Great Casterton: Two Thousand Years of History in the Heart of Rutland
Great Casterton is a village and civil parish in Rutland, England's smallest county, located on the ancient Roman road of Ermine Street at the crossing of the River Gwash, approximately 2½ miles north-west of Stamford and just inside the border with Lincolnshire. Its strategic position at the junction of a Roman road and a river has given it continuous significance for two millennia.
Prehistoric and Roman Periods Before the Roman invasion, the territory belonged to the Celtic Corieltauvi tribe, who lived in scattered farmsteads amid the forests. The Roman incursion occurred around 43–47 AD, and in the 1st century a military fort was constructed to guard the crossing of the Gwash. A civilian settlement grew around the fort, which eventually developed into a walled town of some significance; the defensive earthworks are still clearly visible today. In 1959 a Romano-Saxon burial ground was partially excavated north of the village, along with a smelting kiln; in 2004 a further excavation uncovered 133 graves in the north-western cemetery, including three Iron Age burials and two 2nd-century pottery kilns. About a quarter of a mile to the east, a 4th-century Roman villa was found to have been occupied well into the 5th century.
Medieval and Early Modern History After the Danish incursions of 872–877, the village fell under the Danelaw. Between 917 and 918, the English regained control of the territory. The Domesday Book of 1086 records it as part of the Royal Manor, listing 3½ hides of land, a mill valued at 16 shillings, and 16 acres of meadow. Its most common medieval name was "Brigcasterton" (Bridge Casterton), referring to the bridge over the Gwash. About a mile and a half to the north stand the earthwork remains of Woodhead Castle, a medieval moated ringwork probably visited by King Edward I in 1290, though already recorded as ruined in 1543. The manor passed through the hands of the Hussey, Scrope, and Delawarr families, among others, until John Lord Hussey was attainted and executed at Lincoln for high treason under Henry VIII, whereupon the estate reverted to the Crown. The Great North Road (later the A1), which followed the line of Ermine Street, ran through the centre of the village until the construction of the Stamford bypass in 1960 diverted traffic to the west.
Heritage and Attractions The parish church of St Peter and St Paul is a Grade I listed building, retaining late Norman, Gothic, and later elements, restored in the 19th century. The churchyard is entered through an arched war memorial commemorating both World Wars. The Old Rectory, dating from the mid-18th century, is a Grade II* listed building. The village also retains the Crown Inn as its sole surviving historic public house. The immediate surroundings allow visitors to walk to the visible earthworks of the Roman camp.
Points of interest: - Population: Approx. 557 inhabitants (2019 estimate). - Distances: 2½ miles from Stamford; 5 miles from Oakham (Rutland's county town); 14 miles from Peterborough. - Schools: Great Casterton Church of England Primary School and Casterton College (secondary). - Historical note: For centuries, the Great North Road carried a procession of extraordinary travellers through the village centre — royalty, funeral corteges, highwaymen (possibly including Dick Turpin), armies, and drovers — along what is today the village's main street.