Landed gentry, a public school and a businessman with royal connections – some of Rutland’s landowners revealed
Rutland is, of course, a rural county with vast swathes of green fields and undeveloped countryside. But who owns this land?
Making use of land owner deposit maps, lodged with the Rutland County Council (RCC), the Local Democracy Reporting Service has trawled through the drawings and accompanying forms and found a diverse range of locals, businesses and trusts, which own much of Rutland's green and pleasant land.
The relatively obscure section 31 The Highways Act 1980 requires local authorities to keep a public register of all landowners through whose land run public highways and rights of way and it is this section 31 report, last published by Rutland County Council in January this year, upon which this article is based.
Within the 79 pages of the section 31 report, lists of landowners are revealed. Although extensive, this list is not exhaustive, with a few entries not linked to a map. The size of the land ownership is also not given, so it is impossible to tell just how much land is owned by each person or organisation.
It should also be noted that some entries date back several years so ownership may have moved on if the land has been sold or if the named owner is now deceased.
Landed gentry
The maps show there are a number of extensive estates in Rutland, with many of the owners being able to date their ownership of land back several centuries.
The Noel Family, who can trace their land ownership in Rutland back to the 1500s, have four entries in the local authority's register. They own the Exton Estate, where the current Earl of Gainsborough lives. The land ownership is extensive at several thousand acres, with huge swathes of land owned across Exton, Horne, Greetham and Cottesmore.
According to the Langham Village History Group the Noel's gained the impressive Exton Estate in the 1600s through marriage.
New York based the Rowley family own the Morcott estate near Uppingham, which they have done for generations. Theresa Rowley, who lives in Park Avenue, Manhattan, is named as the registered landowner for the estate which includes Vine Farm which borders the A47 to the south, Morcott Village to the east and extends north west along Wing Road; plus some small paddocks off Station Road, Stamford Road and land either side of the B672.
The family has land registered in the parishes of Barrowden, Glaston, Wing and South Luffenham.
The Burley estate owned by the Hanbury family is extensive, stretching north from the A606 at Oakham and encompassing huge swathes of land. The family, which has owned the land for centuries, has plans to turn more than 1,000 acres into a wildlife project and have the ambition of bringing bears, wolves and Lynx into the habitat.
The Lyndon estate dates back to the time of Charles II and the Conant family, who own it today, can trace their association with the estate back to the 19th Century when it was acquired through inheritance. The land is registered to Simon Conant, who lives in Lyndon Hall. He is also a registered landowner of land close to the A1 near Ingthorpe.
The Cecil Estate Family Trust, which is linked to Stamford's Burghley estate, has registered a number of farms including two in Tinwell, Tinwell Lodge off Steadfold Lane and Holme Farm; it also owns Mounts Lodge Farm and Taylor Farm off Pickworth Road; South View Farm on Tinwell Road, Stamford and farmland either side of the River WeIland with Tinwell Village to the west, Tinwell Road to the north.
Northamptonshire based Great Oakley Farms, which owns large tracts of land in the Corby area, owns significant farmland around Stoke Dry, close to Eyebrook reservoir in the south east of the county. The de Capell Brooke family own Great Oakley Farm estate and can trace their family's ownership of the land back to the 1400s.
Rockingham Castle estates, which is owned and lived in by the Saunders Watson family, has lodged land of the A6003 close to Caldecott. Like the Capell Brookes, they own significant land in the Corby area and together are behind the West Corby development where 5,000 homes are planned.
The trust of Lady Gretton, the owner of Stapleford Park, has also registered significant land around the Whissendine area. Baroness Gretton is the former Lord Lieutenant of Leicester.
Industry, business and charitable trusts
A number of businesses and charities also own land in Rutland.
The extent of the land owned by Uppingham School is outlined on the map provided by the school. Among the assets listed are the playing fields at various sites in the town, school buildings, boarding houses plus shops and buildings along the High Street. The school was founded in the late 1500s by the Archbishop of Deacon and its establishment helped Uppingham develop into a thriving market town.
Castle Cement, which was acquired by Heidl Heidelberg, has registered ownership of significant agricultural land to the north east of its cement works at Ketton.
The trustees of the Hospital of St John and St Anne have two parcels of land opposite Oakham Enterprise Park; the Woodland Trust owns Gorse Field Wood in Oakham and The Seek at Braunston-in-Rutland; the Church of England owns Prebendal Farm, Lyddington, land at Caldecott and Rectory Farm in Great Easton; and managing director of Stor-A-File, Simon Cockbill owns significant areas of arable land in Seaton where he lives.
Notable people
Some people with a public profile are among the landowners.
Local author Professor Robert Tregay owns the Bradleys in Bradley Lane, Clipsham; while John Mills, whose firm has a royal warrant of appointment to supply HR services to the Monarch owns the Old Hall at Ashwell and land to its north.
Other smaller landowners
Significant tracts of land are owned by local farmers.
Priory Farm at Brooke near Oakham is owned by Robert Earys; the Padley family own land to the west of Empingham bordering Whitwell Road to the south and Exton Road to the east; Sarah Gregory owns farmland at Rutland Manor at Belton-in Rutland; Nursing homes provider St Monica's Trust owns green fields in Egleton and Hambleton; the Hinch family own farmland at Little Casterton; Gwash Valley Farm was registered to Sarah Achurch when the landowner deposit was made in 2015; farmland at Belmesthorpe is registered to Robert and Claire Flint; the Clarke family own the Manor and farmland in Seaton; the cricket field on the north side of Main Street in Whissendine is registered to Margaret Holmes (who died in 2023); the Northen family settlement has land in Lyddington to the north of Thorpe-by-Water and the Northens also own several other parcels of land in the village; Deborah Little is registered as owning some adjoining agricultural land in Lyddington; Caroline Hammond has registered land at Chapel Farm, Braunston; Roger and Harry Barclay own Silverwood Farm in Thrapston; and Morcott Parish Council owns the Allotments and Allotment Field on North Luffenham Road.
To view the landowner deposits go to the Public Rights of Way page on the RCC website.
Share:
