Ragdale is a village in Leicestershire, England.  The village is located in Wreake Valley, on the bank of a small stream that flows into the nearby River Wreake.  It forms part of the parish of Hoby with Rotherby, along with the villages of Brooksby, Hoby and Rotherby.  The area was first inhabited by the Anglo-Saxons and was later taken over by the Normans and the Romans.  It was formerly known as ‘Ragendale’ – meaning ‘the settlement in the valley’ – due to its position in a deep valley.  The village was recorded in the Domesday survey of 1086, when it was home to only 20 people.  The village passed between the hands of William the Conqueror’s family until the 12^th-century.  It was once the site of the grand 16^th century Ragdale Hall.  The hall was first built as a lodge for hunters, and was only occupied during hunting season.  It was used to keep hunting hawks, which were worth a huge amount of money.  Ragdale’s New Hall was built in 1785.  The Georgian house was built for foxhunting expeditions but now functions as a health farm.