Cossington
Description in 1871:
"COSSINGTON, a parish in Barrow-upon-Soar district, Leicester; on the rivers Soar and Wreak, and on the Midland railway, adjacent to the Fosse way, 1 mile S of Sileby r. station, and 2 SE of Mount Sorrel. It has a post office under Loughborough. Acres, 1,551. Real property, £4,139. Pop., 408. Houses, 71. The property is subdivided. Some of the inhabitants arc stocking-makers. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Peterborough. Value, £448. Patron, the Rev. Joseph Mayor. The church is early English, with a square tower; has a piscina and stalls; and is very good. Charities, £97."
[John Marius Wilson's "Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales," 1870-72]
Note: There is a Cossington parish down in Somerset county as well.
- A cemetery of about 2 acres was consecrated here in 1881 and was managed by a Burial Board in the Parish Council.
- The cemetery had two mortuary chapels.
- The parish was in the Barrow upon Soar sub-district of the Barrow upon Soar 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 13 covers the Barrow on Soar sub-district.
- The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
Census
Year |
Piece No. |
| 1861 |
R.G. 9 / 2279 |
| 1891 |
R.G. 12 / 2519 |
- The Anglican parish church is dedicated to All Saints.
- The church was built around 1350.
- The church was restored in 1865.
- The church seats 200.
- The Anglican parish register dates from 1544.
- The church was in the rural deanery of Goscote (second portion).
- The parish was in the Barrow upon Soar sub-district of the Barrow upon Soar Registration District.
- Civil Registration started in July, 1837.
Cossington is a town and a parish about 8 miles north of the city of Leicester in the Soar Valley, 5 miles southeast of Loughborough and 105 miles north of London. The village sits just east of the River Soar on a rivulet that empties into that river. The parish covers 1,543 acres.
The town was a framework-knitting centre in your ancestors' time. If you are planning a visit:
- By automobile, take the A46 north out of Leicester. At the roundabout just before Ratcliffe on the Wreake, turn left (west) for Cossington.
- Although there is no railway service to Cossington, the Ivanhoe Line runs along the Midland Main Line between Leicester and Loughborough. One can get on or off the train at Syston or Sileby.
- Leicestershire Villages have a village website with description and history.
- There is a view Looking south down Main Street at Geograph.
- There have long been humans at Cossington. You can get an update on Bronze age burials being studied by Leicester University.
- Cossington was home to Lady Isobel Barnett, a radio and television personality from the mid 20th century, where she committed suicide amidst shoplifting charges. A short new road, Barnett Close, has been named in her memory.
- There were plans to expand the village in the early 1990's, which were strongly opposed by the residents at the time, who formed the protest group "Cossington In Distress." The residents were successful in protesting the work being done and the village remains a peaceful community.
- The national grid reference is SK 6013
- You'll want an Ordnance Survey Explorer map, which has 2.5 inches to the mile scale.
- See our Maps page for additional resources.
- This place was an ancient parish in 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 April, 1935, the parish traded parcels with Syston Civil Parish, giving up 17 acres and gaining 2.
- You can find The Cossington Parish Council information online, but they will not assist with family history questions or lookups.
| Year |
Inhabitants |
| 1841 |
310 |
| 1861 |
408 |
| 1871 |
462 |
| 1881 |
403 |
| 1891 |
371 |
| 1901 |
446 |
| 1911 |
388 |
| 1921 |
495 |
| 1931 |
351 |
| 1951 |
419 |
- A Public Elementary School was built (and opened) in 1873 to hold 60 children. It was enlarged in 1902 to hold 81 children.
- Cossington School has a website at: Cossington School, but only the briefest of histories is provided. Note: I found this website very slow to load and some of the text (yellow on a white background) almost impossible to read.
- Near to Cossington is Ratcliffe College.
Follow this link to find help, report problems or contribute information.
[Last updated: 21-November-2011 - Louis R. Mills]
