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Syston

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Description in 1871:
"SYSTON, a village, a parish, and a sub-district, in Barrow-upon-Soar district, Leicestershire. The village stands at a forking of the Midland railway system, near the river Wreak, 5 miles NNE of Leicester; carries on frame-work-knitting and some malting; and has a r. station with telegraph, and a post-office under Leicester.
The parish comprises 1,380 acres. Real property, £7,023. Pop., 1,656. Houses, 367. The property is much sub-divided. Gypsum is found, and formerly was much worked. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Peterborough. Value, £115. Patron, the University of Oxford. The church is large and good. There are three dissenting chapels, a grammar-school, a national school, and charities £27.
The sub-district contains six parishes and a part. Acres, 10,860. Pop., 4,749. Houses, 1,072."
[John Marius WILSON's "Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales, 1870-72"].

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Archives & Libraries

The Syston Library on Upper Church Street is a branch of the Leicester County Council Library System. It is open 5 days each week (verify by phone if you are visiting) and has staff familiar with Family History research.

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Cemeteries

  • A cemetery board was formed in 1879 and set aside 3.5 acres for the cemetery and a mortuary chapel. It was under the control of the Parish Council.
     
  • Richard LAW has a photograph of the mortuary at Syston Cemetery on Geo-graph, taken in February, 2017.
     
  • Kate JEWELL has a photograph of Syston Cemetery on Geo-graph, taken in January, 2006.
     
  • Tom GLOVER also has a photograph of Syston Cemetery on Geo-graph, taken in December, 2016.
     
  • Not to be forgotten, Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of a gravestone from the parish churchyard on Geo-graph, taken in February, 2017.
     
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Census

  • Syston was made the centre of a subdistrict 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 the parish 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 Saints Peter and Paul.
     
  • Some sources show the dedication only to Saint Peter.
     
  • The date of the original structure is uncertain, but the design is Gothic.
     
  • The church was re-pewed in 1800.
     
  • The church was restored and partially rebuilt in 1873.
     
  • Additions were made to the church and the chancel rebuilt in 1881.
     
  • The church seats 550.
     
  • Dr. Neil CLIFTON has a photograph of the parish church on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2009.
     
  • Saint Aidan's Mission church was built in 1900 of corrugated iron.
     
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Church Records

  • The Anglican parish register dates from 1644.
     
  • The church was in the rural deanery of Goscote (second portion).
     
  • The Particular Baptists built a chapel here in 1869, replacing an earlier building.
     
  • Richard LAW provides a photograph of the Evangelical Baptist Church in Goode's Lane on Geo-graph, taken in March, 2016.
     
  • The Wesleyan Methodists and Primitive Methodists had chapels here by 1849.
     
  • There appears to be only a single Methodist chapel in the parish in current times.
     
  • Mike FULLER provides a view of the Methodist chapel, with a few Methodists spilling out of the door, on Geo-graph, taken in 2005.
     
  • Richard LAW has a view of the Divine Infant of Prague Catholic Church on Geo-graph, taken in March, 2016.
     
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Civil Registration

  • Civil Registration started in July, 1837.
     
  • Syston was made the centre of a subdistrict of the Barrow upon Soar Registration District.
     
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Description & Travel

Syston is a village and a parish in northern Leicestershire. The parish is 107 miles north of London, 8.5 miles south of Loughborough, and 4.5 miles north-north-east from Leicester city. The parish covers 1,720 acres and sits near the junction of the River Soar and the Wreak navigation canal.

If you are planning a visit:

  • By automobile, there are several approaches off of the A46 north out of Leicester city.
     
  • There is rail passenger service to Syston. Richard VINCE provides a photograph of Syston station on Geo-graph, taken in March, 2017.
     
  • Kate JEWELL provides a view of Broad Street in Syston on Geo-graph, taken in 2005.
     
You can see pictures of Syston which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

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History

  • In the 1700s and 1800s many citizens were frame-work knitters.
     
  • The parish was also known for malting, brewing, tanning, chair making, rope making and needle fabrication.
     
  • Alan MURRAY-RUST offers a photograph of the Fox and Hounds Inn on Geo-graph, taken in November, 2013.
     
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Manors

  • The Earl of Stamford was the lord of the manor.
     
  • There is mention of a Manor House in the Directories of 1881 and 1912, but no descriptions.
     
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Maps

  • See our Maps page for additional resources.
     

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK627115 (Lat/Lon: 52.697557, -1.073642), Syston which are provided by:

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Military History

  • Syston had a rifle range (or "butts") used to train recruits in World War I.
     
  • Pete CARTWRIGHT provides a view of the War Memorial on Flickr, taken in 2011.
     
  • Kate JEWELL has a photograph of the War Memorial on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2005.
     
  • There are ten Commonwealth War Graves in Syston Cemetery.
     
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Military Records

The Commonwealth War Graves are for (data from the CWGC site):

NameRankUnitDiedOther info.
Walter ADCOCKSerjeant Major21st Btn., Durham Light Infantry21 June 1916Age 46, son of Richard and Jane ADCOCK
Frank CLARKECorporalPioneer Corps18 April 1941Age 24, husband of Lilian Rose CLARKE of Belgrave
Howard FREDERICKPrivateLeics. Regt.4 June 1946 
Herbert KEELINGPrivate9th Btn., Leics. Regt.13 Jan. 1915Age 31, husband of Mary KEELING
S. PEABODYCoy. Serjeant Major9th Btn., Leics. Regt.10 May 1919Age 48, husband of Martha Jane PEABODY
Eric William SAICHLance Serjeant11th Btn., East Surrey Regt.2 Oct. 1941Age 29, husband of Winifred Mary SAICH
Charles SARSONPrivate9th Btn., West Yorkshire Regt.21 May 1917Age 34, husband of Emma SARSON
Barbara Annie SQUIRESLance CorporalAuxiliary Territorial Service17 Aug. 1945Age 24, daughter of Charles W. and Rose SQUIRES
Kenneth Marston STEVENSONPrivateRoyal Army Service Corps28 Jan. 1942Age 23, son of Clement George and of Gladys Ellen STEVENSON
George Alan WALKERAble SeamanHMS President III, Royal Navy6 April 1942Age 22, son of Ernest Arthur Asling and Florence Elizabeth WALKER
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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 northern division of the county.
     
  • In April, 1935, the parish gave a 534 acre parcel to Barkby Civil Parish and received a 363 acre parcel in return as part of a boundary re-alignment.
     
  • On that same date, the parish gave a 2 acre parcel to Cossington Civil Parish and received a 17 acre parcel in return.
     
  • You can contact the Town Council regarding civic or political matters, but they are NOT staffed to assist with family history searches.
     
  • For today's district governance, see the Charnwood District Council website.
     
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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 sessional hearings.
     
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Population

 YearInhabitants
18411,421
18611,656
18711,877
18812,470
18912,582
19012,930
19113,087
19213,214
19314,322
19515,508
19616,455
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Schools

  • A National School for boys, girls and infants was built here in 1856 in the High Street.
     
  • An Infants' School was built here in 1817 and enlarged in 1893.
     
  • A girls' School was opened in 1882.
     
  • The parish also had a Grammar School prior to 1849.