13 September: Rutland Day

Today is Rutland Day. Here are 10 things you might not know about Rutland:

1. It is the smallest historic county in England. Its greatest length north to south is only 18 miles (29 km) and its greatest breadth east to west is 17 miles (27 km), and an area of 151 square miles. It has the smallest population of any normal unitary authority in England.
2. Hence its motto is Multum in Parvo or "much in little".
3. Rather fittingly, then, in the 17th Century, Rutland was home to England’s smallest man, Sir Jeffrey Hudson, who was 18 inches tall (45 cms) and was once presented to Queen Henrietta Maria in a pie. He also once killed a man in a duel, was captured by Barbary pirates spent 25 years as a slave in North Africa before being rescued and returned home to England.
4. It has only two towns, Oakham, the county town, and Uppingham.
5. One of its villages is twinned with Paris, France. The village wrote to the Mayor of Paris asking for a twin agreement. He never replied, but since the letter specified that if it had not heard back before a certain date it would take the answer as a 'yes', the agreement stands.
6. It has some wacky sports. Rutland hosts the World Championship of Nurdling every May. Nurdling is a game dating back to the middle ages, in which competitors throw old pennies onto a drilled hole in a wooden seat. The winner is known as the ‘Best Tosser’. Also the Grainstore Brewery in Oakham holds the National Leg Wrestling Championships during their Cider & Sausage Festival.
7. One of the county's symbols is the Horseshoe. Peers of the realm who pass through Oakham for the first time must give a horseshoe to the Lord of the Manor. This custom began over 500 years ago and still continues today. Over 200 of the gift horseshoes are displayed in Oakham Castle. The oldest surviving horseshoe is said to have been given by Edward IV in about 1470. Superstitious people might feel a little nervous visiting this display since in Rutland, horseshoes are hung with their tips down, which some people consider to be bad luck. Rutland's reasons may reassure them, however. They're hung that way so the devil can't make a nest in the bottom. They also believe that when luck falls from the horseshoe it is bestowed anyone walking beneath it.
8. Rutland was the last county in England without a McDonalds restaurant; however, in January 2020 a planning application for a McDonald's restaurant on the outskirts of Oakham was approved by the County Council. One source I looked at said there was no KFC or Burger King in Rutland, either.
9. Rutland is the only county not to have a static speed camera on its roads.
10. Rutland's small size has led to humorous references such as Rutland Weekend Television, a television comedy series hosted by Eric Idle. The county is the home of the parody rock band The Rutles, who first appeared on Rutland Weekend Television.

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