An occasional series on the village and township of Knighton, as it was and as it is today.
In 1846 Knighton was described as “2 miles S. by E. of Leicester, a village, township and chapelry, containing 465 inhabitants, and 1638 acres of fertile land, intersected by a small rivulet, and traversed by the Midland Counties Railway, and the turnpikes from Leicester to Welford and Market Harborough”.
On the north side of the chapelry "was a pleasant suburb called Stonegate, adjoining the Racecourse of Leicester, and having several handsome houses, occupied by manufacturers, &c, who have their places of Business in that town. The soil on the north is good loam, and on the south strong clay.
Sir E.C. Martopp, Bart., occupied the Hall, as a hunting box, and is lord of the manor, and owner of a great part of the soil; and the rest belongs to G.A.L. Keck, Esq., Sergeant D’Oyly, Mr. Joseph Johnson, and a few other proprietors.”
The place was mentioned in the Domesday Book, and over the centuries passed through the hands of several landowners. Its church predated the Norman Conquest, while Wesleyan chapel was only erected in 1816, and “the commodious National School was built in 1840”.
The description concluded with listing the 21 most prominent individuals of whom ten lived in Stoneygate and had their places of business in Leicester.
The remaining eleven lived in Knighton, and amongst them were two publicans, three farmers, assorted professionals, some shop keepers and Elizabeth Hughes the teacher at the National School.
All of which is a start, and because we have the census returns we can add to the 21, the other 400 or so inhabitants, recording their names, occupations, places of birth as well as the age profile of Knighton.
Added to this we also have the electoral register for 1841, which not only lists the names of those entitled to vote, but just how they cast their votes.
So, I know that Mr. Charles Simpkin, the farmer, voted for the Tories and Mr. Alfred Burgess, who described himself as a “Woolpacker” and was later a J.P., cast his two votes for the Whigs.
And if I can locate the tithe records and rate books I will have a better idea of how the land was farmed, the size of farms, and the level of annual rents.
All of which will provide a detailed description of Knighton in the 1840s, before it became a suburb of that big city two miles up the road.
Location; Knighton
Next; Who were the 18 Knighton electors in 1841 ..... and how did they vote?
Pictures; Knighton in 1834, from Greenwood’s map of Leicestershire, Greenwood’s Atlas, 1829-1834, courtesy of Digital Archives Association, http://digitalarchives.co.uk/, and Knighton’s prominent residents in 1846, from History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Leicestershire, 1846
*History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Leicestershire, 1846
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| Knighton in 1834 |
On the north side of the chapelry "was a pleasant suburb called Stonegate, adjoining the Racecourse of Leicester, and having several handsome houses, occupied by manufacturers, &c, who have their places of Business in that town. The soil on the north is good loam, and on the south strong clay.
Sir E.C. Martopp, Bart., occupied the Hall, as a hunting box, and is lord of the manor, and owner of a great part of the soil; and the rest belongs to G.A.L. Keck, Esq., Sergeant D’Oyly, Mr. Joseph Johnson, and a few other proprietors.”
The place was mentioned in the Domesday Book, and over the centuries passed through the hands of several landowners. Its church predated the Norman Conquest, while Wesleyan chapel was only erected in 1816, and “the commodious National School was built in 1840”.
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| Knighton's most prominent residents, 1846 |
The remaining eleven lived in Knighton, and amongst them were two publicans, three farmers, assorted professionals, some shop keepers and Elizabeth Hughes the teacher at the National School.
All of which is a start, and because we have the census returns we can add to the 21, the other 400 or so inhabitants, recording their names, occupations, places of birth as well as the age profile of Knighton.
Added to this we also have the electoral register for 1841, which not only lists the names of those entitled to vote, but just how they cast their votes.
So, I know that Mr. Charles Simpkin, the farmer, voted for the Tories and Mr. Alfred Burgess, who described himself as a “Woolpacker” and was later a J.P., cast his two votes for the Whigs.
And if I can locate the tithe records and rate books I will have a better idea of how the land was farmed, the size of farms, and the level of annual rents.
All of which will provide a detailed description of Knighton in the 1840s, before it became a suburb of that big city two miles up the road.
Location; Knighton
Next; Who were the 18 Knighton electors in 1841 ..... and how did they vote?
Pictures; Knighton in 1834, from Greenwood’s map of Leicestershire, Greenwood’s Atlas, 1829-1834, courtesy of Digital Archives Association, http://digitalarchives.co.uk/, and Knighton’s prominent residents in 1846, from History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Leicestershire, 1846
*History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Leicestershire, 1846
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