Blackfordby is a small village and former

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 below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

, now in the parish of

Ashby-de-la-Zouch Ashby-de-la-Zouch, sometimes spelt Ashby de la Zouch () and shortened locally to Ashby, is a market town and civil parish in the North West Leicestershire district of Leicestershire, England. The town is near to the Derbyshire and Staffordshire ...

, in the

North West Leicestershire North West Leicestershire is a local government district in Leicestershire, England. The population of the Local Authority at the 2011 census was 93,348. Its main towns are Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Castle Donington, Coalville and Ibstock. The dist ...

district, in the northwesternmost corner of

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...

, England. It is about to the northwest of Ashby-de-la-Zouch and 2 miles southeast of

Swadlincote Swadlincote is a former mining town in the district of South Derbyshire, England, lying within The National Forest area. It borders the counties of Leicestershire and Staffordshire, south-east of Burton upon Trent and north-west of Ashby-de ...

. In 1931 the parish had a population of 705. On some early maps, such as one dated 1587, the village is shown as "Blaugherby", hence the local name of "Blofferby". The village is dominated by the Church of St Margaret of Antioch, Blackfordby, erected in 1858 on the site of an earlier Anglican Chapel which was attached to the St Helen's Church, Ashby-de-la-Zouch. The church stands in an elevated position next to the village school, and is built in the

early English style English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed ar ...

. The church has a nave and chancel, with a tower surmounted by a

broach spire A broach spire is a type of spire (tall pyramidal structure), which usually sits atop a tower or turret of a church. It starts on a square base and is carried up to a tapering octagonal spire by means of triangular faces. File:Leicester Cathedral ...

and, for the greater part of the work, constructed from local sandstone which has become blackened due to the effects of air pollution. Until recent years there were several 16th & 17th century thatched cottages in and around the village, but now only two remain, one on Main Street, and one behind the "Rec". Both are now protected buildings. For many years the population remained at about 500, mainly agricultural workers, until the advent of the "Pits & Pipeworks". It is still a fairly quiet, rural village, although the population has greatly expanded in recent years. Council houses were built in 1948 and 1950, but the biggest changes have been brought about by private development. The village school still survives and has been extended to allow children to continue their education there until they are eleven years old. There were two pubs, The Black Lion and The Blue Bell, but no shops or Post Office. Now only one pub remains. The Black Lion.

History

In 1866 Blackfordby became a parish in its own right, on 1 April 1936 the parish was abolished and merged with Ashby de la Zouch, part also went to Ashby Woulds.

Toponymy

The village's name means 'farm/settlement with a dark-coloured ford'.

History

Charles Abney Hastings Sir Charles Abney Hastings, 2nd Baronet (1 October 1792 – 30 July 1858) of Willesley Hall, Derbyshire was both High Sheriff of Derbyshire and an MP for Leicester from 1826 to 1831. Biography Abney-Hastings was the elder son of General Sir Ch ...

Willesley Willesley is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, in the North West Leicestershire district, in the county of Leicestershire, England. It was originally in Derbyshire. Willesley Hall was the home of the A ...

Hall died on 30 July 1858, aged 66. By a deed of settlement, executed about 1846, the Blackfordby and

Packington Packington is a village and civil parish in the district of North West Leicestershire.OS Explorer Map 245: The National Forest :(1:25 000) : It is situated close to the A42 road (England), A42 road and the towns of Ashby de la Zouch and Measha ...

estates of Sir Charles passed to the

Marquis of Hastings Marquess of Hastings was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 6 December 1816 for Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 2nd Earl of Moira. History The Rawdon family descended from Francis Rawdon (d. 1668), of Rawdon, Yorkshire. H ...

, who was Henry Rawdon-Hastings."The Gentleman's Magazine"
1858, accessed 12 July 2008

References

Villages in Leicestershire Former civil parishes in Leicestershire Ashby-de-la-Zouch {{Leicestershire-geo-stub