Knossington, Leicestershire Genealogy

England   Leicestershire

Parish History
Knossington St Peter is an Ancient Parish

KNOSSINGTON (St. Peter), a parish, in the union of Oakham, hundred of Gartree, S. division of the county of Leicester, 4½ miles (W. by S.) from Oakham; containing 252 inhabitants. It comprises by computation 1250 acres, chiefly pasture; the surface is very hilly, and the soil principally sand, in some parts alternated with clay. The low grounds are watered by a small river called the Gnash, which has its source in the parish. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £6. 11. 8.; net income, £270; patron, Thomas Frewen, Esq.: the glebe comprises 42 acres. The church is an ancient structure, in the early English style; the tower has been rebuilt, and 70 additional sittings have been obtained. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans. An hospital for four widows of beneficed clergymen, who have each a stipend of £30 per annum, was founded by William Smith, of Croxton, who, in 1711, endowed it with an estate in the vale of Belvoir; the institution, having fallen into disuse, was revived in 1802, under an order in chancery, and a handsome building of brick was erected at an expense of £1096.

From: A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 708-710. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51086 Date accessed: 18 May 2011.

In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Knossington like this:

KNOSSINGTON, a parish, with a village, in the district of Oakham and county of Leicester; on the river Gwash, adjacent to Rutland, 4 miles W by S of Oakham r. station. Post town, Oakham. Acres, 1, 443. Real property, £2, 686. Pop., 251. Houses, 63. The property is divided among a few. The manor belongs to T. Frewen, Esq. The parish is a meet for the Cottesmore hounds. An inhabitant possesses a cheffonier which belonged to the mother of Henry VIII., and was found near her ancient residence. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Peterborough. Value, £324. Patron, T. Frewen, Esq. The church is old but good, and has a tower. There are a Wesleyan chapel, a national school, and an hospital for four clergymen's widows, with £160 a year from endowment.

Civil Registration
Birth, marriages and deaths were kept by the government, from July 1837 to the present day. The civil registration article tells more about these records. There are several Internet sites with name lists or indexes. A popular site is FreeBMD.

Church records
Deposited records are found at the Leicester and Rutland Record Office

Contact: The Record Office Telephone: 0116 2571080 Fax: 0116 2571120 E-mail: recordoffice@leics.gov.uk

Diocese of Leicester: Knossington Bap 1588 - 1947 Marr 1588 - 1842 Bur 1588 - 1995

Contributor: Include here information for parish registers, Bishop’s Transcripts, non conformist and other types of church records, such as parish chest records. Add the contact information for the office holding the original records. Add links to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection

Census records
Contributor: Include an overview if there is any unique information, such as the census for X year was destroyed. Add a link to online sites for indexes and/or images. Also add a link to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection.

Poor Law Unions
Oakham Poor Law Union, Rutland

Probate records
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Leicestershire Probate Records to find the name of the court having primary jurisdiction. Scroll down in the article to the section Court Jurisdictions by Parish.

Maps and Gazetteers
Maps are a visual look at the locations in England. Gazetteers contain brief summaries about a place.


 * England Jurisdictions 1851
 * Vision of Britain

Web sites
Contributor: Add any relevant sites that aren’t mentioned above.