Laxton Estate has been bought by Thoresby Estate to preserve the community's 13th century farming traditions and Court Leet system
Residents of Laxton gathered together over the weekend the celebrate the next step in the old farming community’s future.
Laxton Estate has been bought by Thoresby Estate, owned by Hugh Matheson, to preserve the community’s unique farming practices, and the village hall has also undergone a refurbishment worth more than £200,000.
The Laxton estate is 1,900 acres of agricultural land, ten residential properties, 17 farms, a public house, visitor centre and museum buildings, leased to 14 tenant farmers.
There are also four smallholdings in the village with associated strips.
The boundaries of the strips, roadways and the common land in the fields are maintained through the ancient manorial court, known as the Court Leet.
This system has existed in Laxton since medieval times, the only community in Europe to do so. An academic at Nottingham Trent University argued the system deserves the same level of UNESCO protection as world heritage sites such as Stonehenge.
Previous owner The Crown Estate chose Thoresby as the candidate to preserve Laxton’s unique farming practices.
The village hall had also recently completed a £204,000 renovation after receiving a Lottery grant, and on Saturday, a party was held at the hall to celebrate both pieces of good news. Around 200 people attended.
Newark MP and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Robert Jenrick, Sir John Starkey, and county and district councillors were at the event, which saw Rattlejack Morrismen perform during the day.
Michael Manning, chairman of Laxton Parish Council, said: “It was an extremely successful day. We had more people than we expected which was great.
“It’s a real endorsement of what we have done for the community with the refurbishment of the hall, and everyone wanted to turn up to see how good it is.”
Mr Manning said he was delighted that Mr Matheson and Thoresby Estate had bought the estate and secured its future.
“It’s lovely that we were able to celebrate the purchase at our event,” he said, “Laxton is the farming equivalent of Stonehenge and its hugely important for the historical and educational reasons.”
Plans in the pipeline for Laxton include the use of the village hall as an educational facility to showcase the community’s proud farming heritage.
Mr Manning also extended his thanks to the management committee for all their hard work, and Laxton WI for catering Saturday’s event.
