Our history
Earl Shilton
For thousands of years, Earl Shilton was known as Sheltone, which was the name given to the village by the earliest Saxon inhabitants who settled there following the wars of Wessex. Perched on the edge of a hillside, Sheltone literally translates to shelf, and it is this name that eventually evolved into Shilton.
The Earl part of its name came as a prefix that was added by Simon de Montfort, the 5th Earl of Leicester during the 12th century because of his association with the area.
Earl Shilton first appears in records in the Doomsday book of 1086, which is the first complete tax record for the whole kingdom.
Earl Shilton developed during the 18th and 19th century as a prosperous industrial village and played home to a number of shoe, hosiery and knitwear factories. The flourishing shoe trade led to a number of carriers setting up in the surrounding region - adding to its industrial growth. The area soon became a major centre of shoe production, even manufacturing the boots for the army during the First World War. However, with stiff competition from foreign labour during the 1970's, many companies fled the area in search of a cheaper workforce.
Today, there remain only a handful of shoe factories in the area, which stand as a tribute to the once popular trade that had spurred the economic growth of this small town.
Despite the slowing of the shoe and hosiery trade, Earl Shilton continues to flourish and this has resulted in a new £15 million bypass being built. Due to be completed in the early part of 2009, it is hoped the new bypass will attract both business and residents to the area.
Barwell
Barwell derives from the Saxon name of Barwelle, which literally translates to stream of the boar, and is said to be named after a boar that used to drink from a nearby well.
Like Earl Shilton, Barwell appears in the Doomsday book of 1086.
Famous for its gardeners market that had traditionally supplied Leicester's market with its fresh produce, this agricultural village was once land locked by fields that were owned by local man Thomas Powers. The prosperity that the shoe trade brought to the area during the 18th century led him to sell his land to make way for housing for the workers and the subsequent growth of this once small settlement. The shoe and hosiery trade ensured Barwell continued to thrive during the 18th and 19th centuries, but again like Earl Shilton, foreign competition led to the departure of many companies from the area.
Barwell made the national news in 1965 with its meteorite. On Christmas Eve of that year, the village was showered with small meteorites that collectively added up to the size of a turkey. No one was hurt but there was minor damage to a few buildings and this attracted interest from all over the country and helped to make Barwell the talk of Leicestershire.
Today, Barwell is a thriving settlement and with the over 2,000 new dwellings planned, this village is on course to becoming one of Leicester’s most up and coming villages.