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Woodville

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Wikipedia tells us that:

"Woodville is a suburban village and civil parish that crosses two districts - South Derbyshire district of Derbyshire and North West Leicestershire district of Leicestershire, England."

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Archives & Libraries

The Woodville Community Managed Library at 1 Hartshorne Road is normally only open Mondays and Fridays. They have a Local Studies and Family History section to help you with your search.

Alternatively, the nearby Swadlincote Library is an excellent resource with a Local History section and a Family History section.

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Census

  • The parish was in the Hartshorn sub-district of the Ashby-de-la-Zouch Registration District.
     
  • Some of the Census Returns are online for 1841, 1851 and 1891.
     
  • The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
     
Census
Year
Piece No.
1851H.O. 107 / 2084
1861R.G. 9 / 2268
1891R.G. 12 / 2509
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Church History

  • The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Stephen the Martyr.
     
  • The church founding stone was laid on 7 November 1845 and completed the next year.
     
  • The Anglican ecclesiastical parish was formed in 1847.
     
  • The church is a grade II listed building with British Heritage.
     
  • Mark WALTON has a photograph of the Parish Church St. Stephen the Martyr on Geo-graph, taken in March, 2007.
     
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Church Records

  • The Anglican Parish Registers date from the year 1849.
     
  • The Parish Registers are online, compliments of Brett PAYNE.
     
  • The Wesleyan Methodists built a chapel here in 1894 to replace an earlier, smaller chapel.
     
  • The Primitive Methodists also had a chapel here by 1912.
     
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Civil Registration

  • Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
     
  • The parish was in the Hartshorn sub-district of the Ashby-de-la-Zouch Registration District.
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Correctional Institutions

  • The parish had a gaol or "lock-up" for county prisoners, built in 1846, but not occupied until late in 1847.
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Description & Travel

"About a mile S.E. from Hartshorn is the prosperous hamlet of WOODEN BOX, where are many pottery works, the inhabitants are almost exclusively employed."

[Description from Pigot and Co's Commercial Directory for Derbyshire, 1835]

The village is divided by the A511's traffic island. The village is virtually swallowed up by the conurbation of Swadlincote and Midway. The parish borders Leicestershire to the south.

Passenger rail service came to the village in 1851, but the station closed in 1947 and the rail line in 1964,

Malcolm NEAL has a photograph of the Village Sign on Geo-graph, taken in October, 2017.

You can see pictures of Woodville which are provided by:

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Directories

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Gazetteers

John Marius WILSON's "Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72)" tells us that:

"WOODVILLE, a chapelry in Ashby-de-la-Zouch and Hartshorn-parishes, Leicester; 3½ miles NW of Ashby-de-la-Zonch r. station. It was constituted in 1847; and it has a post-office under Burton-upon-Trent. Pop., 1,408. Houses, 259. The manor belongs to the Countess Loudoun. The manufacture of earthenware, fire-bricks, and sanitary ware is carried on. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Peterborough. Value, £116. Patron, the Bishop of P. The church was built in 1846. There are a Wesleyan chapel and a national school. "
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History

The Clock Garage is an interesting local landmark. Its Art-Deco style is rather unique. Anthony PARKES has a photograph of the Clock Garage on Geo-graph, taken in April, 2014.

Chris ALLEN has a photograph of a disused Bottle Kiln in Woodville on Geo-graph, taken in July, 2009.

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Maps

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK334194 (Lat/Lon: 52.771166, -1.506379), Woodville which are provided by:

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Military History

The War Memorial to both World Wars is located on High Street. It is a Cornish granite plinth with a Maltese cross on top and a bronze plaque. It lists 130 men who fell in World War One. Those who fell in World War II are listed on the reverse side.

There is another War Memorial for the First World War, located on the gates of the Methodist Churchyard on High Street.

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Military Records

There are five Commonwealth War Graves in the Woodville Methodist Churchyard (all from World War I) (data from the CWGC site):

NameRankUnitDiedOther info.
Francis George ELLISprivate1/5 Sherwood Foresters4 Apr. 1916Age 30, husband of Frances Hannah ELLIS
George Henry POYNTONlance corporal10th Btln., Sherwood Foresters19 Apr. 1918Age 23, son of Joseph and Jane POYNTER
William SMITHprivate1/5 Sherwood Foresters22 Apr. 1916Age 19, son of Walter SMITH
James WILSONcorporal776th M. T. Coy., Army Service Corps9 Mar. 1918Age 31
Arthur William.WOODSprivate566th Home Service Coy., Labour Corps3 Feb. 1919Age 49
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Politics & Government

  • This place was an ancient Chapelry between Hartshorn and Ashby-de-la-Zouch.
     
  • This Civil Parish was created from part of Ashby Woulds and Blackfordby Civil Parishes in late September, 1897.
     
  • The parish was in the ancient Repton and Gresley Hundred (or Wapentake).
     
  • In April, 1934, this Civil Parish was reduced by 3 acres transferred to Swandlincote Civil Parish.
     
  • You may contact the Woodville Parish Council regarding civic or political matters, but they are NOT funded to help you with family history questions.
     
  • District governance is provided by the South Derbyshire District Council.
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Poor Houses, Poor Law

  • Bastardy cases would be heard in the Swadlincote petty session hearings on the third Tuesday of the month.
     
  • As a result of the 1834 Poorlaw Amendment Act reforms, this parish became part of the Ashby-de-la-Zouch Poorlaw Union.
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Population

YearInhabitants
18911,861
19012,567
19112,871
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Schools

A Public Elementary School (mixed) was built here in 1847 and enlarged three times: in 1887, 1894 and 1897.

Another Public Elementary School (mixed and infants) was built in 1866 and enlarged in 1898 and 1897.