Mowsley

Mowsley, pronounced "mouseley" (from Muslai - mouse infested field) is a small village in the south part of Leicestershire. The modern village has just under 100 dwellings.

Entries in Domesday

According to the Domesday Book, 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.

Modern village

The modern village has about ninety houses most of which are of 19th 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.

The village has a pub and a primary school, but no shops.

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.

Former England Rugby Union Captain Martin Johnson lives in the village with his family.

External links

Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Mowsley Mowsley] at Wikimedia Commons