You might have seen the phrase 'Multum in Parvo' when walking, driving and pottering in and about Oakham, but how much do you really know about the phrase?

For many, the first encounter with this locally famous phrase will be when driving into Rutland, England's smallest county, where you will be able to spot a sign that reads 'Multum in Parvo'. 

The phrase translates from Latin and means 'a lot in a little' or 'a great deal in a small space' - something that the local community live by, hosting and supporting community events and championing local initiatives and businesses.

A few of these local businesses have also adopted the phrase, with one local gin producers calling their business Multum Gin Parvo in salut to the ancient slogan.

But how ancient is the motto?

As it turns out, it is not as old as it sounds.

The phrase was adopted by the Council in 1950.

Rutland was first recorded as a separate county in 1159, but has a contested history of ownership and unity.

It appears to have had strong ties with Northamptonshire until the time of King John, but remained independent.

The independence of the men of Rutland in this respect was assured by Henry III in 1227, when he directed that they should not be bound to plead before the justices outside of their county.

Following this, in much more recent years, Rutland's connections with Leicestershire have been most notable, and it maintains strong connections with the large neighbouring county both financially and through the police and fire services - to name but a few prominent ties.

Rutland was reconstituted as a district of Leicestershire in 1974, but given unitary authority status on the 1st of April 1997, breaking the 40,000 minimum population barrier. This was exceeded in the 2021 Census - the population reaching over 41,000.

Despite maintaining independence, Rutland homes still carry an LE15 postcode today, with households proudly maintaining the history of a small, independent county that brags 'much in little'.

Do you know more about this? Want to share your own local history?

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