Spring 2015 – The Restart
After a hiatus of over two years the project of completing all the parish churches in Leicestershire and Rutland continues. I have just been moving the data from the ‘old’ format onto this WordPress site. Rutland’s churches will be moved over in March and the old format site at www.rutlandchurches.co.uk will be deleted. I will set up a redirect for the old site to the new. I had to take a break to concentrate on the...
Sileby St Mary
Sileby is a large village some 7 miles north of Leicester. The population in 2001 was approximately 6,300. The village probably dates back to the Danes who settled in the area in the ninth century. The village was recorded in the Domesday book where the land was split between three landowners one of these being the King. The village is quite large now and the church of St Mary is a large and impressive building that sits on the high...
Thurlaston All Saints
The pleasant village of Thurlaston is located eight miles south-west of Leicester, its nearest neighbours being Earl Shilton and Huncote. It has been overlooked by large developments thankfully and the church is placed in the centre of the village. All Saints church was probably built in the 12th Century by the Champaine family, part of the north aisle was set aside as a burial place for the Turviles and was known as the Turvile...
Shearsby St Mary Magdalene
Mentioned in the Domesday book as Seuesbi/Suesbi or Sueuesbi this small village in south Leicestershire is probably named after a farm or settlement. Alternatively it may be used topographically to describe the the hill on which the village stands. The village is nearly nine miles south of Leicester and in the Harborough district. Nearby to the village is the Shearsby Bath a restaurant and ‘wedding venue’ that is sited on...
Mowsley St Nicholas
With a population of over two hundred, Mowsley is a small rural village some eleven miles south of Leicester. The name may derive from ‘Muslai’ meaning ‘mouse infested field’, not a site I would have planned to put a settlement on but in ancient times they did. Mowsley was a chapelry in the ecclesiastical parish of Knaptoft, but this was de-populated by the 16th century and Mowsley became its own parish. Like...
Market Harborough St Dionysius
The town of Market Harborough has a population of over 20,000 and is the administrative centre for Harborough District Council. It was formed as a new trading settlement probably in the early 13th century by incorporating the three villages of Little Bowden, Great Bowden and Arden. The market was established by 1204 and has been held on every Tuesday since 1221. There is much more information on the town and its history via the link...
Ibstock St Denys
The large village of Ibstock lies 3 miles south-west of Coalville and 12 miles north-west of Leicester. It has a population of around 5,500 and is most famous as being the home of Ibstock Brick Works. It also has history as a coal mining village like so many others in this area of north-west Leicestershire. The village is recorded in the Domesday Book and there was a Saxon village before this as the name relates to that period. The...
Countesthorpe St Andrew
Countesthorpe lies 7 miles south of Leicester in the district of Blaby. It is a large sprawling village of approx 6,500 people on the edge of rural Leicestershire. The name derives from the 11th century when the village and manor became the dowry of Countess Judith, niece of William of Conqueror after the invasion of 1066AD. The ‘thorpe’ means hamlet or sub-settlement similar to Littlethorpe, although that has stayed a...
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