Freeby
Description in 1871:
"FREEBY, a chapelry in Melton-Mowbray parish, Leicester; near the river Wreak and the Melton-Mowbray canal, 1 mile NW of Saxby r. station, and 3¼ ENE of Melton-Mowbray. Post town, Melton-Mowbray. Acres, 1, 546. Real property, £2, 016. Pop., 126. Houses, 26. The living is a p. curacy, annexed to the vicarage of Melton-Mowbray, in the diocese of Peterborough. The church is old; and there is an Independent chapel."
John Marius Wilson's "Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales," 1870-72,
- The parish was in the Waltham sub-district of the Melton Mowbray Registration District until 1935.
- In 1935, the parish was transfered to the 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 Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Mary.
- The church was thoroughly restored in 1894.
- The church seats 200.
- The Anglican parish register dates from 1604, but consists chiefly of fragments until about 1800.
- The church is in the rural deanery of Framland (third portion).
- The Congregationalists built a chapel here prior to 1881, which had been founded in 1665.
- Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
- The parish was in the Waltham sub-district of the Melton Mowbray Registration District until 1935.
- In 1935, the parish was transfered to the Melton and Belvoir Registration District.
Freeby was a village, a chapelry and a township almost 4 miles east of Melton Mowbray and 101 miles north of London. The parish is not far from the border of Rutland county, just north of Stapleford. A stream in the parish feeds the River Eye.
If you are planning a visit:
- By automobile, take the B676 arterial road east out of Melton Mobray. Turn left to find Freeby.
- Several streams in the parish feed into the River Eye.
- This place was once a part of Melton Mowbray parish.
- Much of the parish land was used for grazing.
- The national grid reference is SK 8020.
- 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 chapelry and township of the county and a Civil Parish after Dec. 1866.
- The parish was in the ancient Framland Hundred in the northern (or eastern) division of the county.
- In 1881, the parish covered 1,546 acres. This was reduced by 1891 to 1,394 acres.
- In April, 1936, this parish was enlarged and amalgamated with the abolition of Bretingby and Wyfordby Civil Parish, Saxby Civil Parish and Stapleford Civil Parish. This added about 5,000 acres to the parish.
| Year |
Inhabitants |
| 1871 |
131 |
| 1881 |
132 |
| 1891 |
131 |
| 1901 |
134 |
| 1911 |
143 |
| 1921 |
153 |
| 1931 |
136 |
| 1951 |
412 |
| 1961 |
353 |
- In 1881, this parish boasted a small school built outside the village by Daniel THWAITES.
- The above Public Elementary School was built here in 1875 to hold 39 children.
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[Created: 26-August-2009 - Louis R. Mills]
