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Eaton

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Description in 1871:
"EATON, a parish in Melton-Mowbray district, Leicester; on the river Devon, 7 miles N of Saxby r. station, and 8 NE by N of Melton-Mowbray. Post town, Branstone, under Grantham. Acres, 2,470. Real property, £2,771. Pop., 421. Houses, 92. The property is divided among a few. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Peterborough. Value, £83. Patron, the Lord Chancellor. The church is a neat building, with tower and spire. There are a Wesleyan chapel, a national school, and charities £32."
[John Marius WILSON's "Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales," 1870-1872]

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Cemeteries

  • The parish established a 1/2 acre cemetery in 1892. It was a gift from the 7th Duke of Rutland and was placed under the control of the parish council's burial board.
     
  • The cemetery was sited on Vicarage Lane near the Castle Inn.
     
  • Kate JEWELL has a photograph of Eaton cemetery on Geo-graph, taken in December, 2008.
     
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Census

  • The parish was in the Clawson sub-district of the Melton Mowbray Registration District.
     
  • In 1935, the parish was transfered to the new Melton and Belvoir 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 / 587
1861R.G. 9 / 2303
1871R.G. 10 / 3296
1891R.G. 12 / 2545
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Church History

  • The Anglican parish church was dedicated to Saint Denis (Denys).
     
  • The church construction date is unknown. It appears to be Norman from the late 1500s, but has been dated back to the 12th century.
     
  • The church was restored in 1905.
     
  • The church seats 160.
     
  • Kate JEWELL has a photograph of St. Denys's Church on Geo-graph, taken in December, 2007.
     
  • Kate JEWELL has another photograph of St. Denys's Church on Geo-graph, taken in January, 2010.
     
  • Alan MURRAY-RUST also has a photograph of St. Denys's Church on Geo-graph, taken in October, 2016. The War Memorial clock on the tower is clearly visible.
     
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Church Records

  • The Anglican parish register dates from 1788.
     
  • The Family History Library in Salt Lake City has the Bishops Transcripts for baptisms, marriages and burials for 1582-1874 on microfilm #592705.
     
  • The church was in the rural deanery of Framland (first portion).
     
  • The Wesleyan Methodists had a chapel built here before 1849.
     
  • Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of the former Methodist Chapel on Geo-graph, taken in October, 2016.
     
  • The Congregationalsts had a chapel built here before 1881, but that appears to be closed by 1912.
     
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Civil Registration

  • Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
     
  • The parish was in the Clawson sub-district of the Melton Mowbray Registration District.
     
  • In 1935, the parish was transferred to the new Melton and Belvoir Registration District.
     
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Description & Travel

Eaton is a parish and a village in the far northeast of the county in the Vale of Belvior in the Wold Hills. The parish lay about 121 miles north of London, about 8 miles north of Melton Mobray and about the same distance southwest of Grantham in Lincolnshire. The parish covers 4,780 acres and includes the villages of Eastwell and Goadby Marwood.

The Devon Stream passes just east of the village and empties into the Knipton Reservoir. If you are planning a visit:

  • By automobile, from the A607 trunk road, turn west at Branston to arrive at Eaton.
     
  • A spring in this parish is considered the head or source of the River Devon.
     
You can see pictures of Eaton which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

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History

  • A good portion of the parish was farmland.
     
  • Ironstone was plentiful in the parish.
     
  • The village feast is held on the first Sunday after 17 June, which is the festival of St. Botolph.
     
  • Kate JEWELL has a photograph of the Castle Inn on Geo-graph, taken in Dec, 2005.
     
  • Peter BARR also has a photograph of the Castle Inn on Geo-graph, taken in March, 2009.
     
  • Kate JEWELL also has a photograph of Eaton Community Park on Geo-graph, near the cemetery, taken in January, 2010.
     
  • The Village Hall was built in 1952.
     
  • Kate JEWELL has a photograph of the Village Hall on Geo-graph, taken in October, 2007. You may stop in when the hall is open and ask for a schedule of forth-coming events.
     
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Maps

  • See our Maps page for additional resources.
     

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK798291 (Lat/Lon: 52.853493, -0.816377), Eaton which are provided by:

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Military History

There is a paper Roll of Honour for World War One in a wooden frame hanging in St. Denys Church.

There is a carved wooden plaque inside the Village Hall which commemorates the ten men of the parish who fell in World War One.

There is a War Memorial plaque, a white marble tablet on black background, that commemorates the Clock in the tower, donated in 1919 as a memorial for the fallen. The plaque lists 12 names from WWI and one from WWII.

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Politics & Government

  • The parish was in the Framland Hundred (Wapentake) in the northern (or eastern) division of the county.
     
  • This parish was an "ancient parish" of Leicestershire as well as a modern Civil Parish.
     
  • In April, 1936, the parish of Eaton was enlarged by 1,361 acres with the abolition of Eastwell Civil Parish.
     
  • That same month, the parish of Eaton was enlarged by 1,650 acres with the abolition of Goadby Marwood Civil Parish. This left Eaton covering 4,780 acres.
     
  • You may contact the Eaton Parish Council regarding civic or political matters, but they are NOT funded to help you with family history searches. The council conducts an annual Parish Meeting around June of each year.
     
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Poor Houses, Poor Law

  • Bastardy cases would be heard in the Belvoir petty session hearings which were held every other Monday.
     
  • In 1822, Mrs. Ann BATES left £200, which was invested and the interest distributed to the poor.
     
  • As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, this parish became part of the Melton Mowbray Poorlaw Union.
     
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Population

 YearInhabitants
1801247
1831358
1841404
1871382
1881351
1891437
1901421
1911436
1921490
1961571
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Schools

  • The Public Elementary School (National School) was rebuilt in 1874 and enlarged in 1905.