Countesthorpe is a large 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 below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

in the

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 ...

district of

Blaby Blaby () is a large village in the Blaby District in central Leicestershire, England, some five miles south of Leicester city centre. At the time of the 2011 census, Blaby had a population of 6,194, a slight fall from 6,240 in 2001 figures). B ...

, with a population of 6,393 (2001 census, falling slightly to 6,377 at the 2011 census. It lies to the south of

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

, and is about from the city centre, but only two miles south of the suburb of

South Wigston South Wigston is a large village to the south of Leicester, England. It is outside the city boundary, forming part of the Oadby and Wigston district of Leicestershire. The population of the ward rose slightly from 7,471 at the 2001 census to 7,4 ...

. Nearby places are

and South Wigston to the north,

Kilby Kilby is a village and civil parish in the Blaby district of Leicestershire, England. Kilby is the easternmost village in the district, and is south east of Leicester. Kilby civil parish includes the former parish of Foston and it's deserted m ...

to the east,

Peatling Magna Peatling Magna (also once known as “Great Petlyng” and later as “Great Peatling”) is a village in Harborough district, south Leicestershire. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 210. It lies 3.7 km north-east o ...

and

Willoughby Waterleys Willoughby Waterleys (formerly known as Willoughby Waterless) is a small village and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England. It is situated near the A426 Leicester–to–Lutterworth road. Nearby villages are Ashby ...

to the south, and

Broughton Astley Broughton Astley is a large village and civil parish located in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England. It is situated in the south of Leicestershire, about east of Hinckley, about from the centre of Leicester, and about 14 mil ...

, Cosby and Whetstone to the west. The name Countesthorpe originates from the 11th century when the area was part of the marriage dowry of the Countess Judith, niece of

William the Conqueror William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first House of Normandy, Norman List of English monarchs#House of Norman ...

. The '

thorp ''Thorp'' is a Middle English word for a hamlet or small village. Etymology The name can either come from Old Norse ''þorp'' (also ''thorp''), or from Old English (Anglo-Saxon) ''þrop''. There are many place names in England with the suffi ...

e' part of the name is a variant of the Middle English word thorp, meaning hamlet or small village. The parish church of St. Andrew was started in 1220 by the family of Lord William of Ludbrook. It was restored in 1840 and again in 1907. The 14th-century tower still remains. The village has three public houses: The Axe and Square, The Bull's Head and The Railway. Another public house, the King William IV was turned into a Tesco Express in 2013. Magna 73 of the

Leicestershire Senior League The Leicestershire Senior League (currently sponsored by Everards Brewery) is a football competition based in Leicestershire, England. History The league was formed in 1896, had a two-year hiatus between 1901 and 1903, and has run continuously ...

are an

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

team who play just north of the village. The village is twinned with the town of

Mennecy Mennecy () is a commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in northern France. Geography Mennecy is 33 kilometers south east of Paris-Notre-Dame, point zero from roads of France, 8 kilometers south of Évry, 6 kilometers south west of ...

in France.

Education

Countesthorpe is served by one local primary school called Greenfield Primary School. Ofsted report 2010,2014,2018 all "Good". Until September 2016 Countesthorpe had a separate high school named

Leysland High School Leysland High School was a coeducational middle school with academy status, located in Countesthorpe, Leicestershire, England. It was open for students aged 11–14 (students in KS3). It received the rating of 'Outstanding' from Ofsted in Apri ...

with

Ofsted The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a Non-ministerial government department, non-ministerial department of Government of the United Kingdom, His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament of the U ...

reviewing it as "Outstanding" in 2013 and a college called Countesthorpe Community College. Both schools were attended by the popular music group

Kasabian Kasabian ( ) are an English rock band formed in Leicester in 1997 by lead vocalist Tom Meighan, guitarist and occasional vocalist Sergio Pizzorno, guitarist Chris Karloff, and bassist Chris Edwards. Drummer Ian Matthews joined in 2004. Karlof ...

. The two schools joined and became an "Academy" called Countesthorpe Leysland Community Collegewith Ofsted reviews in 2013 "Outstanding" and 2019 "Inadequate". The school was renamed

Countesthorpe Academy Countesthorpe Academy (formerly Countesthorpe Leysland Community College) is a coeducational secondary school situated on the western edge of Countesthorpe in Leicestershire, England near the A426. History Countesthorpe Leysland Community Coll ...

in 2020.

Notable residents

Harvey Barnes Harvey Lewis Barnes (born 9 December 1997) is an English professional association football, footballer who plays as a Winger (association football), winger for club Leicester City F.C., Leicester City. Early life Barnes was born in Burnley, L ...

- Professional footballer *

William Buckingham William Buckingham VC (February 1886 – 15 September 1916) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth force ...

, , First World War soldier. *

Rosemary Conley Rosemary Jean Neil Conley CBE, DL (''née'' Weston, 19 December 1946)''The International Who's Who of Women 2002'', Europa, , p. 113 is an English businesswoman, author and broadcaster on exercise and health. Conley authored a low-fat diet and e ...

– author and broadcaster on exercise and health. *

Robert Gee Captain (British Army and Royal Marines), Captain Robert Gee (7 May 1876 – 2 August 1960) was an History of Jews in England, English-Jewish recipient of the Victoria Cross and a Conservative Member of Parliament. Biography Born in Leicester, ...

, recipient of the Victoria Cross and a Conservative MP. *

Ahmed Musa Ahmed Musa (born 14 October 1992) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a forward and left winger for Turkish Süper Lig club Sivasspor and the Nigeria national team. Musa became the first Nigerian to score more than once in a F ...

– Professional footballer.Leicester’s Ahmed Musa considering legal action over reports he beat up wife , Football , The Guardian
Retrieved 2018-03-09. *

Maurice Tompkin Maurice Tompkin (17 February 1919 – 27 September 1956) was an English sportsman who played first-class cricket with Leicestershire and professional football for Bury, Leicester City, Huddersfield Town and Kettering Town. He was born in Count ...

– first class cricketer and professional footballer.

References

External links

Countesthorpe Parish Council
a
leicestershireparishcouncils.org
{{authority control Villages in Leicestershire Civil parishes in Leicestershire Blaby