Page 2 - A Taste of Syston History (Continued)

The survey also showed that Syston had a mill and the services of a priest with the likelihood of a church in the village. The oldest parts of the present church, including the font, date some 200 years after the Norman invasion.

Much of the church was rebuilt during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries and alterations and additions continued over the following centuries. The earliest named priest, Gilbert Mallori, was recorded in 1206 and after the names of the incumbents are recorded almost unbroken for 800 years. The local church was controlled by Ulverscroft Priory for more than 200 years but after the dissolution of monasteries the power passed on to the University of Oxford together with the right to collect tithes.

The church is dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Paul and their combined emblems of a crossed sword and keys are variously displayed in the church. These emblems are also used by the St Peter and St Paul Aided Primary School and the Town Council.

Photograph of the Church of St.Peter and St.Paul, taken from the gateway into Upper Church Street, Syston in the early years of the last century.

Syston grew slowly until the 1800s when industry began to take over from the traditional dependency on the land. The coming of the canal and later the railway, particularly the branch line to Melton Mowbray and the accompanying station, led to a growth of population and an escalation of industry in the village, in 1801 Syston had a population of 1,124. The railway also gave easy access to Leicester where occupation could be found.