Holwell
Description in 1849:
"HOLWELL. is a chapelry in the parish of Ab-Kettleby, 3 and 1/2 miles north-north-west from Melton Mowbray, and contains 156 inhabitants. The chapel is a small building, with a turret and 1 bell; the Rev. John Hardinge, B.A., of Ab-Kettleby, officiates. There is a chalybeate spring in the neighbourhood, called Holwell Mouth. The Earl of Dysart is lord of the manor. Here is a place of worship for Wesleyans."
["Post Office Directory Leicester & Rutlandshire," 1849]
Note: There are three other places in England with the name Holwell.
- The parish was in the Clawson 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 table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
Census
Year |
Piece No. |
| 1861 |
R.G. 9 / 2302 |
| 1891 |
R.G. 12 / 2545 |
- The Anglican parish church was built as a Chapel of Ease.
- The church is in the rural deanery of Framland (third portion).
- The Wesleyan Methodists built a chapel here in 1877.
- Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
- The parish was in the Clawson sub-district of the Melton Mowbray Registration District until 1935.
- In 1935, the parish was transfered to the Melton and Belvoir Registration District.
Holwell is a village, a township, a chapelry and was a parish 3.5 miles northwest of Melton Mowbray. The River Smith rises in this place. The parish covered about 1,220 acres.
If you are planning a visit:
- By automobile, take the A606 trunk road north out of Melton Mobray. Turn right (east) at Ab Kettleby and go about 1 mile to find Holwell village.
- Most of the parish land was held in pasturage. Much of the remaining land was used for small farms.
- Small scale iron mining, in open pits, occurred here in the 1800s and early 1900s.
- The national grid reference is SK 7323.
- 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 in Leicestershire and became a modern Civil Parish in December, 1866.
- The parish was in the ancient Framland Hundred in the northern (or eastern) division of the county.
- On 24 March, 1884, the parish was enlarged from parcels from both Ab Kettleby Civil Parish and the Landlike Lane section of Wartnaby Civil Parish.
- On 1 April, 1936, Holwell Civil Parish was abolished and the 1,408 acres went to Ab Kettleby Civil Parish.
| Year |
Inhabitants |
| 1841 |
156 |
| 1871 |
147 |
| 1881 |
268 |
| 1891 |
238 |
| 1901 |
272 |
| 1911 |
249 |
| 1921 |
199 |
| 1931 |
191 |
- The webpage author could find no record of a school in this small parish.
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[Last updated: 19-November-2011 - Louis R. Mills]
