All Saints - Pickworth, Rutland - UK Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

A historical information board near All Saints' church, Pickworth.
The sign forms part of the Rutland Arts and Heritage Trail

"The Drift -
All the signs are here to tell us that this was for many centuries the route used by drovers taking animals from farms to markets in London. The road's name The Drift is a clear clue. Livestock needed to arrive In good condition, so beasts were 'drifted' southward at only 12-15 miles a day. The lane is unusually wide. This is because herds needed wide grass verges to pass through, eating and fattening up as they went. The Drift also follows the high ground. Drovers would always avoid areas where their animals might become bogged down.

Pickworth Ruins -
Pickworth was once a large and busy place. In the 13th and 14th centuries it was a flourishing community, but by 1491 Pickworth was described as having no residents. One explanation is that the village was devastated following the battle of Losecoat Field in 1470. Certainly, human skeletons have been found and traces of the old floors and fireplaces have been discovered. Many villagers have discovered fragments of ancient masonry in their gardens which betray where once there were houses and farms. In 1700, the only part of the church at Pickworth which remained standing was the steeple. This was pulled down around 1730 and the stones transported to Great Casterton and used to build the bridge under the Great North Road. Local legend has it that the glass from the church's windows was salvaged and can now be seen in the Church of St Mary in Clipsham.

John Clare -
John Clare, the peasant poet, spent his early working life in Pickworth working as a labourer at the limekln. He used his meagre wages from this to get his poems published. The village provided more than an income for him. The ruins of the church inspired him to write one of his earliest poems one Sunday morning in 1818. It was while working in the area that he met his future wife, Martha Turner. Martha lived on the outlying Walk Farm towards Great Casterton. His diary records the moment he first saw her walking across the fields nearby. He climbed a tree to get a better view and wrote later 'I was in love at first Sight' They married in the church at Great Casteron in 1820.
His work reflected on the changes taking place in the countryside in the 19th century. Despite the support of aristocratic admirers of his work, Clare could not find happiness or stability. He was caught between two worlds. The peasant's life lived in Pickworth which inspired his poetry exhausted and distressed the poet but literary circles were alien to him. He was never far from poverty and after years of mental illness he died in 1864 at the Northampton General Lunatic Asylum."

SOURCE - info board

Type of Historic Marker: Information board Historical Marker Issuing Authority: Rutland County Council Give your Rating: Age/Event Date: Not listed Related Website: Not listed

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