County motto: Much in little
Properties for sale in Rutland
Best thing Rutland Water, created in the 1970s, is the largest reservoir in Britain and a haven for wildlife
Local food Ruddles beer; Oakham farmers market
Hero John James Robert Manners, 7th Duke of Rutland
Events Rutland Agricultural Show; Rush Bearing & Rush Strewing, Barrowden; Hedge Cutting and Ploughing Match Competition;
Oakham Festival
Battle In 1470, at the Battle of Losecoat Field, Edward IV crushed a rebellion by Warwick the Kingmaker thanks to the royal artillery. The fleeing rebels threw away their jackets to avoid detection
Worst thing Titus Oates, the greatest liar in Christendom, had trouble telling the truth and fabricated the Popish Plot
Etymology First mentioned as Roteland in the will of Edward the Confessor, then as ‘the King’s soc of Roteland’ in the Domesday Book, and in King John’s reign, it was assigned as a dowry to Queen Isabella
Architectural identity Rutland’s older buildings are constructed from ironstone and Collyweston slates
Nickname Locals are known as Raddlemen
Custom: Rutland has an ancient custom by which any peer of the realm must forfeit a horseshoe on his first visit to the county by order of the Lord of the Manor
Top secret: The church at Stoke Dry is thought to be where the gunpowder plot was hatched by Guy Fawkes and his gang
Titbits Jeffrey Hudson from Oakham was only 18in tall until he was 30, and he never exceeded 3ft 6in; the medieval turf maze at Wing is one of the last remaining in the country
Houses and churches Oakham Castle’s Great Hall with its astonishing horseshoe collection; Lyddington Bede House; Exton church with its incredibly ornate monuments; Tickencote church with a great Norman chancel arch
Population 38,300
Acreage 96,989
County flower Clustered
bellflower
Miles of footpath 199
Hours of sunshine 1,438
Highest peak Cold Overton Park 197m/646ft
Life expectancy 81.7 years
Did you know?
Rutland is the only county in England without a McDonald’s restaurant
