Asfordby (Ashfordby)
Description in 1887:
"ASFORDBY, a parish and a pleasant village, consists chiefly of one street, on the north side of the navigable river Wreak, 3 miles W. of Melton Mowbray. Its parish, which is in East Goscote Hundred, Melton Mowbray Union and County Court District, contains 513 inhabitants, comprises 1210 acres of land, generally having a clayey soil and a flat surface."
[White's "History, Gazetteer and Directory of the Counties of Leicester and Rutland. 3rd Edition," 1887]
- The Leicestershire & Rutland Family History Society have published details of Asfordby burials from 1813 - 1865 on microfiche. (819F)
- The parish was in the Melton Mowbray sub-district of the Melton Mowbray Registration District until 1934.
- In 1934, the parish was transfered to the Melton and Belvoir 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 24 covers the Melton Sub-District which includes Asfordby.
- The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
Census
Year |
Piece No. |
| 1861 |
R.G. 9 / 2301 |
| 1891 |
R.G. 12 / 2544 |
- The Anglican parish church is dedicated to All Saints.
- The date of construction is unreported, but Norman work still remains in the structure.
- The church was repaired in 1830.
- The church was restored in 1869.
- The church seats 300.
- The Anglican parish register dates from 1564.
- Phillimore's Marriages, volume 1, covers 1564 thru 1897.
- Bishop's Transcripts for the parish start in 1561.
- The church is in the rural deanery of Goscote (second portion).
- The church has also been listed as in the rural deanery of Framland (third portion).
- The Society of Genealogists holds copies of records from All Saints Parish Church including copies of marriages from 1564 - 1837.
- The Wesleyan and Primitive Methodists each built a chapel here prior to 1849. The Wesleyans rebuilt their chapel in 1884 and enlarged it in 1889. The Primitive Methodists had built their chapel in 1840 and enlarged it in 1889.
- Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
- The parish was in the Melton Mowbray sub-district of the Melton Mowbray Registration District until 1934.
- In 1934, the parish was transfered to the Melton and Belvoir Registration District.
Asfordby was a village and a parish 3 miles west of Melton Mowbray and 115 miles north of London. The parish covers 2,726 acres.
If you are planning a visit:
- By automobile, take the A6006 arterial road west out of Melton Mobray. Asfordby is about a mile past Asfordby Hill.
- Asfordby parish sits on the north bank of the River Wreake.
- Much of the parish land was used for grazing.
- Stilton cheese was made here.
- Iron ore was found in the neighbourhood. Four blast furnaces were built here by the Holwell Iron Company.
- Paul McCann has written a
brief history of the parish.
- You may be able to find a copy of John Harold Worley's "Asfordby 1905-1922; Memories of a Leicestershire village" in a local library.
- In 1849, John Dick BURNABY had his family seat here in Asfordby Hall.
- The national grid reference is SK 7018.
- You'll want an Ordnance Survey Explorer map, which has 2.5 inches to the mile scale.
- See our Maps page for additional resources.
- Trooper George PARLBY, died 14th December 1915 age 30. Husband of Lois A JONES (formerly Parlby) of New Street, Asfordy. Buried in All Saints Church, Asfordby.
- This place was an ancient parish of Leicestershire and became a modern Civil Parish when those were established.
- The parish was in the ancient East Goscote Hundred in the northern division of the county.
- In 1881, the parish covered 1,210 acres. This was enlarged by 1891 to 1,568 acres.
- In April, 1935, this parish was enlarged by gaining 8 acres from the Melton Mowbray Civil Parish and 1,150 acres from Welby Civil Parish. This brought the parish to 2,726 acres.
- You can also contact the Parish Council, but they will NOT do family history lookups for you. The site has a number of parish photographs.
| Year |
Inhabitants |
| 1801 |
364 |
| 1811 |
367 |
| 1821 |
424 |
| 1831 |
467 |
| 1841 |
482 |
| 1851 |
467 |
| 1861 |
485 |
| 1871 |
513 |
| 1881 |
539 |
| 1891 |
717 |
| 1901 |
1,062 |
| 1911 |
1,336 |
| 1921 |
1,409 |
| 1931 |
2,003 |
| 1951 |
2,332 |
| 1961 |
2,582 |
- A school room (later a National School, then a Public Elementary School) was built in 1843. It was enlarged in 1859 and 1886. It was founded by Morris CAM.
- A Council School was built in Asfordby Hill in 1909 to hold 280 students.
Follow this link to find help, report problems or contribute information.
[Last updated: 19-November-2011 - Louis R. Mills]
