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Higham on the Hill

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Description in 1871:
"HIGHAM-ON--THE-HILL, a village and a parish in Hinckley district, Leicester. The village stands near the Ashby-de-la-Zouch canal, Watling street, the boundary with Warwickshire, and the Leicester and Nuneaton railway, 2½ miles NE of Nuneaton; and has a postoffice under Hinckley. The parish contains also the hamlets of Lindley and Rowden. Acres, 2,880. Real property, £5,245. Pop., 559. Houses, 123. The property is divided among a few. The manor belongs to the Rev. J. Fisher. Lindley Hall was occupied by John Hardwick, who led the Earl of Richmond to Bosworth field; was the residence of William Burton, the first historian of Leicestershire; and is now the seat of Vincent Eyre, Esq. Several Roman coins, three ornamental ancient rings, and a great many silver coins of Henry III. were found, in the early part of the 17th century, at or near Watling street. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Peterborough. Value, £552. Patron, the Rev. J. Fisher. The church is modern, with an ancient Norman tower. There are a national school, and charities £7."
John Marius WILSON's "Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales," 1870-72

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Census

  • The parish was in the Hinckley sub-district of the Hinckley Registration District until 1936.
     
  • In 1936, the parish was reassigned to the Market Bosworth Registration District.
     
  • The 1851 Census for Leicestershire has been indexed by the Leicestershire & Rutland Family History Society. The whole index is available on microfiche. The society has also published it in print.
     
  • The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
     
Census
Year
Piece No.
1841H.O. 107 / 601
1861R.G. 9 / 2261
1871R.G. 10 / 3237
1891R.G. 12 / 2504
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Church History

  • The Anglican parish church was dedicated to Saint Peter.
     
  • The church was built in the 11th century or early in the 12th.
     
  • The clock nave was rebuilt in 1793.
     
  • The clock was added to the church tower in 1873.
     
  • The church seats 360.
     
  • John SALMON has a photograph of St. Peter's Church on Geo-graph, taken in April, 2003.
     
  • There was an ancient Chapel of Ease dedicated to St. John the Baptist built at Lindley, to the north, but that was in ruins by the 20th century.
     
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Church Records

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Civil Registration

  • Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
     
  • The parish was in the Hinckley sub-district of the Hinckley Registration District until 1936.
     
  • In 1936, the parish was reassigned to the Market Bosworth Registration District.
     
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Description & Travel

Higham on the Hill is a village and a parish on a hill just north of Watling Street, 3 miles west of Hinckley, 2.5 miles north of Nuneaton, 99 miles north of London and 6 miles south of Market Bosworth. The parish covers 2,949 acres and includes the hamlets of Rowden and Lindley.

The Ashby Canal runs through the parish just east of the village. If you are planning a visit:

  • By automobile, take the A5 west out of Hinckly and turn right (north) after about two miles to Higham on the Hill.
     
You can see pictures of Higham on the Hill which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

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Manors

  • Lindley Hall is about a mile northwest of the village and was the seat of Dempster HEMING in 1881.
     
  • Higham Grange, a spacious residence, standing in its own grounds near to Wathng Street, was used as a convalescent homo for Warwickshire miners after 1900.
     
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Maps

  • See our Maps page for additional resources.
     

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SP381956 (Lat/Lon: 52.556942, -1.439037), Higham on the Hill which are provided by:

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Military History

A tablet was erected in the parish church in 1919 as a memorial to the men of the parish who fell in the Great War, 1914-18.

There are 3 Commonwealth War Graves in St. Peter's churchyard. Two from World War One and one from World War Two.

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Military Records

The three Commonwealth War Graves (data from www.CWGC.org) are:

NameRankUnitDiedFamily
David William EDGARprivate10th Btn, Royal Warwickshire Regt.21 July 1919Age 30, husband of Minnie EDGAR.
Joseph KNIGHTprivateRoyal Warwickshire Regt.01 Nov. 1918Age 27, son of the late George and Jane KNIGHT.
Henry LOVELLprivate3rd Btn, Royal Warwickshire Regt.01 Jan. 1946Age 18, son of Herbert and Hilda LOVELL.
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Politics & Government

  • This place was an ancient parish of the county. It became a Civil Parish when those were established.
     
  • The parish lies in the Sparkenhoe Hundred in the southern (or western) division of the county.
     
  • In April, 1935, this Civil Parish was reduced by 29 acres to enlarge Caldecott Civil Parish (across Watling Street in Warwick).
     
  • Also in April, 1935, this Civil Parish was reduced by 62 acres to enlarge Nuneaton Civil Parish (across Watling Street in Warwick).
     
  • Finally, in April, 1935, this Civil Parish was enlarged by 389 acres with the abolition of Stoke Golding Civil Parish (to the northeast).
     
  • You may contact the local Parish Council regarding civic or political matters, but they will NOT be able to help you with family history searches.
     
  • The Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council provides district governance.
     
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Poor Houses, Poor Law

  • As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, this parish became part of the Hinckley Poorlaw Union.
     
  • Bastardy cases would be heard in the Market Bosworth petty sessional hearings.
     
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Population

 YearInhabitants
1841556
1871532
1881445
1891553
1901525
1911614
1921553
1931738
1961723
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Schools

  • A Public Elementary School (National School) was built here prior to 1881.
     
  • Peter MacKenzie has a photograph of the School on Geo-graph, taken in February, 2017.