History of the Parish
This page contains a brief explanation of the History of Moreton Morrell
Moreton Morrell is an ancient settlement that appears in the Domesday Book as “Mortone”. From at least the early Norman times it has consisted of the ‘town’ of Moreton, and the hamlet of Morrell.
The Parish consists of Litttle Morrell in the North, the village of Moreton Morrell, Moreton Paddox in the South and a small number of houses to the West of the Fosse Way. The boundaries are formed: to the east by the Fosse Way, to the north by Thelsford Brook running from the Fosse westwards; and to the south, by a valley running from Hell Hole on the Fosse to the bottom of Staple Hill.
Until the end of the 19th century, the village was largely self sufficient with 45 occupations recorded in the second half of the 19th century.
The population in 1801 was very similar to that cited in the Doomesday Book in 1086. Throughout the 1800s, the population varied between 183 and 301, according to the prosperity of farming at the time. It rose to 388 by 1911, declining sharply following the First World War.
In the first part of the 1900s, the population rose at a steady rate, with a sharp increase in the late 1960s. This was primarily due to the development of Oak tree Close and Moreton Paddox.
By 2001, there was a further increase following the developments of Wilcox Leys, John Taylor Way and Chestnut Grove in the 1990s, as well as a further increase in students at the college.
More information on the history of Moreton Paddox can be found at challinor.one-name.net/ronc/MoretonPaddox/