Desford
Description in 1877:
"DESFORD, a large village, with many framework knitters, is pleasantly situated on a bold acclivity, about a mile south of the station, to which it gives its name, on the Leicester and Swannington Railway, 5 miles E. by N. of market Bosworth, and 8 miles W. by S. of Leicester. Desford parish, which is in Sparkenhoe Hundred, Market Bosworth Union, and that County Court District, comprises the township and the hamlet of Barrons Park, and in 1871 contained 911 persons, living in 217 houses, on 3,830 acres of land. Baron's Park, which then had 17 inhabitants, comprises about 415, situate about two miles E. of the village, and mostly in three farms."
[White's "History, Gazetteer and Directory of the Counties of Leicester and Rutland, 3rd Edition," 1877]
- The parish was in the Market Bosworth sub-district of the Market Bosworth Registration District.
- The 1851 Census for Leicestershire has been indexed by the Leicestershire & Rutland Family History Society. Volume 2 includes Desford which has been published on microfiche only.
- The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
Census
Year |
Piece No. |
| 1861 |
R.G. 9 / 2264 |
| 1891 |
R.G. 12 / 2506 |
- The Anglican parish church was dedicated to Saint Martin.
- The church was thoroughly restored in 1884-85.
- The church tower and spire were repaired in 1898.
- The church seats 250.
- There is a photo of the church at Wikipedia.
- The Anglican parish register dates from 1559 and is good condition.
- The Society of Genealogists holds
extracts from parish registers from 1629 - 1699 and copies of marriage records from 1559 - 1837 which can be studied at their library in London.
- The original records are held at the The Record Office for Leicestershire, Leicester & Rutland.
- The church was in the rural deanery of Guthlaxton (first portion).
- The General Baptists had a chapel here by 1849. They replaced this chapel with a new one in 1904.
- The Primitive Methodists had a chapel here by 1849, but this may have closed by 1881.
- The Calvinists had a chapel here by 1881. This was still operating in 1912.
- The parish was in the Market Bosworth sub-district of the Market Bosworth Registration District.
- Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
Desford is a town and a parish standing on a rise 8 miles west of Leicester, 5 miles east of Market Bosworth, 8 miles north of Hinckley and 111 miles north of London. The parish covers 3,830 acres and includes the hamlet of Barron's Park.
The land around the village has been mostly pasture for centuries. If you are planning a visit:
- The village boasts five pubs, so take your pick.
- Be sure to visit "Tropical Birdland," which contains many bird species.
- By automobile, take the B5380 east out of Leicester city. Where it meets the B582, you will find Desford to your right.
- Although the railway from 1832 still runs near Desford, the line today handles only freight traffic. The old public railway station still survives about a mile east of the village.
- In the 1800s most of the inhabitants were stocking frame-work knitters.
- The webpage author could find no mention of a Manor house or Hall.
- The national grid reference is SK 4803.
- You'll want an Ordnance Survey Explorer map, which has 2.5 inches to the mile scale.
- See our Maps page for additional resources.
- Carts Field, just outside the village, was developed in 1939 as a first stage flying school for the RAF. The planes used were De Havilland Tiger Moths, single engined bi-planes. An early form of flight simulator was also used. After the war, the field was used by the Leicester Aeroclub until 1930, when the club moved to Ratcliffe Aerodrome. Caterpillar Inc. now has a large manufacturing plant on this site.
- Desford was an ancient parish in Leicestershire and became a modern Civil Parish when those were established.
- The parish lies in the Sparkenhoe Hundred (Wapentake) in the western division of the county.
- On 1 April, 1936, the parish was enlarged by 917 acres transfered from Ratby Civil parish.
| Year |
Inhabitants |
| 1841 |
1,006 |
| 1861 |
981 |
| 1871 |
911 |
| 1881 |
900 |
| 1891 |
794 |
| 1901 |
830 |
| 1911 |
1,118 |
| 1921 |
1,167 |
| 1931 |
1,163 |
| 1951 |
1,983 |
| 1961 |
2,300 |
- An infants school was built here before 1849.
- An Education Committee of 6 managers was formed in July, 1903.
- Bosworth College stands in Desford.
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[Last Updated: 18-November-2011 - Louis R. Mills]
