Narborough
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]
- The Anglican parish church is dedicated to All Saints.
- The style is Early Gothic, but the date of construction is uncertain.
- The church chancel was rebuilt in 1883 and the rest of the facility was restored.
- The church seats 500.
- 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 by 1881.
- Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
- The parish was in the Enderby sub-district of the Blaby Registration District.
Narborough is a large village, a township and a parish which sits about 5 miles southwest of Leicester, 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.
- There is a village street scene to help you recognize the place.
- On Blaby District Council website, see "heritage" in the A to Z index for information on Narborough and nearby villages.
- Narborough Hall, or Narborough House, was the residence of George BELAIRS in 1849.
- The national grid reference is SP 5497.
- Multi Media Mapping have a current map showing the location of Narborough.
- You'll want an Ordnance Survey Explorer map, which has 2.5 inches to the mile scale.
- See our Maps page for additional resources.
- 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.
- It is unknown what records survive from this institution.
- This place was both an ancient parish in Leicestershire and a modern Civil Parish.
- 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.
- As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, this parish became part of the Blaby Poorlaw Union.
| Year |
Inhabitants |
| 1841 |
904 |
| 1851 |
842 |
| 1861 |
716 |
| 1871 |
753 |
| 1881 |
884 |
| 1891 |
873 |
| 1901 |
902 |
| 1911 |
1,839 |
| 1921 |
1,847 |
| 1931 |
2,245 |
| 1951 |
3,460 |
| 1961 |
3,479 |
- The Misses CARTER ran a boarding school here in 1849.
- A Public Elementary School was built in 1872.
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[Re-written: 12-January-2010 - Louis R. Mills]
