Prior's Map 1779
John Prior was born in 1729 in Swithland, son of the steward of Sir John Danvers of Swithland. Whilst still relatively young, he was in charge of Swithland School and later was curate at Woodhouse and Quorn between 1755 to 1763.
He married Miss Ann Cock from Quorn (20th May 1763, Quorn). They went on to have four children, John, Elizabeth, Ann and Mary. Mary is buried in Quorn Churchyard. He was later appointed as curate of Willesley and master of Ashby Grammar School. After his wife Ann died in 1774, John Prior, began to survey the County for the purpose of map making. This map was the first map of the area since Elizabethan times, the scale was one inch to the mile and shows the woodlands, farms, windmills, churches, roads and lanes - before the railways and canals were built.
On this extract of the map, the large letters to the right of the River Soar are part of the words 'East Goscote Hundred'. The large letters to the left of the River Soar are part of 'West Goscote Hundred'. A 'Hundred' is an ancient term for an area of a County, ie a cluster of parishes, of which Leicestershire originally had four, later increasing to six. Quorn is geographically in the West Goscote Hundred, although it is sometimes grouped with East Goscote Hundred, when it is included with its mother Church of Barrow, which is geographically in East Goscote Hundred.
The main streets in Quorn can clearly be seen, ie today known as:
Meeting Street, Chaveney Road, Woodhouse Road, Loughborough Road, High Street, Leicester Road, School Lane, Station Road, Stoop Lane, Soar Road, Meynell Road, Barrow Road, Wood Lane.
Quorn Hall (on Meynell Road) is marked by a 'Country House' type symbol, but surprisingly, Quorn House (on Meeting Street) is not.
John Prior died aged 74 in 1803, he was teaching up until just days before his death.
Submitted by: Sue Templeman, image supplied by Don Wix