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Little Dalby

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Description in 1871:
"DALBY (Little), or Dalby Parva, a parish in Melton-Mowbray district, Leicester; 3½ miles SSE of Melton-Mowbray r. station. Post town, Melton-Mowbray. Acres, 1,848. Real property, £2,861. Pop., 183. Houses, 35. The property is divided among a few. Dalby House is the seat of E. B. Hartopp, Esq. The parish is a meet for the Cottesmore hounds. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Peterborough. Value, £263. Patron, E. B. Hartopp, Esq. The church is modern and very good; and has monuments of the Hartopps."
[John Marius WILSON's "Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales," 1870-72]

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Census

  • The parish was in the Somerby sub-district of the Melton Mowbray Registration District until 1935.
     
  • In 1935, the parish was transferred 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.
1841H.O. 107 / 587
1861R.G. 9 / 2299
1871R.G. 10 / 3293
1891R.G. 12 / 2543
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Church History

  • The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint James.
     
  • The church is of Norman origin, built in the 11th century.
     
  • The church was extensively repaired in 1843.
     
  • The church was restored in 1851-52.
     
  • The church seats 200.
     
  • Tim HEATON has a photograph of the Church of St James on Geo-graph, taken in November, 2005.
     
  • Alan MURRAY-RUST has an interior photograph of the Church of St James on Geo-graph, taken in February, 2017.
     
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Church Records

  • The Anglican parish register dates from 1579.
     
  • The church is in the rural deanery of Framland (third portion) and, by 1912, the rural deanery of Goscote (first portion).
     
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Civil Registration

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

Little Dalby was a village and a parish 4.5 miles south-south-east of Melton Mowbray and 108 miles north of London. The parish covered 1,885 acres before it was amalgamated into the Burton and Dalby Civil Parish.

If you are planning a visit:

  • By automobile, take the A606 trunk road south-east out of Melton Mowbray. Turn off (to the right) onto Stygate Lane for Little Dalby about 5 miles down the road.
     
  • Several streams in the parish feed into the River Eye.
     
  • Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of the Village sign on Geo-graph, taken in February, 2017.
     
  • Tim HEATON has a photograph of the pretty, quiet little village of Little Dalby on a sunny day on Geo-graph, taken in November, 2005.
     
You can see pictures of Little Dalby which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

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History

  • The parish has a chalybeate spring.
     
  • It is reported that Mrs. ORTON made the first Stilton cheese here in 1730, but neighboring communities dispute this.
     
  • Much of the parish land was used for grazing.
     
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Manors

  • Dalby Hall was first built in the reign of Elizabeth I. The centre of the Hall was rebuilt in 1838.
     
  • Additional restoration work was done on the Hall in 1851.
     
  • Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of the East Gate to Little Dalby Hall on Geo-graph, taken in February, 2017.
     
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Maps

  • See our Maps page for additional resources.
     

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK776134 (Lat/Lon: 52.712707, -0.852757), Little Dalby which are provided by:

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Military History

In 1925, Lt.-Col. James D. L. Burns Hartopp of the Royal Horse Guards resided in the parish.

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Names, Geographical

  • Although officially "Little Dalby", indexes may carry the name as "Dalby Little" or the Latin form of "Dalby Parva".
     
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Politics & Government

  • This place was an ancient parish in Leicestershire and was a Civil Parish until 1936.
     
  • The parish was in the ancient Framland Hundred in the northern (or eastern) division of the county.
     
  • In April, 1936, this parish was abolished and the area made part of the Burton and Dalby Civil Parish.
     
  • You may contact the Burton and Dalby Parish Council regarding civic or political matters, but they are NOT staffed to perform family history searches for you.
     
  • District governance is provided by the Melton Borough Council.
     
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Poor Houses, Poor Law

  • Bastardy cases would be heard in the Melton Mowbray petty session hearings.
     
  • 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
1841184
1861183
1871210
1881154
1891184
1901144
1911151
1921118
1931118
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Schools

  • A Parochial School (later termed a "Public Elementary School") was built by 1881 to hold 30 students.
     
  • Prior to 1881, students attended the school at Pickwell.