Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society 83

Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman and early Anglo-Saxon remains were excavated and recorded during construction of the Ashby Folville to Thurcaston gas pipeline. The earlier prehistoric sites were described in the first part of this article; this part covers three sites with Roman remains, two of which also had evidence of Iron Age activity. These two sites, between Gaddesby and Queniborough, both had linear features and pits; the more westerly of the two also had evidence of a trackway and a single inhumation burial. The third site, between Rearsby and East Goscote, was particularly notable as it contained a 7m-deep stone-lined Roman well, which was fully excavated.

A late-medieval drawing of Leicester, which occurs in a margin in BL, MS Royal 13. A. III, is introduced and discussed in the context of the manuscript’s text and illustrations broadly. Further illustrations in the same manuscript represent other British cities and structures: that of Leicester is thus part of a programme. While these illustrations are remarkably detailed and evocative in certain respects, it is concluded that they cannot be considered accurate by modern standards. In reaching this conclusion, and pointing out the virtues of the drawings, that of Leicester is examined in detail.

The River Lin rises at Ulverscroft in the uplands of Charnwood Forest and follows a U-shaped course before emptying into the River Soar at Quorn (Quorndon). This distance is only a little over 17km and nowhere could the Lin be regarded as more than a modest brook. The purpose of this paper is to examine the many different ways the river has been harnessed to serve the needs and demands of generations of local people through almost a thousand years. In addition the writers hope that their researches and fieldwork may point the way to other local studies along similar lines.

The development of the boot and shoe industry in Leicester during the nineteenth century radically changed its commercial prosperity. This paper, the first of two, considers the factors that led to the development of shoemaking from a purely domestic activity to a fully mechanised industry by the end of the century. Individuals and firms were so successful that Leicester became the largest shoe manufacturing centre in the country. The stages of evolution from craft trade to mechanised industry are clearly seen as the industry developed. Ancillary industries producing materials, machinery etc. grew up round the manufacturers. Most of this paper deals with firms in Leicester town as space permits relatively little discussion on the role of other production centres in the county. The second paper will deal with the growth of distribution. As industrialisation developed and people migrated from the countryside to fast-growing towns and cities, new methods of retailing and distribution evolved to meet changing market requirements. Leicester firms were first to appreciate the changing needs and first to implement new systems. The growth in Leicester’s prosperity largely resulted from the concentration of production and distribution facilities in the town.

John Thomas, with contributions by Carol Allen and 20 others, Monument, Memory and Myth: Use and Re-use of Three Bronze Age Round Barrows at Cossington, Leicestershire. W. G. Hoskins, The Midland Peasant. The Economic and Social History of a