along the wreake valley, the danish suffix "-by" is common, as is evident in asfordby, dalby, frisby, hoby, rearsby and gaddesby. in addition, a cemetery of 50–60 graves, of pagan anglo-saxon origin, has been found in melton mowbray. although most villages and their churches had origins before the norman conquest of 1066, stone crosses at asfordby and sproxton churches and anglo-saxon cemeteries as found at goadby marwood, sysonby and stapleford certainly pre-date the conquest.