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Arnesby

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Description in 1846:
"ARNESBY, or Arnsby, a pleasant and well built village, on an eminence, 8n miles S. by E. of Leicester, and 7 1/2 miles N.E. of Lutterworth, has in its parish 1366 acres of enclosed land, and 505 inhabitants, many of whom are framework knitters. The soil is chiefly a strong fertile clay. The manor has been held by the Dispencer, Peverill, Beaumont, Saltmarsh, and other families; and in 1292, Hugh le Despencer had a market and fair here. The manorial rights are now held jointly by Mr. John Tebbs and Miss A. M. Clark; but a great part of the soil belongs to J S Sherwin, esq., Mr J Howcutt, and several smaller owners, some of whom occupy their own land."
"[WHITE's History, Gazetteer and Directory of the Counties of Leicester and the Small County of Rutland. 1st Edition 1846]

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Census

  • The parish was in the Lutterworth sub-district of the Lutterworth 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 and Volume 18 covers the part of the Lutterworth District which includes Arnesby.
     
  • The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
     
Census
Year
Piece No.
1861R.G. 9 / 2244
1871R.G. 10 / 3220
1891R.G. 12 / 2489
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Church History

  • The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Peter.
     
  • It is not known when the church was constructed, certainly it was before 1624, but likely early 12th century.
     
  • The church was partially restored in 1868.
     
  • The church was in the rural deanery of Guthlaxton (third portion).
     
  • The church seats 250.
     
  • Tim GLOVER has a photograph of St. Peter's Church on Geo-graph, taken in October, 2013.
     
  • Ian ROB also has a photograph of St. Peter's Church on Geo-graph, taken in April, 2012.
     
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Church Records

  • The Anglican parish register dates from 1649.
     
  • The Society of Genealogists holds extracts only of the parish records between 1586 and 1640.
     
  • The church is in the rural deanery of Guthlaxton (third portion).
     
  • The Particular Baptists founded a chapel here in 1702 and rebuilt it in 1799.
     
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Civil Registration

  • Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
     
  • The parish was in the Lutterworth sub-district of the Lutterworth Registration District.
     
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Description & Travel

Arnesby is a parish and a village in Leicestershire. It is about 90 miles north of London, 8 miles south-west of Leicester city and 8 miles north-east of Lutterworth. The parish covers 1,415 acres, most of which is pasturage.

If you are planning a visit:

  • By automobile, take the A50 trunk road south out of Leicester city for about 8 miles. The road skirts the eastern edge of the village.
     
You can see pictures of Arnesby which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

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History

The Reverend Robert HALL, an eminent Nonconformist preacher and writer, was born here, 2nd May, 1764.

Jill EVERINGTON has a photograph of the Mill Entrance on Geo-graph, taken in March, 2007. The windmill is a popular tourist attraction in the parish.

The village holds a May Fayre, on the second bank holiday each May.

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Maps

  • See our Maps page for additional resources.
     

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SP616924 (Lat/Lon: 52.526, -1.093469), Arnesby which are provided by:

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Military History

The War Memorial is in the churchyard. It is a Celtic-style wheel cross with a heavily carved front face on a three-tiered plinth with leaded lettering.

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Military Records

There are four names listed on the War Memorial:

NameRankUnitDiedOther info.
Tony FREER   World War I
Frank LANGTONprivate1/5, Somerset Light Infantry1 May 1919Age 19, the son of Arthur and Elizabeth LANGTON
Maurice Albert NEALdriver18 Div., Royal Army Service Corps18 Sept. 1943Age 29, son of Joseph and Jane SPARE, died as POW
Harold William SMITHprivate2nd Btln., Durham Light Infantry25 Sept. 1916Age 34
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Names, Geographical

  • The name of the parish (village) has appeared under a variety of spellings: Arnesby, Arnesbey, Arnsby, etc.
     
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Occupations

  • Most of the men in the parish were employed in the manufacture of hosiery.
     
  • The land in the parish was mostly used for grazing.
     
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Politics & Government

  • This place was an ancient parish in Leicester county and it became a modern Civil Parish when those were established.
     
  • The parish is in the ancient Guthlaxton Hundred in the southern division of the county.
     
  • The Parish Council was established in 1894.
     
  • You may contact the Arnesby Parish Council regarding civic or political matters, but they are NOT funded to perform family history searches for you.
     
  • District governance is provided by the Harborough District Council.
     
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Poor Houses, Poor Law

  • Bastardy cases would be heard in the Lutterworth petty session hearings on alternate Thursdays.
     
  • As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, this parish became part of the Lutterworth Poorlaw Union.
     
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Population

 YearInhabitants
1801321
1821459
1841505
1871478
1881421
1901402
1911354
1921273
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Schools

  • The Public Elementary School was built in 1859 for 100 children.