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Croft

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Description in 1871:
"CROFT, a parish in Blaby district, Leicester; on the Fosse way and the river Soar, 2¾ miles NNW of Broughton-Astley r. station, and 5¾ ENE of Hinckley. It has a post office under Hinckley. Acres, 1,010. Real property, £2,353. Pop., 319. Houses, 71. The property is divided among a few. Croft Hall is a chief residence. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Peterborough. Value, £582. Patron, the Rev. R. T. Adnutt. The church old and narrow, but good. There is a national school."
[John Marius WILSON's "Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales," 1870-72]

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Cemeteries

  • The Croft Cemetery stands about a half mile west of the village center.
     
  • The Cemetery is under the control of the local parish council, but I could find no historical information on their web site regarding the cemetery.
     
  • Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of the Cemetery on Geo-graph, taken in January, 2009.
     
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Census

  • The parish was in the Enderby sub-district of the Blaby 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.
1841H.O. 107 / 600
1861R.G. 9 / 2258
1891R.G. 12 / 2501
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Church History

  • The Anglican parish church is dedicated to St. Michael and All Angels.
     
  • The precise date of construction is unknown but is believed to be from the Norman era.
     
  • The church tower was added to the West end in the 14th century.
     
  • The church was restored and reconsecrated in 1879.
     
  • The church seats 260.
     
  • There are interior and exterior photos of the church at the Leicester and Rutland Churches website, along with a pocket history of the church.
     
  • Richard CROFT has a photograph of St. Michael & All Angels Church on Geo-graph, taken in May, 2009.
     
  • Richard CROFT has a 2nd photograph of St. Michael & All Angels Church on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2015.
     
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Church Records

  • The Anglican parish register dates from 1586.
     
  • The NBI (National Burial Index) for Croft lists 585 entries from 1813 through 1891.
     
  • The church is in the rural deanery of Guthlaxton (first portion).
     
  • The Croft Free chapel was built in 1822.
     
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Civil Registration

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

Croft is a village and a parish which sits about 8 miles southwest of Leicester, 6 miles east of Hinckley and 97 miles north of London. The parish covers 897 acres. A stream (the River Soar) runs through the north side of the village and another branch runs throught the eastern edge of the village.

The village stands on a type of granite known as Syenite. If you are planning a visit:

  • By automobile, take the B4114 arterial road southwest out of Leicester city and turn right at the signs for Croft.
     
You can see pictures of Croft which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

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History

  • The village is just west of the old Roman Foss Way.
     
  • On Blaby District Council website, see "heritage" in the A to Z index for information on Croft and nearby villages.
     
  • This "temporary" web site has a History of Croft.
     
  • The Croft Granite, Brick & Concrete Company employeed about 300 workers in 1892.
     
  • In the 1800s many parishioners worked as frame-work knitters, others as quarry workers.
     
  • The quarry has a Corporate website with a history of their work in Croft.
     
  • The Village Hall was built in 1904.
     
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Manors

  • Croft Hall, or Croft House, was the seat of William BROOKES in 1849.
     
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Maps

  • See our Maps page for additional resources.
     

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SP512957 (Lat/Lon: 52.556739, -1.246237), Croft which are provided by:

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Military History

  • Mat FASCIONE has a photograph of the War Memorial across from the church on Geo-graph, taken in December, 2012.
     
  • Richard CROFT has a close-up view of the War Memorial on Geo-graph, taken in May, 2009.
     
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Military Records

For another photograph of the Croft War Memorial and the list of names on it, see the Roll of Honour site.

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Politics & Government

  • This place was both an ancient parish in Leicestershire and a modern Civil Parish.
     
  • The parish was in the ancient Sparkenhoe Hundred (or Wapentake) in the southern division of the county.
     
  • In March, 1885, this parish was reduced by "Platt House" to enlarge Broughton Astley Civil Parish.
     
  • The local Parish Council website can keep you informed on what is going on in Croft, but they are not staffed to help with family history questions.
     
  • District governance is provided by the Blaby District Council.
     
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Poor Houses, Poor Law

  • Bastardy cases would be heard in the Leicester petty session hearings.
     
  • The Common Lands were enclosed here in 1779.
     
  • As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, this parish became part of the Blaby Poorlaw Union.
     
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Population

 YearInhabitants
1801255
1841321
1871299
1881576
1891661
1901740
1911742
1921720
1931961
1951984
19611,057
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Schools

  • The Public Elementary School was built in 1854 and leter enlarged. It is an expensive translation.
     
  • There is a website for Croft C. of E. Primary School, but no history nor any list of past students.
     
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Societies

There is an active Heritage Group gathering history in written and oral form and taking pictures.