Mowsley

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Mowsley, pronounced "mouseley" (from Muslai - mouse infested field) is a small village in the south part of Leicestershire.

1 Entries in Domesday
2 Modern village
3 Families of note
4 See also

[edit] Entries in Domesday

Mowsley had two manors in 1086. This was a chapelry in the ancient ecclesiastical parish of Knaptoft with the chapel being built c1250AD. The chapel, which was sensitively restored at the end of the 19th century has a perfect cruciform plan and contains three piscina, a large carved altar stone and a font which has the original bowl.

[edit] Modern village

The modern village has about ninety houses most of which are of 18th or 20th century origin. The oldest property is the thatched Millstone House which may have been one of the manor houses. A restored 17th century timber framed house with mud and wattle and daub infills exists.

Unusually, the medieval village boundary can be clearly traced. Virtually the whole village sits within this boundary, with the village "footprint" differing little from that of 500 years ago.

[edit] Families of note

The Brabazon family were lords of the manor in the 13th/14th centuries - eventually to become the Earls of Meath. Earthworks in the vicinity of the village represent fishponds and the remains of the Brabazon manor house.

The Horton family lived in the village for about 700 years - most of the American Hortons can trace their origin back to Mowsley.