Breedon
Description in 1887:
"Breedon on the Hill, par., N. Leicestershire, 5 miles NE. of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, 6410 ac., pop. 1924.
"
[John Bartholomew's "Gazetteer of the British Isles," 1887]
- The parish was in the Melbourne sub-district of the Shardlow 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.
- The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
Census
Year |
Piece No. |
| 1861 |
R.G. 9 / 2269 & 2489 |
| 1891 |
R.G. 12 / 2720 |
- There was a monastery built here about 676. It was refounded as an Augustine priory around 1144 AD, founded by Rebert de FERRARIES (or FERRERS), Earl of Nottingham and Derby. The priory was dissolved in 1535.
- The Anglican church is built on the site of the priory and dates from the 13th century.
- The Anglican parish church is dedicated to both Saint Mary and Saint Hardulph (or Hardolph).
- The church seats 200.
- There is a photograph of the church at Leicester Villages.
- The Anglican parish register dates from 1580 (some sources give 1562).
- The Anglican church was in the rural deanery of West Akeley.
- The Wesleyan Methodists had a chapel in Tonge before 1849.
- The Wesleyan Methodists also had a chapel in Wilson before 1869.
- The parish was in the Melbourne sub-district of the Shardlow registration district.
- Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
Breedon-on-the-Hill is a parish, a township and a village in north-west Leicestershire, bordering Derbyshire. Breedon is a parish of 2,775 acres, 5 miles north-east of Ashby-de-la-Zouch and only 2.6 miles from Melbourne in Derbyshire. Tonge is a hamlet in the parish about one-half mile east of Breedon village. Wilson is a hamlet just over a mile north of Breedon.
The village forms a rough semi-circle around the base of a massive limestone rock. If you are planning a visit:
- By automobile, take the A453 arterial north-east out of Ashby-de-la-Zouch. It passes through the heart of Breedon village.
- Breedon is only 3 miles from the East Midlands Airport.
- On the hill above Breedon is an Iron-Age Hill Fort called "Bulwarks". In the middle of Bulwarks is the Anglican parish church.
- In 1874 the Midlands Railway built a branch line through the eastern part of the parish. In 1980, British Railways closed the line and subsequently the track was dismantled. The trackbed is now part of National Cycle Route 6.
- Colonel William Robinson PARTRIDGE lived in the Manor House in 1881.
- The national grid reference is SK 4022.
- You'll want an Ordnance Survey Explorer map, which has a scale of 2.5 inches to the mile.
- See our Maps page for additional resources.
- This place was an ancient parish in Leicester county and became a modern Civil Parish when those were established.
- In 1086 Breedon was an appendage of Tonge hamlet.
- Although "Breedon on the Hill" is the preferred name of the parish, just plain "Breedon" is an acceptable alternative
- The parish was in the western division of the county in the ancient West Goscote Hundred.
- In April, 1936, Breedon parish was reduced by 368 acres transferred to Worthington Civil Parish.
- In April, 1965, Breedon parish was enlarged by 2 acres taken from Melbourne Civil Parish in Derbyshire.
- The parish is currently a part of the North West Leicestershire District Council.
- You can contact the local Parish Council about political or social issues, but they are not staffed to perform family history searches for you.
- As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, the parish became part of the Shardlow Poor Law Union.
- Bastardy cases would be heard in the Ashby-de-la-Zouch petty sessional hearings.
| Year |
Inhabitants |
| 1801 |
815 |
| 1811 |
908 |
| 1841 |
1,103 |
| 1871 |
824 |
| 1881 |
717 |
| 1891 |
649 |
| 1901 |
704 |
| 1911 |
752 |
| 1921 |
730 |
| 1931 |
806 |
| 1951 |
810 |
| 2001 |
958 |
- There was a National School for boys built in 1833.
- A National School for girls and infants was built in 1874.
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Last updated: 26-December-2011 - Louis R. Mills
