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Narborough

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Description in 1871:
"NARBOROUGH, a village, a township, and a parish in Blaby district, Leicestershire. The village stands on the river Soar, and on the Fosse way, near the Leicester and Nuneaton railway, 5.5 miles S W by S of Leicester; is a considerable place; and has a station on the railway, and a post-office under Leicester. The township includes the village, and extends into the country. Real property, £5,252. Pop. in 1851, 842; in 1861, 716. Houses, 154. The decrease of pop. was caused partly by the discontinuance of a boarding-school. The parish contains also the hamlet of Huncote, and comprises 2, 657 acres. Real property, £8,220; of which £150 are in quarries. Pop. in 1851, 1,283; in 1861, 1,156. Houses, 249.

The property is much subdivided. The manor of Narborough belongs to T. Pares, Esq.; and that of Huncote, to the Earl of Stamford. Narborough Hall is the seat of W. Orton, Esq. A royal palace once stood at Huncote. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Peterborough. Value, £690. Patron, T. Pares, Esq. The church is ancient, and in tolerable condition; has a Norman door-way, and a massive tower; and contains two sedilia and a piscina. A chapel of ease was formerly in Huncote. Chapels for Independents are in Narborough and Huncote. Charities, £8."
John Marius WILSON's "Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales," 1870-72]

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Archives & Libraries

The Narborough Library in Station Road is a branch of the Leicester County Council Library System. It is open 4 days each week (verify by phone if you are visiting).  It is a small community-managed library on one level and has wide aisles.

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Cemeteries

  • A public Cemetery was opened here in 1910. The cemetery is just south of King Edward Avenue (the B4114), adjacent to Greystoke Primary School.
     
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Census

  • The parish was in the Enderby sub-district of the Blaby 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. Volume 4 covers the Enderby subdistrict.
     
  • The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
     
Census
Year
Piece No.
1841H.O. 107 / 602
1861R.G. 9 / 2257
1871R.G. 10 / 3233
1891R.G. 12 / 2500
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Church History

  • The Anglican parish church is dedicated to All Saints.
     
  • The style is Early Gothic, but the date of construction is unreported.
     
  • A nice porch was added in 1860.
     
  • The church chancel was rebuilt in 1883 and the rest of the facility was restored.
     
  • The church seats 500.
     
  • The churchyard was closed to new burials in June, 1910.
     
  • Ashley DACE has a photograph of All Saint Church on Geo-graph, taken in November, 2010.
     
  • Richard CROFT has a photograph of the Church tower on Geo-graph, taken in January, 2011.
     
  • Mat FASCIONE has a photograph of All Saints Church porch and the tower on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2017.
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Church Records

  • The Anglican parish register dates from 1599.
     
  • The church is in the rural deanery of Guthlaxton (first portion).
     
  • The Congregationalists had a chapel founded in 1662 and built here in 1763 on School Lane near the Blaby Council offices.
     
  • Timothy HEATON has a photograph of the Congregational Chapel on Geo-graph, taken in July, 2011.
     
  • Visit the Congregationalist website for more information on this church.
     
  • Timothy HEATON also has a photograph of the Catholic Church of St. Pius X on Geo-graph, taken in July, 2011.
     
  • The Roman Catholic Church of Saint Pius X has its own Website and is located at 52 Leicester Road.
     
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Civil Registration

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

Narborough is a large village, a township and a parish which sits about 5 miles southwest of Leicester city, 9 miles northeast of Lutterworth and 100 miles north of London. The parish covers 1,636 acres and sits on the west bank of The River Soar.

If you are planning a visit:

  • By automobile, take the B4114 arterial road southwest out of Leicester city. This road runs through the heart of Narborough.
     
  • The M! motorway passes through the eastern edge of the parish.
     
  • Richard VINCE has a photograph of an Arriva Bus on Leicester Road on Geo-graph, taken in January, 2010.
     
  • Passenger rail service came to the parish in 1864 and ceased in 1968. The station re-opened to passengers in 1970.
     
  • Nigel THOMPSON provides a photograph of the Narborough railway station on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2012.
     
  • You can hire the Parish Centre for family re-unions.
You can see pictures of Narborough which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

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History

  • A Parish Feast was held on the Sunday following November 1st.
     
  • J. THOMAS has a photograph of the Narborough Arms on Geo-graph, taken in November, 2016. Alternately known as the Narborough Inn.
     
  • These are the proprietors or the Narborough Arms in various diectories:
 Year Proprietor
1861 Sarah SANSOM, vict.
1863 Sarah SANSOM, vict.
1881 Miss Dinah Everard Bilson SANSOM
  • J. THOMAS has a photograph of the Dovecote Public Hounse in Coventry Road on Geo-graph, taken in November, 2016.
     
  • We haven't found a photograph of the Bell Public Hosue yet, but these are the proprietors given in various diectories:
 Year Proprietor
1861 Charles F. BECKWITH, vict.
1881 Joseph GEARY, vict. and blacksmith
1892 Joseph GEARY, v.
  • Kate JEWELL has a photograph of the Copt Oak Public House in Hardwicke Road on Geo-graph, taken in May, 2006.
     
  • J. THOMAS has a photograph of the Plough Inn on Geo-graph, taken in November, 2016. The Plough Inn is in Littlethorpe.
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Manors

  • Narborough Hall, or Narborough House, is a Grade II* listed building.
     
  • The Hall was likely built in 1596 by James MEADE (1555–1616).
     
  • It was the residence of George BELAIRS in 1849.
     
  • However it wasn’t until it was extensively remodelled in the mid-19th century that it became known as Narborough Hall (it was built using the local pink granite).
     
  • Timothy HEATON has a photograph of Narborough Hall on Geo-graph, taken in July, 2011.
     
  • Several downstairs rooms have been converted to a shop. They have an online website.
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Maps

  • See our Maps page for additional resources.
     

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SP537976 (Lat/Lon: 52.573577, -1.209059), Narborough which are provided by:

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Medical Records

  • The Leicesershire and Rutland County Lunatic Asylum was in this parish. Built in 1904-07 of red brick with stone dressings, the asylum grounds covered 186 acres and the buildings could house 688 patients. This building replaced an earlier structure out by the racecourse.
     
  • The institution became known as the Carlton Hayes Hospital in 1939.
     
  • The hospital became part of the National Health Service in 1948.
     
  • Some indexes and patient records are at the Leicester and Rutland Record Office. You may search the National Archives to see what you can access online.
     
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Military History

  • The War Memorial stands in the southern point of the public cemetery, just off Church Lane. The Memorial is a stone cross, the base of which bears names of the men who gave their lives in the Great War; 1914-1918
     
  • Timothy HEATON has a photograph of the War Memorial in the cemetery on Geo-graph, taken in July, 2011.
     
  • Inside All Saints Church, there is a Roll of Honour for World War One in red and black ink, in wooden frame, mounted on the wall.
     
  • Also inside of All Saints Church, there is the Baptistry in the SW corner of the South aisle of the church. It contains the font and the case holding the Book of Remembrance (WMP2134), as well as a framed dedicationary poster in the corner and a Roll of Honour (WMP2140).
     
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Military Records

The War Memorial includes the names of 11 men who perished in WWI and 6 who perished in WWII.

  1. Brown, Edwin B.
  2. Fawkes, Edward L.
  3. Grimes, Bertie E.
  4. Haverson, Frank
  5. Holman, William J.
  6. Jones, John H.
  7. Palmer, Cyril
  8. Panks, Arthur
  9. Powley, Herbert J.
  10. Powley, William J.
  11. Stuart, Robert S.
  12. Turner, Augustus W.
  13. Turner, Harry
  14. Twiddy, Arthur G.
  15. Twiddy, Ernest E.
  16. Wiseman, Wilfred J.
  17. Wright, James D.
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Politics & Government

  • This place was an ancient parish in Leicestershire and became modern Civil Parish when those were established.
     
  • The parish was in the ancient Sparkenhoe Hundred (or Wapentake) in the southern division of the county.
     
  • In March, 1885, this parish was reduced to enlarge Cosby Civil Parish.
     
  • In April, 1935, this parish was enlarged by gaining 174 acres from Cosby Civil Parish.
     
  • On the same date above, this parish gave up 236 acres to Lubbesthorpe Civil Parish.
     
  • You may contact the local Narborough Parish Council regarding civic or political issues, but they are NOT funded to provide family history lookups for you.
     
  • District governance is provided by the Blaby District Council (with similar restrictions).
     
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Poor Houses, Poor Law

  • Bastardy cases would be heard in the Leicester petty session hearings.
     
  • Mrs. Ann BINGLEY's charity of £30 (year uncertain) for poor parishoners.
     
  • Mr. Steven BUCKINGHAM's chairty of £5 left in 1840 was left for poor persons, members of the church.
     
  • As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, this parish became part of the Blaby Poorlaw Union.
     
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Population

YearInhabitants
1801791
1841904
1851842
1861716
1871753
1881884
1891873
1901902
19111,839
19211,847
19312,245
19513,460
19613,479
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Schools

  • The Misses CARTER ran a boarding school here in 1849.
     
  • The misters WILLS and HOWARD ran a very respected Boarding School here in 1861.
     
  • The National and Sunday Schools were re-erected in 1872.
     
  • A Public Elementary School was built in 1872 for 104 children and 70 infants.