England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Swithland St Leonard

The Parish

The parish of Swithland lies in northwestern central Leicestershire roughly 5 miles south of the town of Loughborough. Swithland sits just over 2 miles west of the A6 road which links Loughborough with Leicester. Swithland is a linear village stretching for almost 3/4s of a mile westwards from the hall & church at its eastern end. Swithland sits on the eastern side of Charnwood Forest, an area where ancient rocks are exposed which produces hillier terrain than applies in the village, those rocks were exploited by a local slate industry which employed many from the village. Framework Knitting, the East Midlands staple, would have employed a few more but the majority would have been engaged in pastoral farming. To the northeast of the village, today, site Swithland Reservoir, source of water for the industrial towns but also a wildlife sanctuary and leisure facility with extensive woodland around its northern side. Modern developments have come to the parish, the railway line between Loughborough & Leicester passing through without granting Swithland a station. Swithland is drained by the exit stream from the reservoir northeastwards, that stream soon reaches the Soar which heads north to meet the mighty Trent for that river's long journey to the North Sea arriving through the Humber Estuary. Swithland is sited at around 60 metres above the sea at the church, it rises 10 metres by its western end but land rises more quickly into Charnwood Forest with 248 metres reached on Beacon Hill the highest local ground. Swithland parish was small by local standards covering just 1,600 acres which would have supported a population of close to 300 parishioners. Swithland is not specifically mentioned in Domesday Book.

The Church

St Leonard's church stands almost as the easternmost property in this long straggle of a village, it sits on the southern side of Main Street close to the site of the Hall, a Victorian replacement for one which burnt-down. The church makes excellent use of the local Charnwood rocks being constructed in a mixture of granite, from Mountsorrel's quarries, and its own Swithland slate. Whilst there was a small rectangular church here in 12th century Norman times only a remnant of bull's-eye windows high up in the nave walling remains to document it. The earliest substantial fabric dates from the 13th century Early English Gothic period when that tiny church was expanded by the addition of both northern & southern aisles with 4-bay arcades. At the same time the western tower was constructed, albeit only its basal stages are 13th century following later modification. Whilst the northern aisle is identified by its building scars it was soon demolished and the arches of the arcade blocked creating the present nave wall. The 15th century Perpendicular period saw the western tower built to its present height and given western clasping buttresses, 2-light bell openings, battlements, and crocketed pinnacles. The footprint changed further in 1727 under the sponsorship of Sir John Danvers when the medieval southern aisle suffered the same fate as its northern equivalent, demolished and replaced by a spacious private family chapel for his family. Whilst Pevsner details a typical Victorian restoration it is not specifically dated within the 19th century, the work added a western door to the tower, a 2-storey stair turret on the southern tower wall, a new northern porch over the blocked northwestern arch, an eastern porch, and Geometric style window tracery replacements. Main Street is suitable for on-street parking west of the churchyard which is entered through a neat lychgate, sadly for the photographer the church is placed tight to the southern edge of the churchyard removing the favoured aspect, all other angles are available.