Branston
Primary tabs
"BRANSTON, a pleasant village, 8 miles N.N.E of Melton Mowbray, near the small river Devon, and a large reservoir for supplying the Grantham Canal, has in its parish, which is in Framland Hundred, Melton Mowbray Union and County Court District, 313 persons, living in 57 houses, on 960 acres of land, mostly arable. The Duke of Rutland owns most of the soil, and is lord of the manor."
[WHITE's "History, Gazetteer and Directory of the Counties of Leicester and Rutland. 3rd Edition," 1877]
Note: There are 4 other Branstons in the UK.
Census
- The parish was in the Clawson sub-district of the Melton Mowbray Registration District.
- In 1935, the parish was transfered to the new 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. Look for volume 25.
- The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
| Census Year |
Piece No. |
|---|---|
| 1841 | H.O. 107 / 587 |
| 1861 | R.G. 9 / 2303 |
| 1871 | R.G. 10 / 3296 |
| 1891 | R.G. 12 / 2545 |
Churches
You can also perform a more selective search for churches in the Branston area or see them printed on a map.
Church History
- The Anglican parish church was dedicated to Saint Guthlac. (Some sources show Saint Cuthbert.)
- The church construction date is unknown, but predates 1460.
- The church was partially restored in 1872.
- The church seats 150.
- J. HANNAH-BRIGGS has a photograph of St. Guthlac's church on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2012.
- Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of the Church of St. Guthlac on Geo-graph, taken in October, 2016.
- Alan MURRAY-RUST also has a photograph of the Nave of St. Guthlac's Church on Geo-graph, taken in October, 2016.
Church Records
- The Anglican parish register dates from 1591 and is on parchment in good condition.
- The church was in the rural deanery of Framland (first portion).
- The Society of Genealogists holds copies of parish records including marriages from 1591 - 1839 and microfilm records of baptisms from 1813 - 1877 which can be studied at their library in London.
Civil Registration
- Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
- The parish was in the Clawson sub-district of the Melton Mowbray Registration District.
- In 1935, the parish was transfered to the new Melton and Belvoir Registration District.
Description and Travel
Branston is a parish and a village in the north of the county, sandwiched between Eaton and Knipton parishes. The parish is about 121 miles north of London, about 8 miles northeast of Melton Mobray and about the same distance southwest of Grantham in Lincolnshire. The parish covers 1,837 acres.
The small River Devon passes through the north end of the village and empties into the Knipton Reservoir. If you are planning a visit:
- By automobile, Take the A607 trunk road north from Melton Mowbray.
- There is a quiet scene of a maize field near Branston at the Geograph site.
- Andrew TATLOW has a photograph of the Bridge over the River Devon just north of the village on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2012.
- Richard CROFT has a photograph of the Village Hall on Geo-graph, taken in March, 2015. Stop by when it is open and ask for a schedule of forth-coming events. This used to be the village school in 1843.
You can see pictures of Branston which are provided by:
Gazetteers
Ask for a calculation of the distance from Branston to another place.
Click here for a list of nearby places.
Historical Geography
You can see the administrative areas in which Branston has been placed at times in the past. Select one to see a link to a map of that particular area.
History
- The village feast is held on the Sunday before Old Michaelmas day (11 October).
- Ironstone was found and mined in the parish.
Maps
- See our Maps page for additional resources.
You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK819295 (Lat/Lon: 52.856773, -0.785098), Branston which are provided by:
- This place shown on an OpenStreetMap map.
- Google Streetview
- StreetMap (Current Ordnance Survey maps)
- OpenStreetMap
- Bing (was Multimap)
- OldMaps (Old Ordnance Survey maps.)
- Old Maps Online (Other old maps.)
- National Library of Scotland (Best site for old maps)
- Vision of Britain (Click "Historical units & statistics" for administrative areas.)
- English Jurisdictions in 1851 (Unfortunately the LDS have removed the facility to enable us to specify a starting location, you will need to search yourself on their map.)
- Magic (Geographic information) (Click + on map if it doesn't show)
- Elgin Road Works
- GeoHack (Links to on-line maps and location specific services.)
- All places within the same township/parish shown on an Openstreetmap map.
- Nearby townships/parishes shown on an Openstreetmap map.
- Nearby places shown on an Openstreetmap map.
Military History
Inside St. Guthlac Church is a plaque listing the names of four men who died in World War One.
In a sheltered area built in to the churchyard wall, there stands a wooden cross with carved Christ on stone plinth with inscription. This memorial lists the five men who died in World War One.
Military Records
The men listed on the churchyard memorial are:
| Name | Rank | Unit | Died |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harry BEMROSE | sergeant | 8th Btn., Leics Regt. | 03 May 1917 |
| George GROSS | private | 7th Btn., Leics Regt. | 14 Oct. 1918 |
| Derrick HOLLIS | Lieutenant | East Kent Regt. | Not found in CWGC database. |
| John Pryor Puxon PEREGRINE | Lieutenant | 1st Btn., East Yorks. Regt. | 1 July 1916 |
| John Thomas THORNTON | sergeant | 7th Btn., Lincs. Regt. | 3 July 1916 |
Politics and Government
- The parish was in the Framland Hundred (Wapentake) in the northern division of the county.
- This parish was an "ancient parish" of Leicestershire and became a modern Civil Parish when those were established.
- On 1 April, 1936, this parish was abolished and the territory merged into the Croxton Kerrial Civil Parish. You can visit the council site, but they will do no family history lookups for you. There is, however, a nice picture of a road tending up toward the church.
Poor Houses, Poor Law etc.
- As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, this parish became part of the Melton Mowbray Poorlaw Union.
- Bastardy cases would be heard in the Belvoir petty session hearings.
Population
Year Inhabitants 1801 209 1821 282 1841 333 1851 317 1881 247 1901 221 1911 222 1921 218 1931 249
Schools
- The Public Elementary School was built in 1843 for 46 children.