Belvoir ( ) is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the Melton district of

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...

, England, close to the county boundary with

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

. The nearest town is

Grantham Grantham () is a market town and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road. It lies south of Lincoln, England ...

, 13 kilometres (8 mi) east of the village.

History

The village's name derives from ''bel-vedeir'' meaning 'the beautiful view'. It was the location of

Belvoir Priory Belvoir Priory (pronounced ''Beaver'') was a Benedictine priory near to Belvoir Castle. Although once described as within Lincolnshire, it is currently located in Leicestershire, near the present Belvoir Lodge. History The priory was establ ...

. Iron ore was formerly quarried in the parish and details can be found in the articles on Knipton and Harston. The quarries were near Harston, to the south of Knipton and between Belvoir and Knipton. In December 1936 the civil parish was enlarged by gaining the former area of Harston and Knipton parishes which were abolished. On 1 April 1965 the parish gained 146 acres from

Woolsthorpe by Belvoir Woolsthorpe by Belvoir, also known as Woolsthorpe is a village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 415. It is situated approximately west from G ...

and 9 acres went the other way.The East Midland Counties Order, 1965

Geography

The parish includes the villages of Belvoir,

Knipton Knipton is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Belvoir, Leicestershire, Belvoir, in the Borough of Melton, Melton district, in the county (England), county of Leicestershire, England. It lies about from the town of Grantham, ...

and

Harston Harston is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, England, located around 5 miles (8 km) south of Cambridge. In 2011, it had a population of 1,740. Village Sign The village sign was erected in th ...

. Nearby places outside the parish are

Redmile Redmile is an English village and civil parish in the Melton (borough), Melton district of Leicestershire, about north of Melton Mowbray and west of Grantham. The population of the civil parish, which includes Barkestone-le-Vale and Plungar, w ...

, and

Croxton Kerrial Croxton Kerrial (pronounced �kroʊsən ˈkɛrɨl is a village and civil parish in the Melton borough of Leicestershire, England, south-west of Grantham, north-east of Melton Mowbray, and west of Leicestershire's border with Lincolnshire. Th ...

. The village is the site of

Belvoir Castle Belvoir Castle ( ) is a faux historic castle and stately home in Leicestershire, England, situated west of the town of Grantham and northeast of Melton Mowbray. A castle was first built on the site immediately after the Norman Conquest of 10 ...

, which "stands on a prominent spur jutting northwards" into the

Vale of Belvoir The Vale of Belvoir ( ) is in Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire, England. The name is from the Norman-French for "beautiful view". Extent and geology The vale is a tract of low ground rising east-north-east, drained by the ...

References

Villages in Leicestershire Civil parishes in Leicestershire Borough of Melton {{Leicestershire-geo-stub