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Humberstone

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Description in 1871:
"HUMBERSTONE, a village and a parish in Billesdon district, Leicestershire. The village stands near the Midland railway, 2½ miles ENE of Leicester; and has a post office under Leicester. The parish comprises 2,630 acres. Real property, £4,782. Pop., 515. Houses, 110. The property is divided among a few. The manor belongs to W.A. Pochin, Esq. The living is a vicaragein the diocese of Peterborough. Value, £200. Patron, the Rev.E. Waller. The church is old, was recent1y restored. has a tower and spire, and contains an old altartomb. There are two Methodist chapels, and charities £10."
John Marius Wilson's "Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales," 1870-72

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Archives & Libraries

Mat FASCIONE has a photograph of the St. Barnabas Library on French Road in Humberstone, on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2007.

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Census

  • The parish was in the Billesdon sub-district of the Billesdon registration district.
     
  • The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
     
Census
Year
Piece No.
1861R.G. 9 / 2254
1871R.G. 10 / 3229
1891R.G. 12 / 2494 & 2495
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Church History

  • The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Mary.
     
  • The church is in the Early English style and was built before 1405.
     
  • The church seats 120.
     
  • Mat FASCIONE has a photograph of St. Mary's Church on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2010.
     
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Church Records

  • The Anglican parish register dates from 1683 but early parts are imperfect.
     
  • The church is in the rural deanery of Goscote (first portion). This was latter called the Christianity Deanery.
     
  • The Congregationalists had a small chapel built here in 1851.
     
  • The Wesleyan Methodists had a chapel here by 1881.
     
  • The Primitive Methodists had a chapel here by 1881.
     
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Civil Registration

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

Humberstone is a rural village and parish which has been incorporated into the city of Leicester on its east side. It lies 105 miles north of London and only 2.5 miles east-by-north from the centre of Liecester city. The parish covered 1,175 acres in 1900.

The City of Leicester formally annexed the parish in 1935. If you are planning a visit:

  • By automobile, take the A47 arterial road east out of Leicester city. It cuts through the heart of what was once Humberstone village.
     
  • There used to be two railway sations for Humberstone, but passenger service discontinued prior to 1960.
     
You can see pictures of Humberstone which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

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History

  • For centuries, most of the parish land was used for grazing.
     
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Manors

  • Humberstone Hall was the seat of Sir Maurice LEVY, M.P., in 1912.
     
  • There was also a Manor House in the parish, but the web page author has no details.
     
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Maps

  • See our Maps page for additional resources.
     

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK626059 (Lat/Lon: 52.647233, -1.076184), Humberstone which are provided by:

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Medical Records

  • The Leicester Borough Lunatic Asylum opened here in September, 1869, on a 40 arcre parcel. In December, 1880, it held 392 patients.
     
  • The Asylum was later known as the Towers Hospital.
     
  • The Leicester Borough Lunatic Asylum stood in the area designated as West Humberstone and was thus incorporated into Leicester city in 1891.
     
  • A new wing was added to the structure in 1883 and another in 1890. In 1901 a new recreation hall and administrative offices were built and an additional 49 acres added to the grounds.
     
  • Most patients were transferred out in 1908 to the new Borough Asylum in Narborough.
     
  • The old Asylum was used by the Army in the Great War as a medical hospital. It was renamed the 5th Northern General Hospital. This hospital closed in 1919.
     
  • The facility was named the Towers Hospital in 1947.
     
  • Some patient records exist in the Leicester Records Office and the National Archives, but require a personal visit to access. All records are subject to the 100 year Closure Law.
     
  • Chris SHAW has a photographs of Humberstone Hospital on Geo-graph, taken in September 2005.
     
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Politics & Government

  • This place was an ancient parish of the county and a modern Civil Parish until 1935.
     
  • The parish was in the ancient East Goscote Hundred (or Wapentake) in the eastern (or northern) division of the county.
     
  • By the "Leicester Extension Act of 1891, part of the Civil Parish of Humberstone was constituted as "West Humberstone" and was included in the Borough and parish of Leicester.
     
  • On 1 April, 1935, this Civil Parish was abolished and all the land amagamated into Leicester Civil Parish.
     
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Poor Houses, Poor Law

  • As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, the parish became part of the Billesdon Poorlaw Union.
     
  • Bastardy cases would be heard in the Leicester petty session hearings.
     
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Population

 YearInhabitants
1801412
1811399
1821415
1831470
1841462
1851480
1871852
1881333
1891365
1901385
1911538
1921847
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Schools

  • A National School (later a Public Elementary School) was built here prior in 1857 for 133 children.