Breedon on the Hill
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Breedon on the Hill is a village in North West Leicestershire, England. It is situated 2.6 miles from the market town of Melbourne and has 404 households with a population of 958 (2001 census). The village was in the county of Derbyshire but because of local boundary changes it is now in Leicestershire.
Breedon is most noticeable for its geographical features, namely its limestone hill, which rises dramatically above a generally flat landscape. There is also a church positioned on top that has a long and rich history. Much of the hill has been cut back by the active quarry at its base.
The village is also near the River Trent, Donington Park motor circuit and Nottingham East Midlands Airport.
Brief history
The name dervies from the Celtic word "bre" for hill and "dun" the Anglo Saxon word for hill. Hence in its current form the name has 3 forms of the word hill. "Briudun", an early spelling, has been traced as far back to 731 A.D. and evidence of human activity on the hill dates back to at least the 1st century B.C..The parish church was originally a hermitage and then a monastery. What is left of the Abbey church contains the largest collection and some of the finest examples of Saxon sculptures in the country, as well as a fine family pew and Renaissance church monuments.
Breedon also has an 18th century roundhouse (sometimes called a blind house) that was used for detaining lost cattle, or drunkards. There is also a similar one in the nearby village of Worthington.
Sources
- [Local Church Website]
- [Leicestershire Census 2001]
- Mills, A.D., A Dictionary of British Place Names, Oxford University Press, 2003, ISBN-10: 0-19-852758-6
Geography
- [Ordnance Survey Map]
- *[Map sources] for Breedon on the Hill
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