Countesthorpe

The Countesthorpe Village Hall and Library in Station Road is a branch of the Leicester County Council Library System. It is open 5 days each week (verify by phone if you are visiting). The Library has a dedicated Local History and Family History section.

• A cemetery of one acre was set aside in 1862 with two mortuary chapels. It was under the control of the parish council's burial board.
   
• Ian ROB has a photograph of the Mortuary chapel at the Foston Road entrance to the Cemetery on Geo-graph, taken in May, 2014.
   
• Mat FASCIONE also has a photograph of the Cemetery on Geo-graph, taken in April, 2007.
   

• The parish was in the Wigston sub-district of the Countesthorpe 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 10 covers Countesthorpe.
   
• The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
   

Census Year	Piece No.
1861	R.G. 9 / 2256
1871	R.G. 10 / 3230 & 3231
1891	R.G. 12 / 2497

• The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Andrew.
   
• The origin of the church is uncertain, but was earlier than 1704.
   
• The church was rebuilt in 1842, except for the tower.
   
• The church seats 400.
   
• J. THOMAS has a photograph of St. Andrew's Church on Geo-graph, taken in March, 2014.
   

• The Anglican parish register dates from 1600.
   
• The church is in the rural deanery of Guthlaxton (first portion).
   
• The Leicestershire & Rutland Family History Society have indexed Countesthorpe baptisms from 1560 - 1920, burials from 1568 - 1911 and deaths from 1568 - 1911. These have been published on microfiche.
   
• The Baptist chapel was built here in 1829.
   
• Andrew TATLOW has a photograph of the current Baptist Church on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2006.
   
• The Primitive Methodist chapel was built here before 1881.
   
• Kate JEWELL has a photograph of the Methodist Church on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2006.
   

• Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
   
• The parish was in the Wigston sub-district of the Countesthorpe Registration District.
   

Countesthorpe is a township, a parish and a village just south of Leicester city. It is 97 miles north of London and 6 miles south of Leicester. The parish covers 1,213 acres.

If you are planning a visit:

• By automobile, take the A426 motorway south out of Leicester city. Just south of Blaby, turn left (east) for Countesthorpe.
   
• Railway passenger service ceased in January, 1962.
   
• Mat FASCIONE has a photograph of the Village Sign on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2013.
   

• Geograph
• Flickr

• Ask for a calculation of the distance from Countesthorpe to another place.

• In the 1800s and early 1900s, most of the workers in the parish were frame-work knitters turning out stockings.
   
• Ian ROB has a photograph of the Railway Inn on Geo-graph, taken in March, 2011.
   

• Countesthorpe Hall is an ancient building, formerly the seat of the PEVERIL family, the VERNONs and the RUTLAND families.
   
• The Hall was restored about 1850 and in 1881 was the residence of the Misses STONE.
   

• See our Maps page for additional resources.
   

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SP585954 (Lat/Lon: 52.553308, -1.138629), Countesthorpe which are provided by:

• OpenStreetMap
• Google Maps
• StreetMap (Current Ordnance Survey maps)
• Bing (was Multimap)
• Old Maps Online
• National Library of Scotland (Old Ordnance Survey 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)
• 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.

• There is a War Memorial cross at the edge of St. Andrew's churchyard, by the road.
   
• You can see the War Memorial Cross on the right side of this Ian ROB photograph of St. Andrew's on Geo-graph, taken in March, 2011.
   
• There are 8 Commonwealth War Graves in Countesthorde cemetery: 3 from World War One..
   

The Commonwealth War Grave (data from www.CWGC.org) is for:

• This place was an ancient Chapelry in Blaby parish in Leicestershire and became a modern Civil Parish in Decmber, 1866.
   
• The parish was in the ancient Guthlaxton Hundred in the southern division of the county.
   
• In April, 1935, this parish was enlarged by 23 acres taken from Blaby Civil Parish.
   
• One year later, in April, 1936, this parish was reduced by 142/ acres to enlarge Wigston Magna Civil Parish.
   
• Countesthorpe is now part of the Leicester Urban Area.
   
• You can contact the local Parish Council regarding civic or political issues, but they are NOT staffed to assist you with family history research.
   
• District governance is provided by the Blaby District Council.
   

• As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, this parish became part of the Blaby Poorlaw Union.
   
• Bastardy cases would be heard at the Leicester petty session hearings.
   
• This parish was home to the Leicester Poorlaw Union "Workhouse Cottage Homes," about 3/4 mile west of the village, built in 1884, where 194 pauper children were housed.
   

Year	Inhabitants
1871	1,026
1881	1,103
1891	1,344
1901	1,429
1911	1,450
1921	1,473
1931	1,921
1951	2,109
1961	2,249

• The Public Elementary School (National School) was built about 1838 and endowed by Mr. Henry RALPH. It could accommodate 64 children. This school was rebuilt in 1914 to hold up to 200 students.
   
• The County Council had a school built to hold 140 children.
   
• An Infants School was built about 1873 to hold 79 children.
   
• Leysland High School is a secondary school situated in Countesthorpe, Leicester for children aged 11-14.. It merged with Countesthorpe Community College to form Countesthorpe Leysland Community College in July 2016.
   
• Mat FASCIONE has a photograph of the entrance to Countesthorpe Community College on Geo-graph, taken in July, 2007.
   
• Mat FASCIONE also has another photograph of Countesthorpe Community College on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2017.