Branston, Leicestershire

Branston is a village in the civil parish of Croxton Kerrial and Branston, in Leicestershire, England. It is geographically situated 1mi north from the A607 road, 7mi south-west from Grantham and 7 miles north-east from Melton Mowbray. The village is at the southern edge of the Vale of Belvoir, and 3mi south-west from Belvoir Castle. Knipton Reservoir is 700yd to the north. The population is included in the civil parish of Croxton Kerrial.HistoryAccording to A Dictionary of British Place Names, Branston could be "a farmstead or a village of a man called Brant" - 'Brant' from an Old English person name and 'ton' for "enclosure, farmstead, village, manor, estate".In the 1086 Domesday account Branston is referred to as "Brantestone" in the Framland Hundred of north-east Leicestershire. It had 21 households, 10 villagers, 1 smallholder 6 freemen and 4 slaves, with a meadow of 16acre and 2 mills. In 1066 Leofnoth of Branston was Lord of the Manor; after 1086 this transferred to Ralph of Kimcote, with the Bishop of Lincoln becoming Tenant-in-chief.