England’s Smallest County is Quite Interesting… National Treasure and original presenter of QI, Stephen Fry was a student at Uppingham School – before being expelled! In homage to QI, here are some rather interesting and intriguing factoid’s about Rutland:
- Forward-thinking and environmentally aware, Rutland was the first county to offer region-wide coverage for charging electric cars. In 2012, regional partnership Uppingham First, installed four charging points in the county; at the Larkfleet Homes showhome in Oakham, the Falcon Hotel in Uppingham, Greetham Valley Hotel and Golf Club and The Barnsdale.
- In the village of Wing you will find a medieval turf maze, one of only eight surviving in England. Wing Maze this 14 meter unicursal would have been crawled along by penitents on hands and knees.
- Rutland was reinstated as a county in 1997 after being absorbed into Leicestershire in 1974.
- The county of Rutland covers 151 square miles; North to South it measures 16.3 miles and East to West is 16.53 miles and is home to the UK’s largest man-made reservoir by surface area, Rutland Water is similar in size to Lake Windermere in the Lake District.
Credit: @markfelts on Instagram
- Residents of Rutland are known as ‘Raddlemen’, although are usually referred to nowadays as Rutlanders.
- Peers of the realm who pass through Oakham for the first time must present a horseshoe to the Lord of the Manor. This unique custom started more than 500 years ago. Over 200 horseshoes are displayed in Oakham Castle (which is actually a Norman Great Hall). The oldest surviving horseshoe is said to have been given by Edward IV in about 1470. The horseshoe has been Rutland’s emblem for hundreds of years.
- In Rutland, all horseshoes are hung with their tips at the bottom, which some people consider to be upside down and bad luck. There are several reasons given for hanging them this way, including the belief that the devil cannot make a nest in the bottom of the horseshoe if it’s hung with the tips to the bottom. Some people believe that luck falls from the horseshoe and is bestowed on those that walk beneath it.
- Oakham Castle is the oldest English court building that remains in continuous use, with trials taking place there as early as 1229.
Photos from Rutland for the Explorers Road Campaign with Ioan Said Photography
- In the 17th Century, Rutland was home to England’s smallest man, Sir Jeffrey Hudson, who was 18 inches tall (45cms) and was presented to Queen Henrietta Maria in a cold pie! Sir Jeffrey lead an exciting and adventurous life that included being feted by the Royal Court, killing a man in a duel, being captured by Barbary pirates and spending 25 years as a slave in North Africa before being rescued and returned to his home in England.
- Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire is the home of Their Graces, the 11th Duke and Duchess of Rutland; David Manners, His Grace, The 11th Duke of Rutland and Emma Manners, Her Grace, The Duchess of Rutland.
- Oakham is the finishing point for The Viking Way, a 147-mile footpath which starts near the Humber Bridge in North Lincolnshire.
Belvoir Castle
- Rutland was bequeathed to Anglo-Saxon Queens, this tradition started with Emma, mother of Edward the Confessor, who was granted ‘Roteland’ on her marriage to King Ethelred in AD 1002.
- The county is the supposed home of the parody rock band The Rutles, who first appeared on Rutland Weekend Television (a comedy sketch series hosted by Eric Idle) in the 1970s.
- A small stretch of the East Coast Main Line passes through Rutland’s north-east corner, near Essendine. It was on this stretch that LNER’s famous ‘Mallard’ achieved the world speed record for steam locomotives on 3 July 1938, with a speed of 125.55 mph (202.05 km/h).
- Uppingham market was granted by Charter in 1281 by Edward I.
If you know of any other interesting facts about Rutland, we’d love to hear from you. You can drop us a line at [email protected]!
