Barton in the Beans - Shackerstone, Odstone Hall and Back

Roy Davenport

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Odstone Hall is a handsome and substantial country house with Elizabethan origins and an impressive Georgian façade which was added in the 18th Century. From a state of dereliction the property was extensively refurbished in the early 2000s with great attention to detail and careful choice of materials and final finishes. Despite the extent of the renovation, great care was taken to preserve and enhance the original period features, including a wealth of exposed timbers, impressive fireplaces and some fine ceiling mouldings. Because of the house's historical and architectural importance it has been mentioned in a number of historical books, including Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner's authoritative guide to the buildings of England. Of particular note, it is recorded that in 1649 the then owner, John Bradshaw, was the President's Judge of the High Court which condemned King Charles I to death and whose signature appears on the death warrant.

Barton in the Beans is a hamlet in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire and forms part of the Shackerstone civil parish. There are no shops or pubs here, only a Baptist church and a postbox. It was in the 18th Century an important centre for the Baptist Church and the minister at Barton was the notable clockmaker Samuel Deacon (1746-1816). A commemorative plague is situated on the right wall of the chapel near the old gas lamp. One of the earliest mentions of this place is in the Domesday book where it is listed amongst the lands given to Hugh de Grandmesnil by the King (the land required half a plough and there were two acres (8,100m2) of meadow). During the Middle Ages the land passed through many hands including several members of the family of Hastings. A popular saying in the county is 'Shake a Leicestershire man by the collar and you may hear the beans rattle in his belly': Firth quotes this from a contributor to 'Magna Britannia', 1720. Leicestershire was once noted for cultivating the broad bean and in this way the bean has been perpetuated in place names.

Samuel Deacon, Baptist pastor and clockmaker:
Deacon settled at Barton ca. 1765 and set up in business as a clockmaker. His workshop was preserved by his successors and after many years of continuous use is now in the collections of the Leicester Museum. He was a leader of the General Baptist sect and the author of many works, including his autobiography.

England - Central England - Leicestershire - Countryside