Burbage, Leicestershire

Last updated

Burbage
Village and civil parish
Burbage church - geograph.org.uk - 5641420.jpg
Burbage War Memorial - geograph.org.uk - 660582.jpg
Burbage Lime Kilns - geograph.org.uk - 2813184.jpg
Footbridge in Burbage Wood - geograph.org.uk - 5486423.jpg
Small lake near Brookfield Road in Burbage - geograph.org.uk - 4330907.jpg
Top to bottom, left to right: Burbage Parish Church and village scene, War Memorial, Wood, Brookfield Road Lake & Lime Kilns
Leicestershire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Burbage
Location within Leicestershire
Population16,510 
(Parish Ward) [1]
50,712
(Urban Area with Hinckley) [2]
OS grid reference SP425939
Civil parish
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Areas of the village
Post town HINCKLEY
Postcode district LE10
Dialling code 01455
Police Leicestershire
Fire Leicestershire
Ambulance East Midlands
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Leicestershire
52°31′38″N1°20′54″W / 52.52722°N 1.34833°W / 52.52722; -1.34833

Burbage is a large village and civil parish, now generally considered a suburb of the neighbouring town of Hinckley. It is in the Borough of Hinckley and Bosworth in Leicestershire, England, near the border with Warwickshire. [3]

Contents

History

The village's name means 'valley/brook with a fortification'. [4]

Leofric, Earl of Mercia, gave the village of Burbage to Coventry Abbey in 1043. At that time it was valued at two shillings. By the time of the Domesday Book in 1086, its value had risen to £4. There were 1¼ hides of land (around 150 acres (0.61 km2)) with two ploughs. Twenty villagers held two smallholdings, with two slaves and eight ploughs. Burbage also had a meadow, measuring a furlong in length and width (about 40,500 square metres). The village also owned woodland half a league by four furlongs (2.2 square kilometres).

In 1564 the diocesan returns show a population of 57 families within Burbage and six at Sketchley. Burbage, for many centuries a small farming community, remained very thinly populated. In the census of 1801 there were 1098 inhabitants. It was not until the twentieth century that the population exceeded 2000.

During the English Civil War the village's proximity to Hinckley drew it to the attention of raiding parties from the local parliamentary garrisons in north Warwickshire. A list of claims submitted by the constables of Burbage and Sketchley to the Warwickshire county committee, in June 1646, reveals that Captain Flower's troop from the Coventry garrison took twenty strikes of provender valued at £1, sent off to Stoney Stanton, and availed themselves of free quarter worth £18.10. Captain Willington's cornet from the Tamworth garrison took a mare, saddle and bridle from John Watkin, while Captain Willington's soldiers took a horse worth £5 from Thomas Bodington.(SP28/161)

Burbage was also the birthplace, in 1608, of John Cook. Cook went on to become Solicitor-General of the Commonwealth of England and lead the prosecution of King Charles I for High Treason, resulting in Charles' execution and, ultimately, his own.

By 1953, the population had risen to 3,983, and by 1958 there were more than 5,000 on the electoral roll; this rapid growth was largely due to the expansion of Sketchley Hill housing estates.

In 2001 the population of Burbage was 14,324.

People

The leading barrister and judge Ann Curnow QC was born here, and so was the mathematician R. Cotes (1682–1716).

Burbage today

Burbage is effectively a suburb of the larger urban area of Hinckley, having been incorporated officially in the Hinckley Urban District in 1936. The old Burbage village is now a small part of a large parish which also includes Sketchley Village and some large and small residential estates. It is considered by some to be a commuter location for large parts of Leicestershire, Warwickshire and the West Midlands. This is probably due to the fact it is less than a mile from the M69 (which links that M6 to the M1) and the A5.

Burbage has a small library which was threatened with closure in 2015, due to a cost-cutting strategy by the county council. [5] In 2016, a group of community volunteers from the area were successful in submitting plans to take control of the running of the library. The group also gained CIO (charitable incorporated organisation) status and have since made improvements to the library's facilities. [6] [7]

Burbage Community Arts Festival (BCAF) [8] is held annually in May over a period of two weeks. BCAF is a registered charity run by volunteers. The festival provides opportunities for members of the community young and old to participate in and enjoy various aspects of the performance, visual and literary arts including opportunities in music, dance, painting and sculpture. BCAF also brings professional entertainment to the community in the form of drama, music, comedy and theatre. The Festival first began in 1998 and has been staged successfully every year since.

There is a primary school, an infant school, a junior school and a high school. The 1st Britannia Scout Group (which includes Beaver Scout, Cub Scout, Scout and Explorer Scout sections) on Britannia Fields, There is a farmers market every first Saturday of the month running 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.

The nearest railway station is Hinckley which is about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from Burbage centre, on the boundary between Burbage and Hinckley.

A yearly summer street carnival and fete is organised by the Burbage Carnival Committee, whose purpose is to raise funds to donate to local good causes. This has been a very popular community event and has raised over 1/2 million pounds for good causes. The carnival committee also runs the Burbage Bonfire and Fireworks Display held on Britannia Fields – all to support local charities.

The Freestyle Burbage community events project, a crowdsourced and crowdfunded programme of events organised and run by local residents, was started in 2013 by residents in the Sketchley Hill and Lash Hill area. It folded in 2018 due to lack of support.

The highest rank local football team is called FC Burbage who play at various venues around the village. Mini soccer through to open age and veterans football are teams who play for this large grass root club, founded in 2011 by 3 local dads wanting to provide a safe and fun game for local children. The club is still Chaired by one of the original 3 founders, with growing team numbers for both boys, girls men and women to all get involved. With over 350+ players this is a large grass roots club.. [9]

Burbage Common and Woods

Burbage Common - geograph.org.uk - 847586.jpg

Burbage Common and Woods are in the northeast corner of the Parish. This is a country park run by Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council. Its history as a grazing area dates back to at least the Domesday Book of 1086. It is now a 200-acre (0.81 km2) park popular with, amongst others, birdwatchers, walkers and horseriders. It is free to enter and is open dawn to dusk every day. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hinckley and Bosworth</span> Borough and non-metropolitan district in England

Hinckley and Bosworth is a local government district with borough status in Leicestershire, England. The council is based in Hinckley, the largest town. The borough also includes the town of Earl Shilton and numerous villages and surrounding rural areas. The Bosworth in the borough's name refers to the small market town of Market Bosworth, near which the Battle of Bosworth Field was fought in 1485.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hinckley</span> Town in Leicestershire, England

Hinckley is a market town in south-west Leicestershire, England. It is administered by Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council. Hinckley is the third largest settlement in Leicestershire, after Leicester and Loughborough. Hinckley is about halfway between Leicester and Coventry and borders Nuneaton in Warwickshire. Watling Street forms part of the Leicestershire/Warwickshire border. The town forms an urban area with the village of Burbage, directly to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dadlington</span> Village in Leicestershire, England

Dadlington is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Dadlington and Sutton Cheney, in the Hinckley and Bosworth district, in Leicestershire, England. It is situated between Hinckley, Market Bosworth and Nuneaton. In 1931 the parish had a population of 200.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sutton Cheney</span> Human settlement in England

Sutton Cheney is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Dadlington and Sutton Cheney, in the borough of Hinckley and Bosworth, in the county of Leicestershire, England, near the county border with Warwickshire. In addition to the village of Sutton Cheney itself, the civil parish also contains the villages of Dadlington and Shenton, a number of farms, and the location of the Battle of Bosworth. Its closest large towns are Nuneaton and Hinckley. Its closest market town is Market Bosworth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hinckley and Bosworth (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1885 onwards

Hinckley and Bosworth is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Luke Evans, a Conservative.

Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council elections are held every four years. Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council is the local authority for the non-metropolitan district of Hinckley and Bosworth in Leicestershire, England. Since the last boundary changes in 2003, 34 councillors are elected from 16 wards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aston Flamville</span> Rural village in Leicestershire, England

Aston Flamville is a village and civil parish in the Blaby district in Leicestershire, England. It is situated near Hinckley, but on the other (eastern) side of the M69. It has a population of 150 and consequently has a parish meeting rather than a parish council. The population at the 2011 census had increased to 311.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ratcliffe Culey</span> Human settlement in England

Ratcliffe Culey is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Witherley, in the Hinckley and Bosworth district, in Leicestershire, England, near the county boundary with Warwickshire. In 1931 the parish had a population of 184.

Snarestone is a small rural village in North West Leicestershire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stoke Golding</span> Human settlement in England

Stoke Golding is a village and civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England, close to the county border with Warwickshire. According to the 2001 census, the total population was 1,721 in just over 700 houses. The population at the 2011 census was 1,684 in 723 households. The village is 15 miles (24 km) from the city of Leicester, about 3 miles (4.8 km) northwest of Hinckley and 4.5 miles (7.2 km) northeast of Nuneaton. The village is bordered on one side by the Ashby Canal, well-used for recreational purposes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Higham on the Hill</span> Village in Leicestershire, England

Higham on the Hill is a village and civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England. The population at the 2011 census was 840.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheepy</span> Human settlement in England

Sheepy is a civil parish in the Borough of Hinckley and Bosworth in Leicestershire, England. It contains the villages of Sheepy Magna, Sheepy Parva, Sibson, Wellsborough, Upton, Pinwall and Cross Hands—collectively 449 homes. At the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 1,192, including Orton on the Hill but falling slightly to 1,174 at the 2011 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sibson, Leicestershire</span> Human settlement in England

Sibson is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Sheepy, in the Hinckley and Bosworth district, in western Leicestershire, England, close to the border with North Warwickshire. It is situated approximately midway between the towns of Hinckley and Measham, and slightly northeast of Atherstone. In 1931 the parish had a population of 264.

The Britannia Fields are a public open space in Britannia Road, Burbage, Leicestershire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burbage Wood and Aston Firs</span> UK Site of Special Scientific Interest

Burbage Wood and Aston Firs is a 51.1-hectare (126-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Leicestershire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burbage Sketchley and Stretton</span> Suburb and ward of Hinckley in Leicestershire, England

Burbage Sketchley and Stretton is the name given to the ward and suburb of Hinckley in the Hinckley & Bosworth district in the county of Leicestershire, England. It is one of the six wards on Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council of the town. The ward is one of two of Burbage and covers the settlement of Leicester Grange and the suburbs of Sketchley, Stretton and Tilton.

Burbage Parish Council is the parish council of Burbage, near Hinckley, in the Hinckley and Bosworth borough of the county of Leicestershire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sketchley, Hinckley & Bosworth</span> Ward of Burbage in Leicestershire, England

Sketchley is a former village and one of the five wards of the village of Burbage in the Hinckley & Bosworth borough of the ceremonial county of Leicestershire, England. It takes its name from the former village that also included a hall and church. It is now a suburb of the larger Burbage/Hinckley urban area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Catherine's, Hinckley & Bosworth</span> Ward of Burbage in Leicestershire, England

St Catherine's is one of the five wards of the village of Burbage and covers the older centre of the village, in addition to the ex-council estate centred on Woodland Avenue It takes its name from the parish church of St Catherine's.

References

  1. "Burbage (Parish, United Kingdom) – Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". citypopulation.de. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  2. "Hinckley (Leicestershire, East Midlands, United Kingdom) – Population Statistics, Charts, Map, Location, Weather and Web Information". citypopulation.de. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  3. OS Explorer Map 232 : Nuneaton & Tamworth: (1:25 000) : ISBN   0 319 46404 0
  4. "Key to English Place-names". University of Nottingham. Archived from the original on 3 May 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  5. Hadadi, Samantha (30 January 2015). "Village library is under threat". hinckleytimes. Archived from the original on 21 February 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  6. Hambridge, Karen (23 June 2016). "New chapter as Burbage Library is handed to volunteers". hinckleytimes. Archived from the original on 21 February 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  7. Hambridge, Karen (11 December 2016). "Burbage library open after improvements to facilities". hinckleytimes. Archived from the original on 21 February 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  8. "Burbage | Burbage Festival (BCAF)". Burbage Festival. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  9. NKF Burbage at the Football Club History Database
  10. "Local Nature Reserves". Natural England. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2011.