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Rearsby

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Description in 1871:
"REARSBY, a village and a parish in Barrow-upon-Soar district, Leicester. The village stands near the Syston and Peterborough railway, and near the river Wreak, 7 miles W S W of Melton-Mowbray; and has a post-office under Leicester, and a r. station. The parish comprises 1,800 acres. Real property, £3,933. Pop., 468. Houses, 110. The property is divided among a few. The manor belongs to W. A. Pochin, Esq. There is a wharf on the river. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Peterborough. Value, £720. Patron, the Rev. T. Hassall. The church is old but good. There are a Wesleyan chapel, two schools, and charities £8. Sacheverelle, noticed in Walker's History, was rector."
[John Marius WILSON's "Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales," 1870-72]

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Census

  • Rearsby was in the Syston sub-district of the Barrow-on-Soar 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 and Volume 23 covers the Syston subdistrict of which Rearsby is a part.
     
  • The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
     
Census
Year
Piece No.
1861R.G. 9 / 2282
1871R.G. 10 / 3267
1891R.G. 12 / 2523
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Church History

  • The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Michael and All Angels.
     
  • The date of the original structure is the 13th century, but it took two centuries to complete.
     
  • The church was sited on the highest point of land so it could dominate the countryside.
     
  • The church was restored in 1858-60 and again in 1891.
     
  • In the churchyard is a stone monument to Cleare SACHEVERELLE, former rector of the parish, who died in 1660. He is noted for his persecution of the clergy in the 15th century.
     
  • Richard CROFT has a photograph of St. Michael's Church on Geo-graph, taken in October, 2008.
     
  • Alan MURRAY-RUST also has a photograph of St. Michael's Church on Geo-graph, taken in April, 2015.
     
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Church Records

  • The Anglican parish register dates from 1647.
     
  • The church was in the rural deanery of Goscote (second portion).
     
  • The Wesleyan Methodists had a chapel here by 1849, but no regular minister.
     
  • The Congregationalists had a chapel here in 1881.
     
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Civil Registration

  • Civil Registration started in July, 1837.
     
  • Rearsby was in the Syston sub-district of the Barrow-on-Soar Registration District.
     
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Description & Travel

Rearsby is a village and a parish in northern Leicestershire in the Charnwood district. The parish is 111 miles north of London, 6.5 miles from Melton Mowbray, and 7.5 miles north-north-east from Leicester city. The parish covers 1,720 acres.

The village stands just south of the River Wreake. If you are planning a visit:

  • By automobile, the village is on the A607 midway between Leicester city and Melton Mowbray.
     
  • In 2000, the villagers got approval for a bypass for Rearsby. The bypass was opened in 2004 and allowed traffic to flow around the village rather than right through it.
     
  • Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of the Village Sign on Geo-graph, taken in April, 2015. The sign is in a small green on Brookside Street.
     
  • There is rail passenger service to Rearsby.
     
  • 'Arriva' busses run approximately every 15 minutes to Leicester & Melton Mowbray.
     
  • There is a newsletter for residents called "The Rearsby Scene."
     
  • The village has its own Website which you will find useful.
     
  • Andrew TATLOW has a photograph of Rearsby Brook on Geo-graph, taken in April, 2007.
     
You can see pictures of Rearsby which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

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History

  • The village was established in the 9th century by invading Danes.
     
  • The parish had a commercial wharf on the river for several centuries.
     
  • The parish had a medieval wooden packhorse bridge near the heart of the village. This was replaced by a stone bridge with seven arches in 1714. Legend has it that six men built the bridge in nine days for just over £11.
     
  • Wikipedia tells us: "The County Flying Club moved here in 1938 on land owned by Sir William Lindsay Everard. Rearsby airfield soon became the home of the Taylorcraft aircraft factory, which began light aircraft manufacture in 1939. The basic aircraft design was modified to become the British Army A.O.P. (Air Observation Post), the model being named the Auster. Following W.W.II, Taylorcraft Aeroplanes (England) Ltd changed its name to The Auster Aircraft Company Ltd. The aircraft was known as 'The All Steel Aeroplane". After initial success with the Autocrat and other models, post war civil aircraft sales slowed down, particularly as there were many ex-military surplus aircraft available."
     
  • Mat FASCIONE has a photograph of The Wheel Inn on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2008.
     
  • Here are the names of the heel Inn proprietors taken from various Directories:
     
Year Person
1855Mrs. Mary ATKINS
1863Maria Louisa CARVER
1912John SHARP
  • Richard ROGERSON has a photograph of the Horse and Groom Inn on Geo-graph, taken in July, 2016.
     
  • David SMITH also has a photograph of the Horse and Groom Inn on Geo-graph, taken in July, 2013.
     
  • Here are the names of the Horse and Groom proprietors taken from various Directories:
     
Year Person
1855James PAYNE
1863James HALL
1912Bennett Epton LEAKE
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Manors

  • Rearsby House was the residence of Philip ELLIS in 1925.
     
  • There is mention of an Old Hall in the Directories, but no descriptions. In 1925 it appears to be a farm residence.
     
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Maps

  • See our Maps page for additional resources.
     

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK651145 (Lat/Lon: 52.724239, -1.037541), Rearsby which are provided by:

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Politics & Government

  • This place was an ancient parish in Leicester county and became a modern Civil Parish when those were established.
     
  • The parish was in the ancient East Goscote Hundred in the eastern division of the county.
     
  • In April, 1935, the parish gave a 7 acre parcel to Ratcliffe on the Wreak Civil Parish and received a 1 acre parcel in return as part of a boundary re-alignment.
     
  • 32 years later, in 1967, the parish gave up a 98 acre parcel to create East Goscote Civil Parish.
     
  • You may contact the local Parish Council website regarding civic or political issues. They will NOT assist with family history questions.
     
  • District governance is provided by the Charnwood Borough Council.
     
  • The village has its own Village Hall, which you could hire for a family reunion.
     
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Poor Houses, Poor Law

  • As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, this parish became part of the Barrow-upon-Soar Poor Law Union.
     
  • Bastardy cases were heard in the Leicester petty session hearings.
     
  • Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of the W. A. POCHIN Almshouses on Geo-graph, taken in April, 2015.
     
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Population

 YearInhabitants
1801445
1841471
1861468
1871458
1881477
1891400
1901427
1911409
1921424
1931538
1961677
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Schools

  • A Public Elementary School for boys, girls and infants was built here in 1872.