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William Shakespeare
One of the jurors present at the Court Baron in
1721 was named William Shakespeare. Rowington -
exactly which William is not clear, but
possibly the one who lived at Shakespeare Hall.
Half Stretton Close
Several documents refer to a pair of fields called "Half Stretton
Close". The road which runs close to these fields, now known as "Dick's
Lane", was formerly known as "Halstretton (or "Halstrutton" or "Halsturton")
Lane" - presumably a corruption of "Half Stretton". The word "Stretton"
often derives from the Old English
straet
- a roadway - and frequently signifies the presence of a Roman road. A
number of Roman tile and pottery kilns were found near the western end
of Dick's Lane, so perhaps the kiln produce was transported via a
trackway through these fields.
Ancient activity in the area is well-established, for the Iron Age
"valley fort" of Harborough Banks lies only a kilometre from Dick's
Lane, as do traces of the several-kilometre-long prehistoric ditch
system known as "Hobditch".
There are references to Halstrutton/Halsturton in the book "From Hroca
to Anne" - by Joy Woodall, 1974.
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