Church and local heritage

National Lottery Heritage Fund Project 2020-2023

The Thistleton Heritage Project is a three year project enabling repair and development of the church building and community based research to inform the public about the history and heritage of the church and local area.
Thanks to a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the church underwent extensive repairs in 2020. The Collyweston slate roof on the nave, vestry and porch were reslated and internal reordering was carried out to level the floors and install heating. Photographs showing the progress of the work are contained here and in the Gallery section.

The Church Building
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St Nicholas Church dates back to the 14th century although only the bell tower remains from that time. The nave and chancel were rebuilt in 1879. The church underwent extensive repairs in 2020 including a new Collyweston slate roof and internal reordering to level the floors and install heating.
A leaflet is available describing the main features of the church

Thistleton Village

Thistleton has a long history. It is named in the Domesday Book of 1086 and further back the area was the site of Iron Age and Roman settlements. Thistleton today is a small rural village with just 44 households and a population of around 100 people. It is situated in the north of Rutland, two miles from the A1. It is also situated on two popular walking routes, the Viking Way and the Rutland Round.

People and Events
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In this section you can read about some of the people associated with Thistleton. They include - Rev Sir John Henry Fludyer who financed the rebuilding of the church in 1879
- Louise Burrows, fiancee of DH Lawrence, who is buried in the churchyard
- boxers Tom Molyneaux and Tom Cribbs who fought a World Championship boxing match at Thistleton Gapin 1811

The Parish Records
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We are fortunate to have a copy of some of its earliest parish records although who made the copy is unknown. In beautiful copperplate handwriting, the copy is a wonderful record of the births, marriages and deaths of our ancestors who were living in Thistleton between the years 1574 to 1799. The copy appears to have been assembled from four original registers, books I - IV which were transferred to the Leicestershire and Rutland Records Office some decades ago. From the slightly ad hoc way in which the entries have been written, it’s likely that some of the original entries were written on loose papers or parchment which were then collated together. Much more than just a record of births marriages and deaths, there are many details within the four books that give us clues to the major and minor events that affected the lives of Thistleton residents over a 200-year period.

Roman Thistleton

Thistleton is a very interesting Roman site in Rutland, including a long running temple precinct with Iron Age origins, evidence for a small industrious town and a villa site. It was excavated by the Ministry of Works (the forerunner of English Heritage) in the 1950s to early 1960s. Objects from the site can be seen in Rutland County Museumhas a long history. It is named in the Domesday Book of 1086 and further back the area was the site of Iron Age and Roman settlements. Thistleton today is a small rural village with just 44 households and a population of around 100 people. It is situated in the north of Rutland, two miles from the A1.

Community Involvement

Thistleton Church was saved from closure in 2016 when the local community undertook to care for the building and raise necessary funds. Volunteers host group visits, research local history and undertake small restoration projects. Crafters have completed two projects marking events
- a poppy fall of over 800 knitted poppies remembering all who have died in service of the country
- a wall hanging marking the Covid pandemic which begain in 2020.

Thistleton Church heritage project is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund