Leicestershire county page

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Leicestershire Towns & Parishes

Nearby places

Ravenstone

Description in 1871:
"RAVENSTONE, a village in Leicester, and a parish partly also in Derby, but all in the district of Ashby-de-la-Zouch. The village stands 2 miles W of Coalville r.station, and 4 S E of Ashby-de-la-Zouch; and has a post-office under Ashby-de-la-ouch. The parish comprises 550 acres in Leicester, and 580 in Derby. Real property, £2,520. Pop., 248 and 144. Houses, 54 and 55. The property is divided among a few. The manor, with R. Hall, belongs to L. Fosbrooke, Esq. R. House is the residence of the Rev. R. G. Cresswell. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Lichfield. Value, £320. Patron, the Lord Chancellor. The church is early English, in good condition; and has a tower and spire. There are a Wesleyan chapel, a national school, and an alms-house-hospital for 36 women."
[John Marius Wilson's "Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales," 1870-72]

Census

• The parish was in the the Whitwick subdistrict of the Ashby-de-la-Zouch 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:
  
  

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Church History

• The Anglican parish church for Ravenstone is dedicated to the Saint Michael and All Angels.
  
  
• The church building dates from 1325.
  
  
• This chancel was restored in 1884.
  
  
• Snibton had a very ancient Chapel of Ease which is now dedicated to Saint Mary and is the smallest church still in use for regular worship in England.
  
  
• There was also a temporary wooden church at Highlands in Snibton which was dedicated to Saint Faith.
  
  

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Church Records

• The Anglican parish register dates from 1705 and is in very good condition.
  
  
• The church was in the rural deanery of Repton.
  
  
• The Weslyean Methodists had a chapels built here in 1806.
  
  

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Civil Registration

• Civil Registration started in July, 1837.
  
  
• The parish was in the the Whitwick subdistrict of the Ashby-de-la-Zouch district.
  
  

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Description and Travel.

Ravenstone is a village and a parish 13 miles north-west of Leicester city and 4 miles south-east of Ashby-de-la-Zouch. The parish lies 121 miles north of London within the National Forest of England and covers 1,731 acres, but had covered almost twice that, 2.413 acres, in 1891.

Snibton is a a former coal mining village that used to be a part of Coalville. According to Wikipedia, it is: "now dominated by the Snibston Discovery Museum, built on the site of the former colliery and consisting of an award-winning interactive museum..."

The village is in a fertile valley on a stream that feeds into the Soar River. If you are planning a visit:

• By automobile, pick up the A512 just east of Ashby-de-la-Zouch and Head toward Loughborough. After you cross the A447, Ravenstone is just off to the left.
  
  
• Ravenstone has its own website with a photo of St. Michael's Church.
  
  
• Snibton has its own website with information about the museum and other venues for education and discovery.
  
  

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History

• An archeological excavation in 1981 found a Romano-Bristish settlement just south of the present village.
  
  
• 3rd century iron-smelting pits and kilns have also been found in the area.
  
  

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Manors

• Ravenstone Hall stands on Ashby Road in Ravenstone.
  
  

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Maps

• The national grid reference is SK 4013
  
  
• 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.
  
  

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Names, Geographical

• The name is derived from the Old Norse Hrœfnes, the name of a Saxon invader, and the suffix tun, meaning "Hrafn's farm or village".
  
  

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Politics and Governance

• Theis place was an ancient chapelry in Glen Magna parish in Leicestershire.
  
  
• The parish was about half in Leicestershire and half in Derbyshire.
  
  
• The parish was in the ancient West Goscote Hundred in the western division of the county.
  
  
• The Derbyshire portion was in the ancient Repton and Gresley Hundred.
  
  
• Ravenstone was not established as a Civil Parish until December, 1866.
  
  
• In March, 1884, this parish was enlarged in size to merge Ravenstone parish with the hamlet of Snibston taken from Packington Civil Parish. The parish also received "Alton Grange" from Ashby de la Zouch Civil Parish. The parish name then became "Ravenstone with Snibston".
  
  
• In April, 1912, this parish was reduced by 34 acres to enlarge Coalville Civil Parish.
  
  
• In April, 1936, this parish was reduced by 514 acres to enlarge Coalville Civil Parish.
  
  
• You can visit the Parish Council web site to discuss civil or political issues, but they will NOT do family history lookups for you.
  
  
• District governance is provided by the North West Leicestershire Council.
  
  

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Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

• Around 1711, Rebecca and Francis WILKINS established almshouses (sometimes it was refered to as a hospital) for up to 32 poor females above the age of 50 from both Derby and Leicester. A chapel was added in 1784 and four additional buildings in 1860.
  
  
• As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, the parish became part of the Ashby-de-la-Zouch Poorlaw Union.
  
  

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Population

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Schools

• A Public Elementary School (mixed) was enlarged in 1888 & 1899 to hold 170 students.
  
  

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