Stapleton, Leicestershire
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The village of Stapleton is situated in south-west Leicestershire, England, about ten miles south-west of Leicester city centre as the crow flies (seventeen miles by road) and is inhabited by 427 people (as of the 2001 census).
Stapleton is built on part of a long ridge that begins in Barwell to the south, and is followed by the A447 road north, gaining height until it reaches Osbaston, where it descends into a tributary of the River Sence. In terms of rivers, Stapleton's nearest major river is the River Sense, but on a more local level, the River Tweed is the closest waterway, a tributary of which rises in the north of the village. The River Tweed's main source rises from Brick Kiln Hill, just north-east of Hinckley from where it flows north along the eastern edge of Barwell before turning west and continuing to travel in a north-easterly direction.
The village is centred around St. Martins church (built in about 1300 according to Pevsner) which is to be found on Church Lane in the southern end of the village and was most probably established as a connection point for travellers journeying to the great castle at Ashby and the areas around Coventry, Warwick and Kenilworth.
The earliest known reference to the village appears in a charter from King of Mercia - Wigláf to the Abbot of Croyland in Lincolnshire written in 833, making grants of two ploughlands in Stapleton and Sutton. Stapleton is mentioned in the Domesday Book as having a population of five or six families and being owned by Hugo de Grantmesnil, who had been given most of West Leicester by William the Conqueror after the Conquest.
There are very few historical incidents recorded around Stapleton, all except for one day in August 1485 when King Richard III arrived and camped at the Bradshaws just south of the village with his army in preparation for the momentous Battle of Bosworth Field. The location of the battle is a hotly disputed local topic and many believe that it was not fought at Ambion Hill at all, but about a mile south west at Redemore (so-called because of its then marshy condition).
Present day Stapleton consists of several small residential roads centred around the junction of Dadlington Lane and Main Street (A447). These include Church Lane, Chapel Street, Beale's Close, St Martins, Manor Crescent, Green Lane and School Lane. A recent addition is Mill Close, a development situated opposite Green Lane and containing several large, detached family homes.
The village does not possess a shop, yet is home to the Nags Head Inn (on Main Street) and the newly established Charnwood Cottage Tearooms, also on Main Street. Many of the residents travel to nearby Barwell or Hinckley to purchase food and other products. The village also has a small cricket club (at the bottom of Church Lane) with a clubhouse and nets.
