton, Leicestershire
Carlton is a village in Leicestershire, England, close to Market Bosworth.There are four roads in Carlton: Main Street , Bosworth Road , Congerstone Lane and Shackerstone Walk .- Village...
and Market Bosworth
Market Bosworth
Market Bosworth is a small market town and civil parish in Leicestershire, England. It formerly formed a district known as the Market Bosworth Rural District. In 1974 it merged with the Hinckley Rural District to form a new district named Hinckley and Bosworth...
, and joins the Sence south of Congerstone
Congerstone
Congerstone is a small settlement in Leicestershire, England. It is near the Ashby-de-la-Zouch Canal and the A444 road.-External links:*...
.
Tweed–Saint Brooks
The largest tributary of the Sence is the Saint, with a headwater called the Tweed rising near BarwellBarwell
Barwell is a civil parish and large village in Leicestershire, England, with a population of around 8,750 people. The name literally translates as "Stream of the Boar" and is said to originate from a boar that used to drink from the well near a brook in Barwell. It was originally known as Borewell,...
(GR SP435961; alt. 125 m) and on Barwell Lane (GR 438957; alt. 115 m). A branch from Hinckley
Hinckley
Hinckley is a town in southwest Leicestershire, England. It has a population of 43,246 . It is administered by Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council...
(GR SP429951; alt. ca 125 m) joins the Tweed south-west of Stapleton, south of Harper’s Hill. The Tweed runs west almost to Dadlington
Dadlington
Dadlington is a hamlet administered by Hinckley and Bosworth District Council in Leicestershire, England. It is situated between Hinckley, Market Bosworth and Nuneaton.The village has a population of around 301 and contains a 13th century church Dadlington is a hamlet administered by Hinckley and...
, whence it is canalized north-west to the confluence with Stapleton Brook. It then runs west along the foot of Ambion Hill
Ambion Hill
Ambion Hill is the hill in Leicestershire, England near the town of Market Bosworth where, traditionally, the Battle of Bosworth Field is supposed to have been fought. This has been disputed by historians and research has been started to ascertain the truth about what was called, at the time, the...
. It gains a stream from between Higham on the Hill and Wykin running north and another from Lindley running north-east and turns north to Shenton
Shenton
Shenton is a hamlet in Leicestershire.It is the southern terminus of the Battlefield Line Railway, which runs to here from Shackerstone. The station is located at the foot of Ambion Hill and is actually the reconstructed Humberstone Road Station from Leicester...
, where it joins a smaller stream running west from Cadeby
Cadeby, Leicestershire
Cadeby is a village and civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England, about 6 miles north of Hinckley, close to Newbold Verdon and Market Bosworth. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 177....
(GR SK429020; alt. 128 m) to become the Saint flowing westwards. A large stream from the north rises west of Market Bosworth
Market Bosworth
Market Bosworth is a small market town and civil parish in Leicestershire, England. It formerly formed a district known as the Market Bosworth Rural District. In 1974 it merged with the Hinckley Rural District to form a new district named Hinckley and Bosworth...
and north-west of Hoo Hills, Wellsborough, passing the Bosworth hamlet of Far Coton to join the Saint on Upton
Upton, Leicestershire
Upton, is a small hamlet on the Leicestershire and Warwickshire border west of Shenton and south-east of Sibson.The local area is predominately agricultural. Upton is a ribbon development with a mixture of Georgian, Victorian and more modern properties along Main Road. There is a caravan park and...
Ridge. Thence the Saint continues west to Sibson and meanders to the Sence between Sheepy
Sheepy
Sheepy is a civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England, containing the villages of Sheepy Magna, Sheepy Parva, Sibson, Wellsborough, Upton, Pinwall and Cross Hands - a total of 449 homes...
and Ratcliffe Culey
Ratcliffe Culey
Ratcliffe Culey is a hamlet near the border of Warwickshire and Leicestershire, England. It is part of the civil parish of Witherley.The Gate, a popular non-smoking pub is situated in Ratcliffe Culey along with a post office, greyhound kennels and an All Saints Church.The name Ratcliffe derives...
(GR SK326999). In general, its course from Barwell to Ratcliffe covers about 13 km, in which it falls about 50 m, a gradient of about 1:650, resulting in a slower flow than of the Sence, and a muddy, marshy and more meandering channel than the Sence. Only across the Upton–Linley north–south ridge between Shenton and Sibson is its flow faster.
Watershed of the Sence and Saint
To the north-west, the watershed of the Sence adjoins that of BramcoteBramcote
Bramcote is a settlement in the Broxtowe district of Nottinghamshire, about five miles west of Nottingham. It was a separate village but is now a suburb of Greater Nottingham. Originally one of the main roads between the cities of Nottingham and Derby passed through the village centre...
Brook and Frog Moor Stream, both running south-west into the Anker, and the Gillwiskaw, a stream running into the River Mease
River Mease
The River Mease is a lowland clay river in the Midlands area of England. It flows through the counties of Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire and forms the administrative border between these counties for parts of its length....
north of Gopsall
Gopsall
Gopsall is an area of Crown Estate land in North West Leicestershire, England. It is located between the villages of Appleby Magna, Shackerstone, Twycross and Snarestone....
. The boundary runs north-west from Orton on the Hill
Orton on the Hill
Orton on the Hill is a hamlet forming part of the Twycross civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England. It is furthermore located in the Sparkenhoe Hundred. The name is derived from its high situation on a hill overlooking four counties,...
, through Norton juxta Twycross and Newton Burgoland
Newton Burgoland
Newton Burgoland is a hamlet forming part of the Swepstone civil parish in the North West Leicestershire district of Leicestershire, England. The Swepstone parish also includes a small settlement named Newton-Nethercote, which forms as part of the village....
, between Normanton le Heath
Normanton le Heath
Normanton le Heath is a village and civil parish situated between the parishes of Packington, Ravenstone and Heather in North West Leicestershire, England...
and Heather, through Alton
Alton, Leicestershire
Alton is a deserted medieval village between Coalville and Ashby-de-la-Zouch, in North West Leicestershire, England.The earliest documentation of the village is found in the Domesday Book where it appears as Heletone. The land was rented out to someone by Hugh de Grandmesnil, and had a total value...
to Swannington
Swannington, Leicestershire
Swannington is a former mining village in Leicestershire, England. It was a terminus of the early Leicester and Swannington Railway that was built to carry away its pits' output...
.
To the north-east along Charnwood Forest, headwaters adjoin Grace Dieu Brook and Black Brook running north-east towards the 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...
.
To the east and south-east, the Sence adjoins various brooks running into the Soar running south and south-east: Slate Brook, Rothley Brook and Thurlaston Brook. The boundary runs south-west from Stanton under Bardon
Stanton under Bardon
Stanton-under-Bardon is a village and civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England. Population approx 1000 residents.. The houses are generally constructed out of red brick, with many on Main Street being Terraced and having long, thin gardens...
to Bagworth
Bagworth
Bagworth is a village in Leicestershire, England, west of Leicester.-History:There are records of the manor of Bagworth from the early 14th and early 15th centuries, when it was held by the same feudal lords as the neighbouring manor of Thornton....
, where it turns south.
The watershed of the Saint–Tweed runs through Cadeby
Cadeby, Leicestershire
Cadeby is a village and civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England, about 6 miles north of Hinckley, close to Newbold Verdon and Market Bosworth. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 177....
, Stapleton and Barwell
Barwell
Barwell is a civil parish and large village in Leicestershire, England, with a population of around 8,750 people. The name literally translates as "Stream of the Boar" and is said to originate from a boar that used to drink from the well near a brook in Barwell. It was originally known as Borewell,...
to Hinckley
Hinckley
Hinckley is a town in southwest Leicestershire, England. It has a population of 43,246 . It is administered by Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council...
. To the south, the boundary runs through Higham on the Hill
Higham on the Hill
Higham on the Hill is a village and civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England.-Geography:The village is about three miles away from both Hinckley and Nuneaton. The parish is bounded by Warwickshire and the A5 to the south-west...
and Lindley
Lindley
-Place names:*Lindley, Free State, a town in South Africa*Lindley, Gauteng, a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa*Lindley, New York, a town in the United States*Lindley, North Yorkshire, England*Lindley, West Yorkshire, a suburb of Huddersfield, England...
, where it turns north-west over Upton Ridge through Upton to Ratcliffe Culey
Ratcliffe Culey
Ratcliffe Culey is a hamlet near the border of Warwickshire and Leicestershire, England. It is part of the civil parish of Witherley.The Gate, a popular non-smoking pub is situated in Ratcliffe Culey along with a post office, greyhound kennels and an All Saints Church.The name Ratcliffe derives...
. South of Hinckley, it adjoins Soar Brook, and two small tributaries of the Anker, Sketchley Brook and Harrow Brook. The area west of Upton Ridge between Fenny Drayton
Fenny Drayton
Fenny Drayton is a village in Leicestershire England, in the district of Hinckley and Bosworth. Near to the county border of Warwickshire and using a Warwickshire County postcode, it is just off the A444 road an old Roman road, north of Nuneaton close to its crossroads with the A5...
, Atterton
Atterton
Atterton is a hamlet in Leicestershire, England. It has a population of approximately 40 people.-Governance:Atterton is part of the civil parish of Witherley that, in turn, forms part of the borough of Hinckley and Bosworth ....
and Witherley
Witherley
Witherley is a village and civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England. It is in the far south-west of Leicestershire. The Warwickshire/Leicestershire border runs along the parish boundary, along the River Anker to the west and the A5 to the south, with Witherley...
is reclaimed marsh draining into the Anker north of Witherley.
Geomorphology of the Sence Watershed
The watershed is formed primarily by the upthrust of OrdovicianOrdovician
The Ordovician is a geologic period and system, the second of six of the Paleozoic Era, and covers the time between 488.3±1.7 to 443.7±1.5 million years ago . It follows the Cambrian Period and is followed by the Silurian Period...
(Precambrian) rocks north-east of the Ticknall
Ticknall
Ticknall is a small village and civil parish in South Derbyshire, England. Situated on the A514 road, close to Melbourne, it has three pubs, several small businesses, and a primary school. Two hundred years ago it was considerably larger and noisier with lime quarries, tramways and potteries. Coal...
–Thringstone
Thringstone
Thringstone is a village in north-west Leicestershire, England about north of Coalville. It lies within the area of the English National Forest and is part of the East Midlands region....
Fault with Carboniferous
Carboniferous
The Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Devonian Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Permian Period, about 299.0 ± 0.8 Mya . The name is derived from the Latin word for coal, carbo. Carboniferous means "coal-bearing"...
measures to the south-west of the fault, including coal, clay and sandstone, which have been exploited in the 19th and 20th centuries as the Leicestershire and South Derbyshire Coalfield. Over much of the watershed, the Ordovician outcrop of Bardon Hill is prominent. Most of the Carboniferous measures of western Leicestershire
Leicestershire
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...
are covered with red mudstones of the Triassic
Triassic
The Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 250 to 200 Mya . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic. Both the start and end of the Triassic are marked by major extinction events...
Mercia Mudstone
Mudstone
Mudstone is a fine grained sedimentary rock whose original constituents were clays or muds. Grain size is up to 0.0625 mm with individual grains too small to be distinguished without a microscope. With increased pressure over time the platey clay minerals may become aligned, with the...
Group. The outcrop of these rocks gives rise to a moderately undulating landscape characterised by mixed pasture and arable agricultural use that has developed on the neutral clay soils. The most prominent hills in the landscape are at Market Bosworth
Market Bosworth
Market Bosworth is a small market town and civil parish in Leicestershire, England. It formerly formed a district known as the Market Bosworth Rural District. In 1974 it merged with the Hinckley Rural District to form a new district named Hinckley and Bosworth...
and Wellsborough. The higher land towards the north-east formed a plateau, in which the tributaries of the Sence have cut narrow valleys.
The Saint–Tweed valley contained a major branch of the ‘Proto-Soar’ until the Pleistocene glaciation when the valley was blocked by sands and gravels around Cadeby
Cadeby, Leicestershire
Cadeby is a village and civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England, about 6 miles north of Hinckley, close to Newbold Verdon and Market Bosworth. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 177....
and Stoke Golding
Stoke Golding
Stoke Golding is a village and civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England, which lies in the heart of England, in South West Leicestershire, close to the Warwickshire county border. According to the 2001 census the total population was 1,721, living in just over...
. The lower parts of the Sence Valley and most of the Tweed–Saint Valley were filled with clays from Lake Harrison
Lake Harrison
Lake Harrison is the name given to a huge lake that in parts of the Ice Age covered much of the Midlands in England around Warwick and Birmingham and Leicester. It was formed when ice from Wales and the north blocked the drainage and trapped a lake between the ice front and the Cotswolds...
, which filled much of Leicestershire
Leicestershire
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...
and Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
towards the end of the Ice Age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
, when drainage was blocked by ice from Wales and the north. Water from south-west Leicestershire would have escaped from Congerstone, along the line of the Ashby de la Zouch Canal, then along the line of the Anker south-east past Nuneaton to the Fenny Compton Gap towards the Thames. From the Anker, it also escaped southwards through Nuneaton towards Coventry and the Avon. At a later stage, a smaller lake east of Upton remained with overflows southwards and through Fenny Drayton to the Anker as well as that towards the Sence, until it cut through Upton Ridge to form the Saint.
Upton Ridge and Wellsborough Hill give good views of the flood plain of the lower reaches. The middle reaches of both rivers are less visible in the landscape.
The coalfields were exploited from mines at Coalville, Snibston, Hugglescote, Ibstock, Nailstone, Bagworth and Ellistown. Brickworks and terracotta works were mainly around Ibstock and Heather.
Names related to the watercourses
Ambion is the name of a deserted village by a headwater of the Saint rising in Cadeby. It is recorded as Anabein (ca 1270), Anne Beame in the Hollinshead Chronicle (1576), Anbein (1622) and Amyon by John Hutton (1788). The name seems to derive from Old English Āna-bēam, a One-Beam bridge, probably the hamlet’s means of crossing the stream towards Market Bosworth. It is claimed as the traditional site of the Battle of Bosworth FieldBattle of Bosworth Field
The Battle of Bosworth Field was the penultimate battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the House of Lancaster and the House of York that raged across England in the latter half of the 15th century. Fought on 22 August 1485, the battle was won by the Lancastrians...
.
Barwell, Barwalle (1043), Barewelle (1086), sometimes pronounced ‘Barrull’. The first element is Old English bār, ‘boar’. Old English wella signifies a spring or stream In west Leicestershire, it seems to mean the stream issuing from a spring rather than the spring itself. The area of the headwaters of the Tweed would have been frequented by wild boar in Anglo-Saxon times. The other example of wella in the wateshed is “Twitchell”.
Brook Farm, west of Stoke Golding
Stoke Golding
Stoke Golding is a village and civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England, which lies in the heart of England, in South West Leicestershire, close to the Warwickshire county border. According to the 2001 census the total population was 1,721, living in just over...
takes its name from the unnamed stream running north towards the Tweed at the foot of Ambion Hill
Ambion Hill
Ambion Hill is the hill in Leicestershire, England near the town of Market Bosworth where, traditionally, the Battle of Bosworth Field is supposed to have been fought. This has been disputed by historians and research has been started to ascertain the truth about what was called, at the time, the...
.
King Dick’s Hole is a deep part of the Anker at its confluence with the Sence. Since at least Victorian times, it has been a popular bathing place for the youth of Atherstone and Sheepy. Local tradition has it that it is where King Richard bathed before the battle. More likely ‘hole’ is a corruption of early English halgh; an area of flood plain enclosed by a meandering river. The name could originally have referred to the area where Richard stationed some of his troops while lodging the night at Mythe Hall.
Lovett or Lovett’s Bridge, sometimes ‘Lovatt’ links Sheepy Parva across the Sence towards Orton on the Hill
Orton on the Hill
Orton on the Hill is a hamlet forming part of the Twycross civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England. It is furthermore located in the Sparkenhoe Hundred. The name is derived from its high situation on a hill overlooking four counties,...
and Polesworth
Polesworth
Polesworth is a large village and civil parish in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England. In the 2001 census it had a population of 8,439, inclusive of the continuous sub-villages of St Helena, Dordon and Hall End directly to the south...
. Though there is now a footbridge, the ford there is at least 1000 years old. No association with a person so called has been found. Its relation to a branch of Redway towards Polesworth
Polesworth
Polesworth is a large village and civil parish in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England. In the 2001 census it had a population of 8,439, inclusive of the continuous sub-villages of St Helena, Dordon and Hall End directly to the south...
and to an ancient crossing of the Saint through Ratcliffe Culey
Ratcliffe Culey
Ratcliffe Culey is a hamlet near the border of Warwickshire and Leicestershire, England. It is part of the civil parish of Witherley.The Gate, a popular non-smoking pub is situated in Ratcliffe Culey along with a post office, greyhound kennels and an All Saints Church.The name Ratcliffe derives...
suggests at least 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...
origin. Nearby on that branch, Watery Lane, was an undatable Swithland slate courseway raised above flood level demolished by the Highways Authority around 1950. The River Ouzel
River Ouzel
The River Ouzel , also known as the River Lovat, is a river in England, and a tributary of the River Great Ouse. It rises in the Chiltern Hills and flows 20 miles north to join the Ouse at Newport Pagnell....
in Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire used to be called ‘Lovat’ and in Sussex is the River Lavant
River Lavant, West Sussex
The River Lavant is a winterbourne that rises at East Dean and flows west to Singleton, then south past West Dean and Lavant to Chichester. From east of Chichester its natural course was south to the sea at Pagham, but the Romans diverted it to flow around the southern walls of Chichester and then...
, both explained from Celtic British, perhaps here meaning either ‘smooth-flowing’.or ‘deep pool’.
Mythe derives from Old English gemyþe, ‘place where waters meet, confluence’, here the confluence of the Sence with the Anker. The name exists also for a settlement where the Avon joins the Severn north of Tewkesbury.
Ratcliffe, Redeclive (1086), ‘road-cleave’. Ratcliffe Culey
Ratcliffe Culey
Ratcliffe Culey is a hamlet near the border of Warwickshire and Leicestershire, England. It is part of the civil parish of Witherley.The Gate, a popular non-smoking pub is situated in Ratcliffe Culey along with a post office, greyhound kennels and an All Saints Church.The name Ratcliffe derives...
takes its name from the ford where the Hinckley–Mythe road was ‘cleaved’ by the Sence 100 m upstream of its confluence with the Anker.
Sandeford is mentioned as the place where Richard III
Richard III of England
Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...
was killed in the Battle of Bosworth Field
Battle of Bosworth Field
The Battle of Bosworth Field was the penultimate battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the House of Lancaster and the House of York that raged across England in the latter half of the 15th century. Fought on 22 August 1485, the battle was won by the Lancastrians...
but its situation is lost. It might be where Fenn Lane crosses the Tweed (GR 407989) or a tributary from Higham on the Hill
Higham on the Hill
Higham on the Hill is a village and civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England.-Geography:The village is about three miles away from both Hinckley and Nuneaton. The parish is bounded by Warwickshire and the A5 to the south-west...
(GR 391984) or on the Redway where a stream ran into the marsh north of Fenny Drayton
Fenny Drayton
Fenny Drayton is a village in Leicestershire England, in the district of Hinckley and Bosworth. Near to the county border of Warwickshire and using a Warwickshire County postcode, it is just off the A444 road an old Roman road, north of Nuneaton close to its crossroads with the A5...
(GR 352979) Both sites are rather marshy, so that a site on the River Saint at Miles Ford north-west of Shenton (GR 377010) is more probable.
Sence and Saint probably share their origin with the British tribe Iceni
Iceni
The Iceni or Eceni were a British tribe who inhabited an area of East Anglia corresponding roughly to the modern-day county of Norfolk between the 1st century BC and the 1st century AD...
in a word-root isc-, 'shine', iscent-, ‘shining’. In common with other rivers of the Midlands, a Celtic origin is more likely than Old English scenc, 'cup, drinking can. Either by coincidence or by association with the river name, All Saints is the dedication of the churches at Sheepy
Sheepy
Sheepy is a civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England, containing the villages of Sheepy Magna, Sheepy Parva, Sibson, Wellsborough, Upton, Pinwall and Cross Hands - a total of 449 homes...
, Ratcliffe Culey
Ratcliffe Culey
Ratcliffe Culey is a hamlet near the border of Warwickshire and Leicestershire, England. It is part of the civil parish of Witherley.The Gate, a popular non-smoking pub is situated in Ratcliffe Culey along with a post office, greyhound kennels and an All Saints Church.The name Ratcliffe derives...
and Nailstone
Nailstone
Nailstone is a village and civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England, situated to the west of Leicester and north-east of Market Bosworth. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 521....
in the Sence watershed. It is also the dedication of Ranton
Ranton, Staffordshire
Ranton is a small village in Staffordshire, situated west of Stafford, east of Woodseaves and northeast of Gnosall.-All Saints church, Ranton:All Saints church, Ranton, is a small ancient structure, dating from the 13th century....
, Staffordshire, whose Priory owned Sheepy Manor until the Reformation.
Sheepy
Sheepy
Sheepy is a civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England, containing the villages of Sheepy Magna, Sheepy Parva, Sibson, Wellsborough, Upton, Pinwall and Cross Hands - a total of 449 homes...
probably also derives its name from Celtic isc- with apa, ‘shining water’ rather than from Old English. sceap-ea, 'sheep river', or sceap-e.g., 'sheep island'.
Shenton
Shenton
Shenton is a hamlet in Leicestershire.It is the southern terminus of the Battlefield Line Railway, which runs to here from Shackerstone. The station is located at the foot of Ambion Hill and is actually the reconstructed Humberstone Road Station from Leicester...
, “Scenctun” (1002), Scentone (1086) derives its name from the river: scenc-tūn, ‘settlement on the Saint’.
Tweed derives from Celtic tueda, ‘powerful, swollen’ and tuea, ‘swell’. like the River Tweed
River Tweed
The River Tweed, or Tweed Water, is long and flows primarily through the Borders region of Great Britain. It rises on Tweedsmuir at Tweed's Well near where the Clyde, draining northwest, and the Annan draining south also rise. "Annan, Tweed and Clyde rise oot the ae hillside" as the Border saying...
in southern Scotland. It may describe the growth of the stream from Barwell to Shenton or the swelling marsh in rainy times..
Twitchell is a small stream running into the Sence at Sheepy Magna and the lane it adjoins. The origin of the name might be Twice-wella, a stream rising from two springs.
Water mills
The river was exploited for water power and fishing in the 19th and 20th centuries, when there were at least eight water-driven corn mills on the Sence, which has an average gradient of about 1:200: HugglescoteHugglescote
Hugglescote is a village in North West Leicestershire, England. It formerly formed a civil parish with the adjacent settlement of Donington le Heath, though this was dissolved in 1936, when the area joined the urban district of Coalville...
Corn Mill; Ravenstone
Ravenstone, Leicestershire
Ravenstone is a small rural cluster village with a population of 2149, situated just off the A511 road between Coalville and Ashby-de-la-Zouch, in North West Leicestershire, and within the National Forest, England....
Mill; Ibstock
Ibstock
Ibstock is a village and civil parish about south of Coalville in North West Leicestershire, England. The village is on the A447 road Between Coalville and Hinckley....
Corn Mill; Help-Out Mill, Shackerstone
Shackerstone
Shackerstone is a village and civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England. It is situated on the Ashby-de-la-Zouch Canal and the River Sence. According to the 2001 census the parish, which also includes the village of Barton in the Beans, had a population of...
; Congerstone
Congerstone
Congerstone is a small settlement in Leicestershire, England. It is near the Ashby-de-la-Zouch Canal and the A444 road.-External links:*...
Corn Mill; Temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
Corn Mill; Sibson Corn Mill; Sheepy
Sheepy
Sheepy is a civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England, containing the villages of Sheepy Magna, Sheepy Parva, Sibson, Wellsborough, Upton, Pinwall and Cross Hands - a total of 449 homes...
Corn Mill. Perhaps in earlier times, there was a mill at the moated site at Old Hall Farm and Brook Farm, Bardon. Early in the 19th century, the formerly moated site of Mythe Hall had a mill fed by water from the Sence and discharging into the Anker. The tributary from Bagworth
Bagworth
Bagworth is a village in Leicestershire, England, west of Leicester.-History:There are records of the manor of Bagworth from the early 14th and early 15th centuries, when it was held by the same feudal lords as the neighbouring manor of Thornton....
to Shackerstone
Shackerstone
Shackerstone is a village and civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England. It is situated on the Ashby-de-la-Zouch Canal and the River Sence. According to the 2001 census the parish, which also includes the village of Barton in the Beans, had a population of...
may have had mills at the moated sites of Pickering Grange and Ibstock
Ibstock
Ibstock is a village and civil parish about south of Coalville in North West Leicestershire, England. The village is on the A447 road Between Coalville and Hinckley....
Grange. On Carlton Brook between Carlton and Market Bosworth
Market Bosworth
Market Bosworth is a small market town and civil parish in Leicestershire, England. It formerly formed a district known as the Market Bosworth Rural District. In 1974 it merged with the Hinckley Rural District to form a new district named Hinckley and Bosworth...
was Bosworth Mill.
Help-Out Mill fell out of use in the late 1960s. When Elijah T. Timms died in 1970, it ended a family association with the mill dating back to 1734. The name is believed to derive from the reliable water supply compared with mills on the branch streams. The overcast waterwheel was replaced by a water turbine in 1902.
Temple Mill was first mentioned in 1279 and continued operating till after World War II.
Sibson Mill is remarkable in being on the Sence, not its own Saint river, some distance from Sibson village.
Sheepy Mill is mentioned in the Domesday Book and was exploited by Ranton Priory until the Reformation. It was enlarged in the 19th Century by Charles Bonington Lowe and switched to steam power. After World War II, the mill installed a water turbine but switched to electrical power. It closed around 1970. For the first half of the 20th century under the name C. B. Lowe Ltd, it was a major employer in the village and a supplier of flour for a wide district. Its Sentinel steam lorries drew water from the river.
The Saint, with its low gradient is unsuitable for water power and probably never had many mills. The names Mill View near the Tweed in Barwell and Mill Lane south of Shenton suggest that water mills existed there in earlier times.
The Domesday Survey lists only three mills in the Sence watershed: at Alton, Congerstone and Sheepy. The mill at Alton near Ravenstone was probably wind-driven.
Lakes
On the Sence are two small lakes between Heather and IbstockIbstock
Ibstock is a village and civil parish about south of Coalville in North West Leicestershire, England. The village is on the A447 road Between Coalville and Hinckley....
, used for fishing in an area of former clay workings. Sheepy
Sheepy
Sheepy is a civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England, containing the villages of Sheepy Magna, Sheepy Parva, Sibson, Wellsborough, Upton, Pinwall and Cross Hands - a total of 449 homes...
Lake was formerly fed from the river and supplied the mill in times of drought. It too is used for fishing and is now fed from ground water. Stapleton Brook has a lake east of Sutton Lane in Bosworth Park.
Fishing and wild life
The River Sence is fished for roach, chub, dace, perch, trout, bream tench and carp and was restocked with grayling in 2007.In the 12th Century, Richard de Harcourt of Great Sheepy (Leics.) gave Ranton
Ranton, Staffordshire
Ranton is a small village in Staffordshire, situated west of Stafford, east of Woodseaves and northeast of Gnosall.-All Saints church, Ranton:All Saints church, Ranton, is a small ancient structure, dating from the 13th century....
Priory in Staffordshire 9 virgates of land with fishing rights and 2s. rent from his mill there. This property was the priory's most important temporal estate outside Staffordshire and remained so until the dissolution of the priory in 1537. Ranton Priory probably enlarged the mill and dug out the reservoir called Sheepy Lake.
Legend has it that Richard III granted the freemen of Sheepy fishing rights in the Sence in thanks for their hospitality on the eve of the eve of the Battle of Bosworth Field
Battle of Bosworth Field
The Battle of Bosworth Field was the penultimate battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the House of Lancaster and the House of York that raged across England in the latter half of the 15th century. Fought on 22 August 1485, the battle was won by the Lancastrians...
. In practice, those rights remained with the owners of the Manor of Sheepy, though they sometimes turned a blind eye to villagers who exploited their claim. According to that legend, Richard stayed at Mythe Hall.
In recent years, Leicestershire
Leicestershire
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...
County Council took over clay workings and coal pits in the Sence Valley between Ravenstone
Ravenstone, Leicestershire
Ravenstone is a small rural cluster village with a population of 2149, situated just off the A511 road between Coalville and Ashby-de-la-Zouch, in North West Leicestershire, and within the National Forest, England....
, Ibstock
Ibstock
Ibstock is a village and civil parish about south of Coalville in North West Leicestershire, England. The village is on the A447 road Between Coalville and Hinckley....
and Heather and later transferred them to the Forestry Commission
Forestry Commission
The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in Great Britain. Its mission is to protect and expand Britain's forests and woodlands and increase their value to society and the environment....
, which reclaimed the area as the Sence Valley Forest Park
Sence Valley Forest Park
Sence Valley Forest Park is located to the north of Ibstock in North West Leicestershire, and within the National Forest, England.It is situated on the site of a former Open cast mine where, between 1982 and 1996, eight million tonnes of coal were extracted by opencast mining...
. It contains woodland, lakes linked to the River Sence, grassland and a wild flower meadow. An artificial nesting wall for sand martins has also been constructed alongside Horseshoe Lake. In this varied habitat, 150 species of bird have been recorded. The lakes provide habitat for heron
Heron
The herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called "egrets" or "bitterns" instead of "heron"....
, coot
Coot
Coots are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family Rallidae. They constitute the genus Fulica. Coots have predominantly black plumage, and, unlike many of the rails, they are usually easy to see, often swimming in open water...
, tufted duck
Tufted Duck
The Tufted Duck, Aythya fuligula, is a medium-sized diving duck with a population of close to one million birds.- Description :The adult male is all black except for white flanks and a blue-grey bill. It has an obvious head tuft that gives the species its name.The adult female is brown with paler...
, pochard, wigeon
Wigeon
The Eurasian Wigeon, also known as Widgeon or Eurasian Widgeon is one of three species of wigeon in the dabbling duck genus Anas. It is common and widespread within its range...
and great-crested grebe
Grebe
A grebe is a member of the Podicipediformes order, a widely distributed order of freshwater diving birds, some of which visit the sea when migrating and in winter...
. Kestrel
Kestrel
The name kestrel, is given to several different members of the falcon genus, Falco. Kestrels are most easily distinguished by their typical hunting behaviour which is to hover at a height of around over open country and swoop down on prey, usually small mammals, lizards or large insects...
s nest each year and, though less evident in daytime, there are barn owl
Barn Owl
The Barn Owl is the most widely distributed species of owl, and one of the most widespread of all birds. It is also referred to as Common Barn Owl, to distinguish it from other species in the barn-owl family Tytonidae. These form one of two main lineages of living owls, the other being the typical...
s and short-eared owl
Short-eared Owl
The Short-eared Owl is a species of typical owl . In Scotland this species of owl is often referred to as a cataface, grass owl or short-horned hootlet. Owls belonging to genus Asio are known as the eared owls, as they have tufts of feathers resembling mammalian ears. These "ear" tufts may or may...
s. Raptors
Bird of prey
Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh....
, marsh, hen and Montague's harrier
Harrier (bird)
A harrier is any of the several species of diurnal hawks forming the Circinae sub-family of the Accipitridae family of birds of prey. Harriers characteristically hunt by flying low over open ground, feeding on small mammals, reptiles, or birds....
, osprey
Osprey
The Osprey , sometimes known as the sea hawk or fish eagle, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and across the wings...
, red-footed falcon
Red-footed Falcon
The Red-footed Falcon , formerly Western Red-footed Falcon, is a bird of prey. It belongs to the family Falconidae, the falcons. This bird is found in eastern Europe and Asia although its numbers are dwindling rapidly due to habitat loss and hunting. It is migratory, wintering in Africa...
, merlin
Merlin
Merlin is a legendary figure best known as the wizard featured in the Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the character first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, written c. 1136, and is based on an amalgamation of previous historical and legendary figures...
, peregrine
Peregrine Falcon
The Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...
and buzzard
Buzzard
A buzzard is one of several large birds, but there are a number of meanings as detailed below.-Old World:In the Old World Buzzard can mean:* One of several medium-sized, wide-ranging raptors with a robust body and broad wings....
have all been seen. The bird list for the park currently stands at 101 species. Long grassy areas have become home for many wild mammals including field vole
Field Vole
The field vole or short-tailed vole, Microtus agrestis, is a grey-brown vole, around 110mm in length, with only a short tail. They are one of the most common mammals in Europe, ranging from the Atlantic coast to Lake Baikal. They are found in moist grassy habitats, such as woodland, marsh, or...
, shrew
Shrew
A shrew or shrew mouse is a small molelike mammal classified in the order Soricomorpha. True shrews are also not to be confused with West Indies shrews, treeshrews, otter shrews, or elephant shrews, which belong to different families or orders.Although its external appearance is generally that of...
, stoat
Stoat
The stoat , also known as the ermine or short-tailed weasel, is a species of Mustelid native to Eurasia and North America, distinguished from the least weasel by its larger size and longer tail with a prominent black tip...
, rabbit
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
and fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
. Water voles are present on streams feeding the river. Otter
Otter
The Otters are twelve species of semi-aquatic mammals which feed on fish and shellfish, and also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals....
s too are once again using the river. Among the species of bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
s are pipistrelle, Daubenton's bat
Daubenton's bat
Daubenton's Bat, Myotis daubentonii, is a Eurasian bat with quite short ears. It ranges from Britain to Japan and is considered to be increasing its numbers in many areas.The name commemorates the French naturalist Louis-Jean-Marie Daubenton....
and noctule. Insects in summer include gatekeeper butterfly, meadow brown, speckled wood
Speckled Wood
The Speckled Wood is a butterfly found in and on the borders of woodland throughout much of the Palearctic ecozone.In North Europe, Central Europe , Asia Minor, Syria, Russia and Central Asia where subspecies P. a. tircis occurs it is brown with pale yellow or cream spots and darker upperwing...
, small skipper
Small Skipper
The Small Skipper Thymelicus sylvestris butterfly of the Hesperiidae family.-Appearance, behaviour and distribution:It has a rusty orange colour to the wings, upper body and the tips of the antennae. The body is silvery white below and it has a wingspan of 25–30 mm. This butterfly is very...
, green-veined white
Green-veined White
The Green-veined White is a butterfly of the Pieridae family.-Appearance and distribution:A circumboreal species widespread across Europe and Asia, including the Indian subcontinent, Japan and the Maghreb and North America...
, peacock butterfly and small tortoiseshell
Small Tortoiseshell
The Small Tortoiseshell is a well-known colourful butterfly.-Range:It is found in temperate Europe, Asia Minor, Central Asia, Siberia, China, Mongolia, Korea and Japan. There are a few records from New York City which, however, are believed to have arrived human-assisted.-Subspecies:*A. u. urticae...
. Around the lakes, damselflies
Damselfly
Damselflies are insects in the order Odonata. Damselflies are similar to dragonflies, but the adults can be distinguished by the fact that the wings of most damselflies are held along, and parallel to, the body when at rest...
such as common blue, blue-tailed and azure as well as dragonflies
Dragonfly
A dragonfly is a winged insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera . It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body...
such as the southern hawker and brown hawker are also fairly abundant.
In the middle reaches of the Sence around Shackerstone, Bilstone and Congerstone, fishing rights belong to Gopsall
Gopsall
Gopsall is an area of Crown Estate land in North West Leicestershire, England. It is located between the villages of Appleby Magna, Shackerstone, Twycross and Snarestone....
, now falling under Crown Estate, which is working in cooperation with the Environment Agency and Gopsall Fishing Club to reverse bank erosion caused by cattle poaching, land drainage, dredging and tunnelling of the river and to divert otters away from the A444.
Influence on communications
At least five undatable through routes, probably Iron Age, and one Roman road cross the Sence watershed. Three modern trunk roads, largely following 18th century turnpikes, cross the area, two from north to south: the A444 Burton on Trent–NuneatonNuneaton
Nuneaton is the largest town in the Borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth and in the English county of Warwickshire.Nuneaton is most famous for its associations with the 19th century author George Eliot, who was born on a farm on the Arbury Estate just outside Nuneaton in 1819 and lived in the town for...
and the A447 Ravenstone
Ravenstone, Leicestershire
Ravenstone is a small rural cluster village with a population of 2149, situated just off the A511 road between Coalville and Ashby-de-la-Zouch, in North West Leicestershire, and within the National Forest, England....
–Hinckley
Hinckley
Hinckley is a town in southwest Leicestershire, England. It has a population of 43,246 . It is administered by Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council...
–Nuneaton
Nuneaton
Nuneaton is the largest town in the Borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth and in the English county of Warwickshire.Nuneaton is most famous for its associations with the 19th century author George Eliot, who was born on a farm on the Arbury Estate just outside Nuneaton in 1819 and lived in the town for...
. The A50 Burton on Trent–Ashby de la Zouch–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...
road runs south-east across the headwaters. The prehistoric roads almost avoided river crossings. No motorways pass through the watershed, though the M1 adjoins a headwater east of Bardon.
The one canal and a former through-line of railway exploited glacial overflow channels linking the valleys of the Sence and Tweed–Saint.
Redway: Derby–Coventry–Edgehill
The Redway, in southern Warwickshire called RadwayRadway
Radway is a village and civil parish in Warwickshire about north-west of Banbury in neighbouring Oxfordshire.The village is at the foot of Edge Hill and is notable for the Battle of Edgehill, one of the early major engagements of the English Civil War, which was fought in fields around the village...
, crosses Roman roads in a way that suggests it is earlier. It aligns with a road from Ripon
Ripon
Ripon is a cathedral city, market town and successor parish in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, located at the confluence of two streams of the River Ure in the form of the Laver and Skell. The city is noted for its main feature the Ripon Cathedral which is architecturally...
, Yorkshire, to Little Chester at the River Derwent
River Derwent
River Derwent is the name of several rivers in England:*River Derwent, Derbyshire*River Derwent, North East England on the border between County Durham and Northumberland*River Derwent, Cumbria in the Lake District*River Derwent, Yorkshire in Yorkshire...
crossing to Derby
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
, always running due south. From Derby
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
, it crosses western Leicestershire
Leicestershire
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...
towards Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
and ends at Edge Hill
Edge Hill, Warwickshire
Edge Hill is an escarpment and hamlet in the civil parish of Ratley and Upton, South Warwickshire, England.Edge Hill gave its name to the first battle of the English Civil War, in which it was a prominent feature....
, Warwickshire. It entered the Sence watershed between Swepstone
Swepstone
Swepstone is a village and civil parish in the North West Leicestershire district of Leicestershire, England, about five miles south of Ashby de la Zouch. The parish includes the villages of Swepstone and Newton Burgoland....
and Newton Burgoland
Newton Burgoland
Newton Burgoland is a hamlet forming part of the Swepstone civil parish in the North West Leicestershire district of Leicestershire, England. The Swepstone parish also includes a small settlement named Newton-Nethercote, which forms as part of the village....
. South of Bilstone near Temple Mill, it crossed the Sence, probably by a bridge since prehistoric times. Just south of Sibson, it crossed the Saint by a muddy ford towards Atterton, whence it crossed the eastern edge of the marsh of Fenny Drayton
Fenny Drayton
Fenny Drayton is a village in Leicestershire England, in the district of Hinckley and Bosworth. Near to the county border of Warwickshire and using a Warwickshire County postcode, it is just off the A444 road an old Roman road, north of Nuneaton close to its crossroads with the A5...
, leaving the county at Redgate, Fenny Drayton
Fenny Drayton
Fenny Drayton is a village in Leicestershire England, in the district of Hinckley and Bosworth. Near to the county border of Warwickshire and using a Warwickshire County postcode, it is just off the A444 road an old Roman road, north of Nuneaton close to its crossroads with the A5...
, also meaning ‘Road-Way’. The section from the Sence to Redgate has been replaced by the A444, mostly 100–200 m further east.
From the west side of the river at Temple, a branch followed the west bank of the river, skirting north of Sheepy Magna and running as Green Lane south of Orton on the Hill
Orton on the Hill
Orton on the Hill is a hamlet forming part of the Twycross civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England. It is furthermore located in the Sparkenhoe Hundred. The name is derived from its high situation on a hill overlooking four counties,...
through the deserted village of Bell Weston towards Polesworth
Polesworth
Polesworth is a large village and civil parish in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England. In the 2001 census it had a population of 8,439, inclusive of the continuous sub-villages of St Helena, Dordon and Hall End directly to the south...
.
Hinckley–Upton–The Mythe
The second route, either Iron Age or Danish, entered the watershed as a now metalled road at WykinWykin
Wykin is a hamlet in the English county of Leicestershire.Wykin is located to the north-west of the town of Hinckley and is separated from it by the A47 Northern Perimeter Road....
and running between Higham on the Hill
Higham on the Hill
Higham on the Hill is a village and civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England.-Geography:The village is about three miles away from both Hinckley and Nuneaton. The parish is bounded by Warwickshire and the A5 to the south-west...
and Stoke Golding
Stoke Golding
Stoke Golding is a village and civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England, which lies in the heart of England, in South West Leicestershire, close to the Warwickshire county border. According to the 2001 census the total population was 1,721, living in just over...
, crossing Fenn Lane near Fenn Lane Farm and Upton Park, whence most of its route to Ratcliffe Culey
Ratcliffe Culey
Ratcliffe Culey is a hamlet near the border of Warwickshire and Leicestershire, England. It is part of the civil parish of Witherley.The Gate, a popular non-smoking pub is situated in Ratcliffe Culey along with a post office, greyhound kennels and an All Saints Church.The name Ratcliffe derives...
is preserved as a green lane. From Ratcliffe, it crossed the Sence 100 metres upstream of its confluence with the Anker as a cobble-bottomed ford to Mythe Hall. Most of its course is close to the watershed boundary with the middle reaches of the Anker.
Munitions from the time of the Battle of Bosworth Field
Battle of Bosworth Field
The Battle of Bosworth Field was the penultimate battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the House of Lancaster and the House of York that raged across England in the latter half of the 15th century. Fought on 22 August 1485, the battle was won by the Lancastrians...
have been found near the intersection with Fenn Lane. According to a recent theory, King Richard passed that point on his way towards Ratcliffe
Ratcliffe Culey
Ratcliffe Culey is a hamlet near the border of Warwickshire and Leicestershire, England. It is part of the civil parish of Witherley.The Gate, a popular non-smoking pub is situated in Ratcliffe Culey along with a post office, greyhound kennels and an All Saints Church.The name Ratcliffe derives...
and the Mythe on the eve of the battle and Henry could well have established his lines near the intersections of the Hinckley road, the Redway and Fenn Lane, if he approached the battlefield along the Redway.
Salt Street: No Man’s Heath–Barwell
The third route, Salt Street, entered the watershed from the north-west near Norton-juxta-Twycross, passed through TwycrossTwycross
Twycross is a small village and civil parish in Leicestershire, England on the A444 road. Parts of it are called Norton juxta — Latin for 'next to' — Twycross or Little Twycross...
and crossed the Sence by Temple Mill. Thence it crossed Wellsborough Hill to Far Coton, skirting the larger tributaries of the River Saint and Tweed, probably to Barwell. A branch towards Leicester ran through Measham, possibly through Heather, Ibstock
Ibstock
Ibstock is a village and civil parish about south of Coalville in North West Leicestershire, England. The village is on the A447 road Between Coalville and Hinckley....
and Bagworth
Bagworth
Bagworth is a village in Leicestershire, England, west of Leicester.-History:There are records of the manor of Bagworth from the early 14th and early 15th centuries, when it was held by the same feudal lords as the neighbouring manor of Thornton....
.
Swepstone Way: Ravenstone–Polesworth
A prehistoric route follows the north-west boundary of the Sence watershed from RavenstoneRavenstone, Leicestershire
Ravenstone is a small rural cluster village with a population of 2149, situated just off the A511 road between Coalville and Ashby-de-la-Zouch, in North West Leicestershire, and within the National Forest, England....
, between Normanton le Heath
Normanton le Heath
Normanton le Heath is a village and civil parish situated between the parishes of Packington, Ravenstone and Heather in North West Leicestershire, England...
and Heather, through Newton Nethercote, Norton juxta Twycross, Orton on the Hill
Orton on the Hill
Orton on the Hill is a hamlet forming part of the Twycross civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England. It is furthermore located in the Sparkenhoe Hundred. The name is derived from its high situation on a hill overlooking four counties,...
, Little Warton
Warton, Warwickshire
Warton is a village in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, United Kingdom. It is five miles east of Tamworth and four miles north-west of Atherstone, and is in the civil parish of Polesworth....
to an ancient crossing of the Anker at Polesworth
Polesworth
Polesworth is a large village and civil parish in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England. In the 2001 census it had a population of 8,439, inclusive of the continuous sub-villages of St Helena, Dordon and Hall End directly to the south...
. Its importance in Anglian–Danish times is indicated by the name of the route east of Norton: Shelford Lane, ‘Shallow Ford’ Lane.
Packington–Bagworth–Hinckley road
A road that dates at least from Anglian times runs south from PackingtonPackington
Packington is a village and civil parish in the district of North West Leicestershire. It is situated close to the A42 road and the town of Ashby de la Zouch. The population of Packington according to the 2001 UK census is 738...
, through Ravenstone
Ravenstone, Leicestershire
Ravenstone is a small rural cluster village with a population of 2149, situated just off the A511 road between Coalville and Ashby-de-la-Zouch, in North West Leicestershire, and within the National Forest, England....
to Bagworth
Bagworth
Bagworth is a village in Leicestershire, England, west of Leicester.-History:There are records of the manor of Bagworth from the early 14th and early 15th centuries, when it was held by the same feudal lords as the neighbouring manor of Thornton....
. It crossed Blower’s Brook south of Alton
Alton, Leicestershire
Alton is a deserted medieval village between Coalville and Ashby-de-la-Zouch, in North West Leicestershire, England.The earliest documentation of the village is found in the Domesday Book where it appears as Heletone. The land was rented out to someone by Hugh de Grandmesnil, and had a total value...
, Ravenstone Brook in Ravenstone, a stream from Coalville
Coalville
Coalville is a town in North West Leicestershire, England, with a population estimated in 2003 to be almost 33,000. It is situated on the A511 trunk road between Leicester and Burton upon Trent, close to junction 22 of the M1 motorway where the A511 meets the A50 between Ashby-de-la-Zouch and...
at Snibston
Snibston
Snibston is a former coal mining village in Coalville, north west Leicestershire, in the English Midlands, now part of the civil parish of Ravenstone with Snibston. Its 13th century church of St Mary is the smallest church still in use for regular worship in England...
and Sence Brook near the Manor House, Donington le Heath
Donington le Heath
Donington-le-Heath is a historic settlement lying just over a mile away from the centre of Coalville in North West Leicestershire and merges with the adjacent village of Hugglescote ....
. Though it crosses hilly terrain, the rivers are crossed as small streams. The continuing communication along this line into Christian times is suggested by the shared unusual dedication of their churches to the Holy Rood. From Bagworth
Bagworth
Bagworth is a village in Leicestershire, England, west of Leicester.-History:There are records of the manor of Bagworth from the early 14th and early 15th centuries, when it was held by the same feudal lords as the neighbouring manor of Thornton....
, it runs close to the watershed. perhaps through Cadeby or slightly further east through Newbold Verdon
Newbold Verdon
Newbold Verdon is a village and civil parish in the county of Leicestershire, England.The Domesday Book records the settlement as Niwebold. It acquired the suffix Verdon from Nicholas de Verdon who owned the manor in 1226. His descendant William de Ferrers was born here in 1332 or 1333...
, to Barwell
Barwell
Barwell is a civil parish and large village in Leicestershire, England, with a population of around 8,750 people. The name literally translates as "Stream of the Boar" and is said to originate from a boar that used to drink from the well near a brook in Barwell. It was originally known as Borewell,...
and Hinckley
Hinckley
Hinckley is a town in southwest Leicestershire, England. It has a population of 43,246 . It is administered by Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council...
.
A road from Bagworth to Polesworth along the line of Bagworth Brook to Shackerstone, continuing through Congerstone towards Polesworth seems also to be an Anglian or Iron Age route.
A Roman road, Fenn Lane: Leicester–Mancetter
The Roman road from LeicesterLeicester
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...
to Manduessedum
Manduessedum
Manduessedum was a Roman fort and later a civilian small town in the Roman Province of Britannia. Today it is known as Mancetter, located in the English county of Warwickshire.The fort was founded in around c AD 50-AD 60 on the Watling Street Roman road...
, now Mancetter
Mancetter
Mancetter is a village and civil parish on the outskirts of Atherstone in North Warwickshire, at the crossing of Watling Street over the River Anker.-History:...
and Witherley
Witherley
Witherley is a village and civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England. It is in the far south-west of Leicestershire. The Warwickshire/Leicestershire border runs along the parish boundary, along the River Anker to the west and the A5 to the south, with Witherley...
, entered the watershed of the Saint south-east of Sutton Cheney
Sutton Cheney
Sutton Cheney is a village in Leicestershire, England, close to the location of the Battle of Bosworth Field.Sutton Cheney Wharf on the Ashby Canal gives access to the battlefield and is a tourist destination in its own right...
, where it crosses Salt Street. Between Upton Park and Fenn Lane Farm, it crosses the Hinckley
Hinckley
Hinckley is a town in southwest Leicestershire, England. It has a population of 43,246 . It is administered by Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council...
–Mythe road and near Fenny Drayton
Fenny Drayton
Fenny Drayton is a village in Leicestershire England, in the district of Hinckley and Bosworth. Near to the county border of Warwickshire and using a Warwickshire County postcode, it is just off the A444 road an old Roman road, north of Nuneaton close to its crossroads with the A5...
church it formerly crossed the Redway. It is not aligned on Mancetter but joins the Watling Street 1 km further east because of the then impassable marshes between Fenny Drayton and Witherley. The section where it crossed the poorly drained part of the Saint–Tweed river system between Sutton Cheney
Sutton Cheney
Sutton Cheney is a village in Leicestershire, England, close to the location of the Battle of Bosworth Field.Sutton Cheney Wharf on the Ashby Canal gives access to the battlefield and is a tourist destination in its own right...
, Shenton
Shenton
Shenton is a hamlet in Leicestershire.It is the southern terminus of the Battlefield Line Railway, which runs to here from Shackerstone. The station is located at the foot of Ambion Hill and is actually the reconstructed Humberstone Road Station from Leicester...
, Dadlington
Dadlington
Dadlington is a hamlet administered by Hinckley and Bosworth District Council in Leicestershire, England. It is situated between Hinckley, Market Bosworth and Nuneaton.The village has a population of around 301 and contains a 13th century church Dadlington is a hamlet administered by Hinckley and...
and Stapleton has been lost and was probably an unstable courseway when constructed. Richard III followed this route from Leicester on the eve of the Battle of Bosworth Field
Battle of Bosworth Field
The Battle of Bosworth Field was the penultimate battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the House of Lancaster and the House of York that raged across England in the latter half of the 15th century. Fought on 22 August 1485, the battle was won by the Lancastrians...
. It is a matter of debate where he stopped for the night. The Ordnance Map of 1887 labels his camp at Barn Farm (OS 429980) near Barwell. Recent sources suggest that he continued further, perhaps to the Mythe, expecting to face Henry across the River Anker.
Ashby de la Zouch Canal
The Ashby Canal was opened in 1804. It linked the South Derbyshire and Leicestershire Coalfield at Moira and Measham with the Coventry Canal south of Nuneaton. It was the longest contour canal in England, exploiting the Glacial channels between the Warwickshire Avon, the Anker, the Saint, the Sence and the Mease. The canal crosses the Sence by an aqueduct near Shackerstone Station. Northern parts of the canal in the Mease watershed beyond SnarestoneSnarestone
Snarestone is a small rural village in North West Leicestershire, England.It lies on the edge of the National Forest and is from the market town of Ashby-de-la-Zouch. It has a population of approximately 300 people and 120 households....
were closed during the 20th Century because of mining subsidence.
Railways
The Battlefield Line RailwayBattlefield Line Railway
The Battlefield Line Railway is a heritage railway in Leicestershire, England. It runs from Shackerstone to Shenton , via Market Bosworth, a total of...
from Cadeby to Shackerstone
Shackerstone
Shackerstone is a village and civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England. It is situated on the Ashby-de-la-Zouch Canal and the River Sence. According to the 2001 census the parish, which also includes the village of Barton in the Beans, had a population of...
is a conserved part of the railway from Nuneaton
Nuneaton
Nuneaton is the largest town in the Borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth and in the English county of Warwickshire.Nuneaton is most famous for its associations with the 19th century author George Eliot, who was born on a farm on the Arbury Estate just outside Nuneaton in 1819 and lived in the town for...
to Measham
Measham
Measham is a village in Leicestershire, near the Staffordshire and Derbyshire border, located just off the A42 just south of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, and within the National Forest...
and Moira
Moira, Leicestershire
Moira is a former mining village about west of Ashby-de-la-Zouch in North West Leicestershire, England. The village is about miles south of the Derbyshire town of Swadlincote and is close to the county boundary....
, which opened in 1873. It was built along the same line as the Ashby Canal. At Shackerstone station, there was a junction with a line up the Sence Valley towards Coalville
Coalville
Coalville is a town in North West Leicestershire, England, with a population estimated in 2003 to be almost 33,000. It is situated on the A511 trunk road between Leicester and Burton upon Trent, close to junction 22 of the M1 motorway where the A511 meets the A50 between Ashby-de-la-Zouch and...
. In 1883, the Charnwood Forest Railway
Charnwood Forest Railway
The Charnwood Forest Railway was a branch line in Leicestershire constructed by the Charnwood Forest Company between 1881 and 1883. The branch line ran from Coalville to the town of Loughborough....
was opened, which extended that branch from Coalville to Loughborough.
The Burton on Trent–Ashby de la Zouch–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...
line enters the watershed of the Sence between Coalville
Coalville
Coalville is a town in North West Leicestershire, England, with a population estimated in 2003 to be almost 33,000. It is situated on the A511 trunk road between Leicester and Burton upon Trent, close to junction 22 of the M1 motorway where the A511 meets the A50 between Ashby-de-la-Zouch and...
and Bardon. It opened in 1845 and is now used only by goods traffic. In contrast to the Nuneaton–Measham line, it cannot follow the contours. The two lines provided better access to the Leicestershire coalfield.
Outside sources
Photographs of the middle reaches of the Sence:Onthe geology: * http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/conservation/geodiversity/englands/counties/area_ID21.aspx
Onthe Sence Valley Forest Park:
Onthe Ashby Canal:
On the fishing