Sapcote

Origin: Shelter for sheep

Domesday: Wulfric held 1 ½ ploughs 2 sokemen and 2 bordars.

Fulbert held 2 carucates with land for 2 ploughs. In demesne 1 plough with 2 villans 2 sokemen with 1 ½ ploughs. A mill and 16 acres of meadow. Hugh de Grandmesnil held 1 carucate with land for 2 ploughs. In demesne 1 plough with 3 villans 3 sokemen and 2 bordars with ½ a plough. 2 acres of meadow.

Considering it has a thousand years of history there is little evidence today.The castle has long gone and its site is a park/recreation area.


		The church, which dates from the 14 th century has quite an impressive spire, and has not undergone as many extensions over the years as have many churches.

	The Alms Houses adjacent to the church are imposing and a sign of past wealth in the community.

The Ellis family here from at least 1600 until my branch, led by William (born 1784) who was obviously the adventurous kind, moved to Sharnford in 1810. The earliest Ellis I have found is Johannes who married Alice Pomfret in 1604. I am struggling to read the earlier pages of the registers so there may be previous Ellises. The family were active in the church as the following quote from Leicestershire Notes and Queries shows "From 1730 to 1766 John Ellis the parish clerk received 4s yearly for his wages. He was buried at Sapcote 30/1/1785 after having been clerk for 60 years. Joseph Ellis his successor was buried 20/5/1807. The office of parish clerk had been held by members of the Ellis family prior to the 18th century."

Not all the family were so upstanding members of the community, one of the later Ellis family in Sapcote was a bare knuckle prize fighter.

Sapcote was originally the home of the Basset family who came over with the Conqueror and settled in Sapcote in 1163. The family had land holdings across England and exercised political influence at a national level.

In 1564 34 families lived in the village. By 1722 there were 18 freeholders rising to 23 by 1775. In 1779 there were 100 dwellings with 450 inhabitants, and 85 stocking frames which paid the operatives 7 shillings (35p) a week. Population grew and in 1801 there were 106 houses, 113 families including 279 males and 276 females of whom 126 were engaged in agriculture and 300 in trade/manufacture.

The first Methodist preachers came to the village in 1794.

For a description of the village in the 1860s White's Directory of 1863 is attached