Swepstone

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2015}}

{{Use British English|date=July 2015}}

{{infobox UK place|

| country = England

| coordinates = {{coord|52.693292|-1.45498|display=inline,title}}

| official_name = Swepstone

| population = 656

| population_ref = (2011)

| static_image_name = Swepstone_Church_Leicestershire.JPG

| static_image_caption = Saint Peter's Church, Swepstone

| civil_parish = Swepstone and Newton Burgoland

| shire_district = North West Leicestershire

| shire_county = Leicestershire

| region = East Midlands

| constituency_westminster = Hinckley and Bosworth

| postcode_district = LE67

| postcode_area = LE

| post_town = COALVILLE

| dial_code = 01530

| os_grid_reference = SK 37083 10771

| london_distance = 172 km

}}

Swepstone is a village in the civil parish of Swepstone and Newton Burgoland, in the North West Leicestershire district of Leicestershire, England, about five miles south of Ashby de la Zouch. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census 656.{{cite web|url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11129371&c=Swepstone&d=16&e=62&g=6445255&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1466170874040&enc=1|title=Civil Parish population 2011|accessdate=17 June 2016|publisher=Office for National Statistics|work=Neighbourhood Statistics}} The parish includes the villages of Swepstone and Newton Burgoland.OS Explorer Map 245: The National Forest : (1:25 000) :{{ISBN|0 319 24028 2}}[http://www.shop.ordnancesurveyleisure.co.uk/products/paper-maps/paper-maps-ordnance-survey-great-britain/paper-maps-ordnance-survey-great-britain-os-explorer-map/the-national-forest/pid-9780319240281 Map Details] retrieved 11 April 2013 On 1 March 2023 the parish was renamed from "Swepstone" to "Swepstone and Newton Burgoland".{{cite web|url=https://www.lgbce.org.uk/sites/default/files/2023-03/notice_of_change_of_name_of_parish_-_swepstone_and_newton_burgoland_parish_council_2022.pdf|title=Notice of change of name of parish|publisher=Local Government Boundary Commission for England|accessdate=17 November 2023}}

The earliest documentation of the village is found in the Domesday Book where it appears as Scopestone.G. Martin & A. Williams (2003) Domesday Book: A Complete Translation, Penguin Books Ltd., United Kingdom. {{ISBN|0-14-143994-7}} Later documentary appearances are given as Swepeston from around 1130 to 1471, and Swepston from 1234.Watts, Victor et al., (2004) The Cambridge Dictionary of Place Names, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. {{ISBN|0-521-36209-1}} The name is probably derived from the Old English personal name Sweppes, and the suffix tūn, meaning "Sweppi's farm or village".

Swepstone farmers regularly sold their cattle in local market towns. In 1597 three Swepstone farmers, Richard Dudley, William Chilwell and Thomas Burrows were called to give evidence in an archdeaconry court case. It is recorded that the three were drinking together in an alehouse near the market square in Atherstone while their beasts were tethered outside.[http://www.elizabethi.org/contents/essays/roberts/fair.html elizabethi.org]

Swepstone's only public house is The Old Crown Inn, previously known as The Odd House, which serves food.

Planting of The National Forest is taking place near the village.{{cite web|url=https://www.nationalforest.org/visit/activities/gilwiskaw-valley-wood-tempe-farm|title=Gilwiskaw Valley Wood & Tempe Farm}}