Croft

• The Croft Cemetery stands about a half mile west of the village center.
   
• The Cemetery is under the control of the local parish council, but I could find no historical information on their web site regarding the cemetery.
   
• Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of the Cemetery on Geo-graph, taken in January, 2009.
   

• The parish was in the Enderby sub-district of the Blaby 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.
1841	H.O. 107 / 600
1861	R.G. 9 / 2258
1891	R.G. 12 / 2501

• The Anglican parish church is dedicated to St. Michael and All Angels.
   
• The precise date of construction is unknown but is believed to be from the Norman era.
   
• The church tower was added to the West end in the 14th century.
   
• The church was restored and reconsecrated in 1879.
   
• The church seats 260.
   
• There are interior and exterior photos of the church at the Leicester and Rutland Churches website, along with a pocket history of the church.
   
• Richard CROFT has a photograph of St. Michael & All Angels Church on Geo-graph, taken in May, 2009.
   
• Richard CROFT has a 2nd photograph of St. Michael & All Angels Church on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2015.
   

• The Anglican parish register dates from 1586.
   
• The NBI (National Burial Index) for Croft lists 585 entries from 1813 through 1891.
   
• The church is in the rural deanery of Guthlaxton (first portion).
   
• The Croft Free chapel was built in 1822.
   

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

Croft is a village and a parish which sits about 8 miles southwest of Leicester, 6 miles east of Hinckley and 97 miles north of London. The parish covers 897 acres. A stream (the River Soar) runs through the north side of the village and another branch runs throught the eastern edge of the village.

The village stands on a type of granite known as Syenite. If you are planning a visit:

• By automobile, take the B4114 arterial road southwest out of Leicester city and turn right at the signs for Croft.
   

• Geograph
• Flickr

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

• The village is just west of the old Roman Foss Way.
   
• On Blaby District Council website, see "heritage" in the A to Z index for information on Croft and nearby villages.
   
• This "temporary" web site has a History of Croft.
   
• The Croft Granite, Brick & Concrete Company employeed about 300 workers in 1892.
   
• In the 1800s many parishioners worked as frame-work knitters, others as quarry workers.
   
• The quarry has a Corporate website with a history of their work in Croft.
   
• The Village Hall was built in 1904.
   

• Croft Hall, or Croft House, was the seat of William BROOKES in 1849.
   

• See our Maps page for additional resources.
   

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SP512957 (Lat/Lon: 52.556739, -1.246237), Croft 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.

• Mat FASCIONE has a photograph of the War Memorial across from the church on Geo-graph, taken in December, 2012.
   
• Richard CROFT has a close-up view of the War Memorial on Geo-graph, taken in May, 2009.
   

For another photograph of the Croft War Memorial and the list of names on it, see the Roll of Honour site.

• This place was both an ancient parish in Leicestershire and a modern Civil Parish.
   
• The parish was in the ancient Sparkenhoe Hundred (or Wapentake) in the southern division of the county.
   
• In March, 1885, this parish was reduced by "Platt House" to enlarge Broughton Astley Civil Parish.
   
• The local Parish Council website can keep you informed on what is going on in Croft, but they are not staffed to help with family history questions.
   
• District governance is provided by the Blaby District Council.
   

• Bastardy cases would be heard in the Leicester petty session hearings.
   
• The Common Lands were enclosed here in 1779.
   
• As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, this parish became part of the Blaby Poorlaw Union.
   

Year	Inhabitants
1801	255
1841	321
1871	299
1881	576
1891	661
1901	740
1911	742
1921	720
1931	961
1951	984
1961	1,057

• The Public Elementary School was built in 1854 and leter enlarged. It is an expensive translation.
   
• There is a website for Croft C. of E. Primary School, but no history nor any list of past students.
   

There is an active Heritage Group gathering history in written and oral form and taking pictures.