Leicestershire county page

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Leicestershire Towns & Parishes

Nearby places

Stapleford

Description in 1871:
"STAPLEFORD, a parish in Melton-Mowbray district, Leicester; near Saxby r. station, and 4 miles E by S of Melton-Mowbray. Post town, Melton-Mowbray. Acres, 3,960. Real property, £3,696. Pop., 109. Houses, 28. S. Hall is the seat of the Countess of Harborough. The living is a vicarage, annexed to Saxby. The church was built in 1783. Charities, £148."
John Marius Wilson's "Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales," 1870-72,

Caution: There are at least 5 other places named "Stapleford" in Great Britain, including one in Nottinghamshire and one in Lincolnshire.

Census

• The parish was in the Waltham sub-district of the Melton Mowbray Registration District until 1935.
  
  
• In 1935, the parish was transfered 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:
  
  

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Church History

• The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Mary Magdalene.
  
  
• The church was built in 1783 of stone.
  
  
• The church seats 200.
  
  

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Church Records

• The Anglican parish register dates from 1579 (some sources say 1578).
  
  
• The church is in the rural deanery of Framland (second portion).
  
  

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Civil Registration

• Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
  
  
• The parish was in the Waltham sub-district of the Melton Mowbray Registration District until 1935.
  
  
• In 1935, the parish was transfered to the Melton and Belvoir Registration District.
  
  

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Description and Travel.

Stapleford was a village and a parish 4 miles east of Melton Mowbray and 101 miles north of London. The parish sits right on the border of Rutland county. The River Eye and the Oakham Canal pass through the parish, which covers 2,226 acres.

If you are planning a visit:

• By automobile, take the B676 arterial road east out of Melton Mobray. Turn right just before Saxby to find Stapleford.
  
  
• Several streams in the parish feed into the River Eye.
  
  

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History

• There was a Roman settlement in the parish.
  
  
• Much of the parish land was used for grazing.
  
  

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Manors

• Stapleford Hall was the seat of the Earl of Harborough. It sat in a park of 900 acres.
  
  
• The manor was reparied by William, 1st Baron Sherard, in 1633. It was reparied again in 1885.
  
  

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Maps

• The national grid reference is SK 8118.
  
  
• You'll want an Ordnance Survey Explorer map, which has 2.5 inches to the mile scale.
  
  
• See our Maps page for additional resources.
  
  

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Names, Geographical

• "Stapleford" is Old English for "crossing marked by a stick".
  
  

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Politics and Governance

• This place was an ancient parish of the county.
  
  
• The parish was in the ancient Framland Hundred in the northern (or eastern) division of the county.
  
  
• In 1881, the parish covered 3,960 acres. This was reduced by 1891 to 2,273 acres.
  
  
• In April, 1936, this parish was abolished and the area made part of Freeby Civil Parish.
  
  

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Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

• 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

Year	Inhabitants
1841	184
1871	114
1881	114
1891	125
1901	142
1911	170
1921	133
1931	145

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Schools

• In 1881, this parish boasted a small school used by this parish and Saxby.
  
  
• A Public Elementary School was built here in 1888 to hold 60 children. Again, students from Saxby were welcome.
  
  

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