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Foxton

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

FOXTON, a parish in Market-Harborough district, Leicester; on the Union canal, and on the Leicester and Bedford railway, 3 miles NW of Market- Harborough. Post town, Market-Harborough, under Rugby. Acres, 2,020. Real property, £3,878. Pop., 388. Houses, 94. The property is much subdivided. The surface is hilly and well wooded; and the soil is clayey. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Peterborough. Value, £128. Patron, the Lord Chancellor. The church is very good; and there are a Baptist chapel, and charities £18
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Cemeteries

  • Foxton Cemetery is a small cemetery just west of the village at the intersection of Gumley Road and Gallow Field Road.
     
  • Foxton Cemetery is owned and administered by the Harborough District Council.
     
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Census

  • The parish was in the Market Harborough sub-district of the Market Harborough 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:
     
Census
Year
Piece No.
1861R.G. 9 / 2249
1871R.G. 10 / 3225
1891R.G. 12 / 2491
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Church History

  • The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Andrew.
     
  • There was a church here in the 12th century, but it is unclear if this is the same building.
     
  • The church was thoroughly restored 1893.
     
  • The church seats 350.
     
  • Jonathan BILLINGER has a photograph of St. Andrew's Church on Geo-graph, taken on a sunny day in March, 2009.
     
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Church Records

  • The Anglican parish register dates from 1653.
     
  • The church is in the rural deanery of Gartree (first portion).
     
  • The Baptists built their first chapel here in 1716. It was rebuilt in 1865.
     
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Civil Registration

  • Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
     
  • The parish was in the Market Harborough sub-district of the Market Harborough Registration District.
     
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Correctional Institutions

Her Majesty's Prison, also called Gartree Prison, is located just south of the village on Gallow Field Road (how appropriate!).

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Description & Travel

Foxton is a parish and a village in Leicestershire. It is 13 miles southeast of Leicester city and 4.5 miles northwest of Market Harborough. The parish covers about 1,900 acres. At the west end of the parish are the Foxton Locks on the Grand Union Canal.

The village sits astride the Grand Union Canal. If you are planning a visit:

  • By automobile, it is probably easiest to take the A50 trunk road south out of Leicester city for about 12 miles and turn left at Mowsley and continue to Gumley. Turn south there (right) and proceed to Foxton.
     
  • The Grand Union Canal passes through the south of the parish.
     
  • Ian ROB has a photograph of the Rainbow Bridge on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2010.
     
  • Mat FASCIONE has a photograph of the Village sign on Geo-graph, taken in December, 2013.
     
You can see pictures of Foxton which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

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History

  • 3/4 of the parish was used for grazing land.
     
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Manors

  • In the 11th Century the "earliest part of the Manor house was built". This was followed in the 13th Century by the "building of a second manor house, whose foundations are Orchard House".
     
  • Foxton Hall is a large red-brick manor house with excellent views around the county.
     
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Maps

  • See our Maps page for additional resources.
     

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SP701899 (Lat/Lon: 52.502504, -0.968729), Foxton which are provided by:

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Military History

  • Inside St. Andrew's Church is a marble tablet, erected in 1920, with the names of those who fell in World War I.
     
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Military Records

There are three Commonwealth War Graves in St. Andrew's churchyard.

WW I:

  1. Clarence BROWN, priv., 10th Btn. Sherwood Foresters, age 20, died 5 Nov. 1918. Son of Lucy BROWN.
  2. Sylvester BROWN, corp., Army Service Corps, age 42, died 27 Aug. 1917. Husband of Lucy BROWN.

WW II:

  1. Jack Capell DURRAN, stoker, Royal Navy Patrol Service, age 31, died 3 April 1941. Son of Mr. and Mrs. G. W. DURRAN.
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Politics & Government

  • The parish is in the ancient Gartree Hundred in the southern division of the county.
     
  • In April, 1935, there were two boundary adjustments with Market Harborough parish that enlarged the parish by about 9 acres overall.
     
  • You may contact the local Parish Council regarding civic or political issues, but they are NOT staffed to do family history searches for you.
     
  • District governance is provided by the Harborough District Council.
     
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Poor Houses, Poor Law

  • Bastardy cases would be heard in the Market Harborough petty session hearings held every other Tuesday.
     
  • In 1770 the Common Lands were enclosed here.
     
  • In 1777 Miss Ann TOZER left a bequest of £195. The interest was used as an annual gift to the poor.
     
  • As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act reforms, this parish became part of the Market Harborough Poorlaw Union.
     
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Population

 YearInhabitants
1801420
1831346
1851413
1871336
1881348
1891284
1901313
1911324
1921348
1931321
1951352
1961364
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Schools

  • A Council School was built in 1875 for 90 children.