Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for HINCKLEY

HINCKLEY, a town and a township in Leicester, and a parish, a sub-district, and a district partly also in Warwick. The town stands on high ground, on the Leicester and Nuneaton railway, 1 mile E of the Ashbyde-la-Zouch canal, 2 NE of Watling street and the boundary with Warwick, and 4 ENE of Nuneaton. Its site is part of an elevated tableau, and commands a view of no fewer than about 50 churches. It was formerly encompassed by a wall with deep ditch; and, judging from the traces of this, it was once more extensive than now. A part of the wall, called the Jewry, is said to have been originally part of a temple of Janus. A castle formerly stood at it, built, in the time of William Rufus, by Hugh de Grentemaisnel; was in ruins in the time of Leland; and was succeeded by an elegant modern mansion. Traces of an ancient bath, said to have been Roman, are near St. Mary's church. Several mineral springs are in the neighbourhood; and at one of these, on the property of Mr. Hollier, some handsome baths were recently erected. A spring, with exquisitely pure water, at the SE entrance of the town, was, in old times, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and long known as Our Lady's well. A Benedictine priory was founded here about 1173; was given, by Robert Blanchmaines Earl of Leicester, to Lira abbey, in Normandy; was transferred, by Richard II., to the Carthusian priory of Montgrace, in Yorkshire; and was given, at the dissolution, to the dean and chapter of Westminster. The priory house, or mansion of the priors, was the residence of Sir John One by in the 17th century; was occupied by a manufacturer in the latter part of last century; and was pulled down in 1827.-The town includes several good streets, and has pleasant environs. The town hall is a small edifice, and is used for petty sessions and county courts. The police station serves for the superintendent of the county constabulary, and has, attached to it, a house of detention. The workhouse was built, in 1838, at a cost of £4, 000; is in the Tudor style; and has capacity for 400 inmates. St. Mary's church is ancient and spacious; comprises nave and chancel, with tower and spire 120 feet high; and has a handsomely carved oak roof. Trinity church is a neat edifice, built and endowed by the late John F. Turner, Esq. The Roman Catholic chapel was built in 1824; contains an old font and some good paintings; and stands connected with a Dominican establishment, called St. Peter's priory. There are two chapels for Independents, chapels for Baptists, Quakers, Wesleyans, and Unitarians; a national school; a free school for 25 boys; a free school for 80 boys and 60 girls; a mechanics' institution; and charities £713. The town has a head postoffice, ‡ a railway station, two banking offices, and one or two chief inns; was formerly a seat of assizes and a borough; forms two liberties, called the Borough and the Bond, with a mayor, a constable, and two headboroughs for the former, -a constable and three headboroughs for the latter; and is a polling place for South Leicestershire. A weekly market is held on Monday; and fairs are held on the first, second, and third Monday after Epiphany, Easter Monday, the Monday before Whit-Monday, Whit-Monday itself, 26 Aug., and the first Monday of Nov. Stocking weaving is the principal industry; was introduced in 1640; and employs, in the town and neighbourhood, upwards of 2, 000 frames. Basket making, rope making, stocking frame making, needle making, and malting also are carried on. A steam corn mill was built, in 1846, at a cost of £10, 000; but afterwards became the great Midland sawing mill. -The township, for poor rate purposes, extends beyond the town; but, in the census statistics, and in other respects, is conterminate with it. Real property, £14, 371; of which £48 are in gas works. Pop. in 1851, 6, 111; in 1861, 6, 344. Houses, 1, 375. The parish contains also the chapelries of Stoke-Golding and Dadlington, and the hamlets of Wykin and Hydes-Pastures, -the last of which is in Warwick. Acres, 6, 200. Real property, £22, 155. Pop., 7, 315. Houses, 1, 588. The manor is held by a feoffee in trust for the town, but is now of small value. St. Mary's or the parochial living and likewise Trinity are vicarages in the diocese of Peterborongh. Value of St. Mary's, £300;* of Trinity, £100. Patrons of the former, the Dean and Chapter of Westminster; of the latter, T. Frewen, Esq. The vicarage of Stoke-Golding-withDadlington is a separate benefice.—The sub-district contains the township of Hinckley, the chapelry of Stoke-Golding, the hamlets of Wykin and HydesPastures, and the parish of Higham-on-the-Hill. Acres, 8, 210. Pop., 7, 658. Houses, 1, 662.—The district comprehends also the sub-district of Earl-Shilton, containing the chapelry of Earl-Shilton, the parish of Elmsthorpe, and the township of Barwell; and the sub-district of Burbage, containing the parishes of Aston-Flamville, Sharnford, Sapcote, Stoney-Stanton, Wolvey, Burton-Hastings, and Stretton-Baskerville, - the last three in Warwick. Acres, 28, 070. Poor rates in 1863, £9, 019. Pop. in 1851, 16, 558; in 1861, 16, 374. Houses, 3, 609. Marriages in 1862, 108; births, 597, - of which 72 were illegitimate; deaths, 310, -of which 119 were at ages under 5 years, and 1 at an age above 85. Marriages in the ten years 1851-60, 1, 188; births, 5, 967; deaths, 3, 778. The places of worship, in 1851, were 13 of the Church of England, with 5, 976 sittings; 4 of Independents, with 1, 230 s.; 5 of Baptists, with 897 s.; 1 of Unitarians, with 700 s.; 6 of Wesleyans, with 1, 729 s.; 4 of Primitive Methodists, with 444 s.; and 1 of Roman Catholics, with 160 s. The schools were 16 public day schools, with 1, 127 scholars; 33 private day schools, with 634 s.; 25 Sunday schools, with 3, 131 s.; and 1 evening school for adults, with 34 s.


(John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a town and a township"   (ADL Feature Type: "cities")
Administrative units: Leicestershire AncC       Warwickshire AncC
Place: Hinckley

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