Ab Kettleby with Holwell (Abkettleby)
Description in 1877:
"AB-KETTLEBY, a parish and a pleasant village and township, on an eminence in Framland Hundred, Melton Mowbray Union and County Court District, is three miles N.N.W. of Melton Mowbray, and 15 miles S.E. of Nottingham; it is situated on the turnpike between the two towns, and on the southern acclivity of the red-sandstone hills which bound the Vale of Belvoir. Its parish, including Holwell township, contains 2,920 acres, and had 349 inhabitants in 1871; its township comprises about 945 acres, and has 202 inhabitants."
White's "History, Gazetteer and Directory of the Counties of Leicester and Rutland. 3rd Edition 1877"
- The Leicestershire & Rutland Family History Society have published details of Ab Kettleby burials from 1813 - 1865 on microfiche. (800F)
- The parish was in the Clawson sub-district of the Melton Mowbray Registration District.
- The 1851 Census for Leicestershire has been indexed by the Leicestershire & Rutland Family History Society. The whole index is available on microfiche. The society has also published it in print.
- In 1935, the parish was transfered to the Melton and Belvoir Registration District.
- The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
Census
Year |
Piece No. |
| 1861 |
R.G. 9 / 2302 |
| 1891 |
R.G. 12 / 2545 |
- The Anglican parish church was dedicated to Saint James.
- The church was built in the Norman period.
- The church was restored in 1853.
- The church seats 210.
- The Anglican parish register dates from 1580.
- The Society of Genealogists holds copies of records from Ab Kettleby Parish Church including microfiche copies of baptisms from 1580 - 1891, marriages from 1580 - 1753 and burials from 1580 - 1910.
- The church was in the rural deanery of Framland (third portion).
- The Wesleyan Methodists built a large chapel here in 1843.
- The Primitive Methodists built a chapel here in 1835. A new one was constructed in 1870.
- Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
- The parish was in the Clawson sub-district of the Melton Mowbray Registration District.
- In 1935, the parish was transfered to the Melton and Belvoir Registration District.
Ab Kettleby is a township and a parish which lies 117 miles north of London and about 3 miles north of Melton Mobray. The parish covers 3,027 acres. It is not unusual to see the name rendered as one word: Abkettleby
If you are planning a visit:
- By automobile, take the A606 northwest out of Melton Mobray for just over two miles to reach the village of Ab Kettleby.
- For many centuries this was prime grazing land and most of the occupants were graziers or smallplot farmers.
- The Holwell Iron Company processed local ironstone from the surrounding area.
- The Holwell Branch of the Nottingham and Melton Railway ended at Ab Kettleby. Following the end of iron making at Holwell in 1962 the line lost most of its traffic and was closed in 1963. A book detailing the history of the railway has been published on the web.
- Stilton cheese was made in this parish.
- The Manor House dates from the 17th century.
- The national grid reference is SK 7223.
- You'll want an Ordnance Survey Explorer map, which has 2.5 inches to the mile scale.
- See our Maps page for additional resources.
- In the 1086 Domesday Book the name is given as "Chetelbi".
- The village takes its name from the fact that it was a ford over the River Scald.
- The parish was in the Framland Hundred (Wapentake) in the northern division of the county.
- This parish was an "ancient parish" of Leicestershire.
- Holwell was a Chapelry contained in this parish.
- In March, 1884 this parish was reduced in size to establish Holwell as a separate civil parish. This reduced the size of Ab Kettleby parish by over 2,000 acres.
- In April, 1936, the parish of Ab-Kettleby was enlarged by 1,408 acres with the abolition of Holwell as a Civil Parish.
- In April, 1936, the parish of Ab-Kettleby was enlarged by 749 acres with the abolition of Wartnaby as a Civil Parish.
| Year |
Inhabitants |
| 1801 |
254 |
| 1821 |
319 |
| 1841 |
383 |
| 1871 |
202 |
| 1881 |
230 |
| 1891 |
242 |
| 1901 |
308 |
| 1911 |
267 |
| 1921 |
263 |
| 1931 |
283 |
| 1951 |
623 |
| 1961 |
543 |
- A Public Elementary School was built here in 1863 and was enlarged in 1892 for 144 children.
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[Last revised: 19-November-2011 - Louis R. Mills]
