Burbage
Description in 1849:
"BURBAGE is a pleasant village, township and chapelry,
1 and 1/4 miles from Hinckley, 6 east-north-east from Nuneaton
station, 100 from London, and 9 and 1/2 north-west from Latterworth,
in Aston Flamville parish, Sparkenhoe Hundred, Hinckley Union, and
Peterborough bishoprick. The living is a perpetual curacy, value £878,
in the gift of Earl de Grey, lord of the manor. The Rev. Willoughby Townley
Balfour, A.B., is the present incumbent: the Rev. William Wilkinson, A.B.,
and the Rev. Adolphus Frederick Carey, A.B., curates. The church,
dedicated to St. Catherine, is an old Gothic building, with a square tower,
spire, and 5 bells, and was repaired in 1813 at a cost of upwards of £2,000.
Here is a Free school for boys and girls, also chapels for Independents,
Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists. In 1841 the population was 1,780, and
there are 3,200 acres of land. There are likewise 47 people in Sketchley hamlet,
which is to the south on Watling street, and formerly had a chapel.
Many of the people of Burbage are frame-work knitters."
["Post Office Directory Leicestershire & Rutlandshire," 1849]
- The parish was in the Burbage sub-district of the Hinckley 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 6 covers the Burbage and Earl Shilton sub-district which includes Burbage.
- The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
Census
Year |
Piece No. |
| 1861 |
R.G. 9 / 2259 |
| 1891 |
R.G. 12 / 2502 |
- The Anglican parish church in Burbage is dedicated to Saint Catherine.
- The church was built in in the 14th century from stone, but little of the original structure remains except the tower.
- The church has a square tower and 5 bells.
- The church was partly rebuilt in 1842 and repaired in 1843.
- The entire church was restored in 1882.
- The tower and spire were restored in 1913.
- The church was renovated in 1922.
- The church seats 600.
- There is a photograph of the church in the distance at the Parish Council website. See "Politics," below.
- The Anglican parish register dates from 1562 and is in good condition.
- The church was in the rural deanery of Sparkenhoe (second portion).
- The Congregational chapel was built in 1895.
- The Wesleyan Methodist Chapel was built in 1866.
- There used to be an Anglican Chapel in Sketchley hamlet, but that closed prior to 1881.
- The parish was in the Burbage sub-district of the Hinckley registration district.
- Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
Burbage is now a suburb of Hinckley, on the eastern edge of that town. It was long a large village, a township, a chapelry and a parish. The parish borders Warwick to the south-west, across Watling Street, with Hinckley parish to the west, and Barwell parish to the north. It is 100 miles north of London and 9.5 miles north-west of Lutterworth. The parish includes the hamlet of Sketchley.
The village sits in south-west Leicestershire about 1.5 miles east of the centre of Hinckley. If you are planning a visit:
- Before you visit the parish, check out the village web site for current activities.
- By automobile, the parish lies just north of the intersection between the A5 (Watling Street) and the M69.
- The village is served by Arriva bus service from Hinckley.
- There is rail service between Leicester and Nuneaton (and onward to Coventry with a change of trains).
- Most of the male residents of the parish were either Framework Knitters, farmers or shoe makers.
- There are some old photographs of Burbage, but no text "content" at Burbage.org.
- There is mention of a Burbage House in old directories, but it appears this was NOT the Manor House.
- The national grid reference is SP 4492.
- 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.
- Although Burbage is the preferred name for the parish, it is also known as Burbage and Sketchley
- This place was an ancient Chapelry of Aston Flamville parish, Leicestershire, and became a modern Civil Parish in December, 1866.
- The parish was in the ancient Sparkenhoe Hundred (Wapentake) in the southern division of the county.
- Today's Parish Council can be checked out, but they do NOT answer family history questions.
- On 1 April, 1928, this parish gave up 5 acres to Hinckley Civil Parish, but gained a different 3 acre parcel from the same parish.
- On 1 April, 1935, this parish was abolished and all 3,103 acres were joined to Hinckley Civil Parish.
- As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, this parish became part of the Hinckley Poorlaw Union.
- Bastardy cases would be heard in the Market Bosworth petty sessional hearings.
| Year |
Inhabitants |
| 1841 |
1,780 |
| 1871 |
1,725 |
| 1881 |
1,691 |
| 1891 |
1,876 |
| 1901 |
2,196 |
| 1911 |
2,412 |
| 1921 |
2,589 |
| 1931 |
3,570 |
- A Public Elementary School was built here on WIndsor Street in 1849 and later enlarged to hold 255 children.
- A second Public Elementary School was built here in 1871 and later enlarged to hold 292 children.
- There is a new website for Burbage Junior School, but at last check there was no history.
Follow this link to find help, report problems or contribute information.
Last revised: 16-November-2011 - Louis R. Mills]
