Smisby

The Swadlincote Library is an excellent resource with a Local History section and a Family History section.

Philip JEFFREY has a photograph of St. James churchyard on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2015.

Michael SPENCER has created a partial extract of Parish Register burials in a pop-up window for your review. Your additions and corrections are welcomed.

Alan HEARDMAN has a photograph of the Lychgate at St. James Church on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2011.

• The parish was in the Hartshorn sub-district of the Ashby-de-la-Zouch Registration District.
   
• The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
   

Brett PAYNE has the 1662 Hearth Tax Assessments on his website.

• The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint James.
   
• The church was built in the 14th century.
   
• The church seats 160.
   
• In January, 1967, the church was listed Grade I by English Heritage.
   
• Alan HEARDMAN has a photograph of St. James Church on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2011.
   
• In 2015, thieves stole some of the lead roofing off of the church.

• The Anglican parish register dates from 1679.
   
• Marriages at Smisby, 1720-1812 are available in Nigel BATTY-SMITH's database of scanned images of Phillimore's Parish Registers.
   
• The church was in the rural deanery of Repton.

• Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
   
• The parish was in the Hartshorn sub-district of the Ashby-de-la-Zouch Registration District.

Oliver TOMLINSON has a photograph of the Smisby Lock-up on Geo-graph, taken in July, 2006.

Aileen DURN contributes this notice from the Derby Mercury edition of 5 Feb. 1845: "Committed to Derby County Gaol: Joseph VERNON, of Smisby, committed to hard labour for two months, or pay 3l2s 6d for poaching.

"SMISBY, a small parish bounded on the east by the county of Leicester, is four miles S.S.W. from Melbourn. The church is a small building: the living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Marquess of Hastings. Population of the parish 324."

[Description from Pigot and Co's Commercial Directory for Derbyshire, 1835]

Smisby, just west of the B5006, has its own Village Website. If you click on the Parish Council link you can find recent Portable Document File newsletters about the village.

Mat FASCIONE has a photograph of the Village Sign on Geo-graph, taken in May, 2008.

Jonathan CLITHEROE has a photograph of Main Street in Smisby on Geo-graph, taken in March, 2015.

Boundary is a hamlet on the border with Leicestershire. It has since become its own Civil Parish. The Forties is a hamlet due north of Smisby.

Ian S. has a photograph of the Boundary Village Sign on Geo-graph, taken in January, 2012.

• Geograph
• Flickr

• Ann ANDREWS provides a transcription of the Smisby entry from Kelly's Directory of the Counties of Derby, Notts, Leicester and Rutland (1891).
   
• She also provides a transcription of the Boundary entry from Kelly's Directory of the Counties of Derby, Notts, Leicester and Rutland (1891).

• The transcription of the section for Smisby from the National Gazetteer (1868) provided by Colin HINSON.

• Ask for a calculation of the distance from Smisby to another place.

Mat FASCIONE has a photograph of the Smisby Arms P. H. on Geo-graph, taken in May, 2008.

The award-winning BlueBell Arboretum And Nursery is located in this parish.

Smisby Manor, a 16th Century structure, is a Grade II listed building with British Heritage. It was formerly listed as Manor Farmhouse, and previously listed as the "Old Manor House."

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK348191 (Lat/Lon: 52.768381, -1.48566), Smisby which are provided by:

• OpenStreetMap
• Google Maps
• StreetMap (Current Ordnance Survey maps)
• Bing (was Multimap)
• Old Maps Online
• National Library of Scotland (Old Ordnance Survey maps)
• Vision of Britain (Click "Historical units & statistics" for administrative areas.)
• English Jurisdictions in 1851 (Unfortunately the LDS have removed the facility to enable us to specify a starting location, you will need to search yourself on their map.)
• Magic (Geographic information) (Click + on map if it doesn't show)
• GeoHack (Links to on-line maps and location specific services.)

• All places within the same township/parish shown on an Openstreetmap map.
• Nearby townships/parishes shown on an Openstreetmap map.
• Nearby places shown on an Openstreetmap map.

• Inside the church is a elaborately carved oaken board bearing WW1 names and plaques with WW2 names.
   
• Just outside the church is a War Memorial cross consisting of a concrete base and foundation, with a white marble cross, pedestal and plinth standing atop. It is surrounded by a wrought iron railing and and a gate.
   
• Mat FASCIONE has a photograph of the War Memorial just in front of the church on Geo-graph, taken in May, 2008.
   
• Andrew ABBOTT also has a photograph of the War Memorial on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2020.

These are the men commemorated on the church World War I Memorial tablet:

Two men from Smisby are buried in St. James churchyard:

1. Thomas INSLEY, corporal, 7th Btn., Lincs. Regt., age 39, died 30 Oct. 1918.
2. James SMART, private, North Sts. Regt., age 21, died 3 Aug. 1916.
    

From World War II on the church tablet:

• This place was an ancient parish in county Derby and became a modern Civil parish when those were established.
   
• This parish was in the ancient Repton and Greasley Hundred (or Wapentake).
   
• You may contact the Smisby Parish Council regarding civic or political matters, but they are NOT funded to assist you with family history searches.
   
• District governance is provided by the South Derbyshire District Council.

• We have a list of 1820 Paupers provided by Michael SPENCER.
   
• Bastardy cases would be heard in the Swadlincote petty seeesion hearings every other Tuesday
   
• As a result of the 1834 Poorlaw Amendment Act reforms, this parish became a member of the Ashby-de-la-Zouch Poorlaw Union.

Year	Inhabitants
1801	235
1841	293
1851	293
1871	320
1881	289