Kegworth (Kegworth Hemington)
Description in 1871:
"KEGWORTH, a small town, a township, and a parish, in the district of Shardlow and county of LeicesterThe town stands on an eminence, on the W bank of the river Soar, at the boundary with Notts, 1 mile W of Kegworth r. station, and 6 NW by N of Loughborough; was anciently called Cogeworde; had long a weekly market; carries on trade in frame work knitting, embroidering, basket making, malting, and brewing; and has a post office under Derby, a telegraph at its r. station, a stone bridge over the Soar, a church, three dissenting chapels, an endowed national school, and charities £47. The church is an old and handsome edifice; consists of nave, aisles, transept, and chancel, with tower and spire; and was restored in 1859. The township includes the town, and extends into the country. Real property, £6,418. Pop., 1,773. Houses, 412.-The parish contains also the chapelry of Isley-Walton, and comprises 2, 260 acres. Real property, £7,163. Pop., 1,189. Houses, 420. The property is subdivided. The manor belongs to John B. Story, Esq. The living is a rectory, united with the p. curacy of Isley-Walton, in the diocese of Peterborough. Value, £875. Patron, Christ's College, Cambridge."
[John Marius Wilson's "Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales," 1870-72]
- The parish was in the Castle Donington subdistrict of the Shardlow 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 / 2488 |
| 1891 |
R.G. 12 / 2719 |
- The Anglican parish church for Kegworth is dedicated to Saint Andrew.
- The church was built here about 1370.
- The church was thoroughly repaired and the upper part of the spire rebuilt in 1843.
- The church was restored in 1859-1860.
- The church tower was restored in 1875.
- The church spire needed partial rebuilding in 1903.
- The church seats 600.
- The Anglican parish register dates from 1556.
- The church is in the rural deanery of East Akeley.
- The Wesleyan Methodist chapel on High Street was in use by 1849. The United (Free) Methodist chapel on the Derby road was in use by 1849. The Primitive Methodists opened their chapel in Nottingham road in 1902. The General Baptist chapel, also on High Street was founded in 1760.
- Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
- The parish was in the Castle Donington subdistrict of the Shardlow registration district.
Kegworth is a small town, a township and parish 6 miles northwest of Loughborough and 11 miles east-south-east of Derby and 115 miles north of London. Nottinghamshire forms the eastern border of the parish. The parish covers about 2,290 acres.
The town sits on a rise on the west side of the River Soar. If you are planning a visit:
- By automobile, the town lies near the intersection of the M1 motorway and the A6 trunk road. Kegworth is just east of that intersection.
- A railway line of the old Midland Railway passes just east of the town, but passenger service is not reported.
- A stone bridge was built in 1785 to cross the River Soar.
- The kennels for the pack called the "Donington hounds" were kept here.
- The people of Kegworth were chiefly employed in frame-work knitting and embroidery. The town was also known for its malthouses and corn mills.
- The poet Thomas MOORE lived here during 1812 and 1813.
- Old directories mention a Manor House, but give no descriptions.
- The national grid reference is SK 4826
- You'll want an Ordnance Survey Explorer map, which has a scale of 2.5 inches to the mile.
- See our Maps page for additional resources.
- The ancient name for this parish was "Cogesworde".
- This place was an ancient parish of Leicestershire and became a modern Civil Parish when those were established.
- The parish was in the ancient West Goscote Hundred in the northern division of the county.
- As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, Kegworth became part of the Shardlow Poorlaw Union.
- Bastardy cases would be heard in the Loughborough petty sessional hearings.
| Year |
Inhabitants |
| 1841 |
1,945 |
| 1861 |
1,773 |
| 1871 |
1,788 |
| 1881 |
2,142 |
| 1891 |
2,149 |
| 1901 |
2,078 |
| 1911 |
2,220 |
| 1921 |
2,139 |
| 1931 |
2,107 |
| 1951 |
2,508 |
| 1961 |
2,645 |
- A Free School was founded here in 1575 by licence of Queen Elizabeth.
- A National School was built here in 1839 and the endowment for the Free School was transfered here. This school was enlarged in 1871 and again in 1892
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[Last updated: 6-January-2012 - Louis R. Mills]
