Village sign for Empingham at the junction of Church Street and A606. It depicts sailing on Rutland Water, the church spire, the historic dovecote and housing typical of the village. Dated 2000.
"Empingham is a village on the main road between Oakham in Rutland and Stamford in Lincolnshire. It is probably best known for being at the "dam end" of Rutland Water, Europe's largest man-made reservoir.
Empingham lies in the Gwash Valley, very near the eastern end of Rutland Water When the dam was under construction in the early 1970s archaeological excavations confirmed that this area had been occupied for many centuries. Discoveries included traces of an lron Age settlement, two Romano- British farming settlements and Anglo-Saxon cemeteries.
The most enduring legacy the Saxons left to Empingham was its name. The ending 'ingham' denotes one of the earlier settlements, older than those with 'ham' and 'ton' endings. So Empingham was the home of the 'ing' or clan of Empa. From then on it was known as Epingham (11th century), Empingeham (12th century), Hempingham, and Amplingeham, before finally becoming Empingham.
The North Brook now marks the end of the village to the east It is traditionally supposed that the village extended southward as far as the river and eastward as far as Chapel Hill, where in Chapel spinney, on the north side, records suggest that there was once a chapel of St. Botolph.
The church stands in the south part of the village with the Rectory to the south-west of it. lt has an impressive 14th century tower with a small but richly ornamented spire and very tall pinnacles. Otherwise the exterior has a mostly 15th century appearance, with striking perpendicular windows, though the lancet windows in the south transept and chancel are 13th century as is most of the fabric.
The appearance of the village today is largely the legacy of the Heathcotes, who were the main landowners from 1729 to 1924. When Gilbert Henry the 6th Baronet inherited the Normanton estate in 1867 Empingham was far from being a 'model village'. ln the Post Office Directory of 1876 it is described as "being in a dilapidated state, many of the houses are in ruins". However, it was not to stay that way and by the end of the 19th century Gilbert Henry was justifiably called 'The Building Earl'.
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