flf>8 



LEICESTERSHIRE. 



Divbi'ons. 



oil. 



JJirers. 



It is divided into six hundreds, viz. Framland, Gar- 

 tree, Goscote East and West, Guthlaxton, and Spar- 

 kenhoe. There are eleven market towns, of which the 

 principal are Leicester (the county town), Loughbo- 

 rough, Hinchley, Lutter worth, Melton Moubray, Mar- 

 kt't Harborough, Market Bosworth, and Ashley-de-la- 

 Zouch. There are in this county 1 ya parishes ; but 

 the number of places which pay separate parochial rates 

 is 323. It sends only four members to parliament; 

 two for the county and two for Leicester. It is in the 

 province of Canterbury, and diocese of Lincoln : The 

 whole county is under one archdeacon, and it contains 

 six deaneries. Jt is in the midland circuit. 



Surface and w th respect to surface and soil, Leicestershire is 

 highly favoured by nature. Its surface is not so level 

 as to render it unhealthy, or ill ventilated as to prevent 

 the waters from flowing from it, sq as to render it fit 

 for all the purposes of agriculture; and, with a very 

 few exceptions, it is not so broken or lofty as to render 

 it cold, or of difficult and precarious cultivation. It is, 

 in fact, in most parts raised to such a degree, as to af- 

 ford at once beautiful scenery and a fine field for the 

 labours of the farmer. The highest ground in the coun- 

 ty is some of the peaks in Charnwood forest, towards 

 the north-west, and their elevation is not more than 8i >0 

 or 900 feet above the level of the sea. There are also 

 rough lands called Wolds on the southern side of the 

 county. The soil of Leicestershire varies very little 

 over its whole area. It may generally be described as 

 a loam of different degrees of tenacity, depth, and fer- 

 tility, according to its proportion of clay, and the sub- 

 stratum on which it lies. The best, or rather the driest 

 and sharpest soil is commonly found on the hills ; the 

 strongest and wettest soil in the vallies. The red loam, 

 which seems to stretch across England, from Rutland- 

 shire to the very extremity of Devonshire, is prevalent 

 in this county. It is a soil of great fertility ; and, being 

 easily worked at all seasons, of great value to the farmer. 



The principal rivers in Leicestershire are the Soare, 

 the Swift, the Welland, the Avon, the Wreke, and the 

 Ankor ; but they are all very small streams. The Soare 

 rises in the south-west border of the county, whence it 

 flows to Leicester. Soon afi-Twards it is joined by the 

 Wreke from the north-east ; its course then bends to 

 Mount Sorrel and Loughborough, till it falls into the 

 Trent. It is made navigable for barges from its junc- 

 tion with the Trent to several miles above Leicester, a 

 distance of upwards of 20 miles. The Swift rises in 

 this county, flows by Lutterworth, and then enters 

 Warwickshire. The course of the Welland in this coun- 

 ty is also for a short space ; it rises in it near Harbo- 

 rough, and soon afterwards enters Northamptonshire. 

 The Avon rises nearly in the same part of the county ; 

 but its course is directly opposite to that of the VV el- 

 land, being through Warwickshire into the Severn. 

 The course of the VVreke has been already mentioned. 

 The Ankor rises near the source of the Soare, and, 

 running in a north-west direction near the borders of 

 Warwickshire, falls into the Avon. Hence it appears, 

 that the Soare, and its tributary streams, the VVreke 

 and the Welland, flow into, the east sea, while the other 

 rivers of this county flow into the west sea. 



There are several artificial navigations in this coun- 

 ty ; that of the Soare, or the Leicester Navigation as it 

 is called, has already been briefly noticed. Besides the 

 main stream, or cut, on or near the line of the river 

 Soare, down the Soare valley to the Trent, there is a 

 collateral bran- h to Loughborough, which is continued 

 ver part of Charnwood forust by cau;J, or rail- way, to 





the collieries and lime-works in that part of the eoun- ' 

 ty. By means of the Leicester and Mckon-Moubray 

 canal, the rivers Wreke and Eye form a communication x ""Y" 

 with the Soare ; and the former rivers, by means of 

 cuts, &c. are made navigable to Melton- Moubray, 

 where the Oakham canal commences. This canal runs 

 a course of 1 5 miles, about half of which is in I .eices- 

 tershire, the rest in Rutlandshire ; in the first 8^ miles 

 it has a rise of I2fi feet, afterwards it is level. The 

 Grantham canal merely skirts the east side of the coun- 

 ty, on the borders of Nottinghamshire, running through 

 the vale of Belvoir, to which it is of great advantage, 

 the roads being there almost impassable during winter. 

 The Union canal begins at and joins the'Soare naviga- 

 tion at Leicester. Its course for three miles is nearly 

 parallel to that river ; it then passes towards \Vigston, 

 &c. and on to Northampton, into the river New Navi- 

 gation and lirand Junction canal. Its whole course, 

 from Leicester to Northampton, is 43f miles, with 407 

 feet 6 inches lockage; the rise is 110 feet, and the fall 

 1 97 feet 6 inches. It passes through 4 tunnels. There 

 is a cut to Market Harborough. In its course it cross- 

 es the river Welland. The Ashley-de-la-Zouch canal 

 joins the Coventry canal near N uneaten. It soon after- 

 wards enters Leicestershire near Hinchley, and passing. 

 Market Bosworth, proceeds to Ashley-de-la-Zouch. It 

 is 50 miles long, with 25O feet lockage. It was intend- 

 ed to have been continued to the navigable part of the 

 Trent, below Barton. There are several rail-ways, as 

 appendages to this canal, to the collieries and lime- 

 works in this part of the county. 



The climate of Leicestershire is, on the whole, mild, Climate. 

 and very salubrious ; and the harvest, especially in the 

 western parts of the comity, at least ten days earlier 

 than it is in the counties on the east coast of England. 

 The average annual fall of rain is supposed to be about 

 30 inches. 



This county is not distinguished for its minerals. Its Minerals, 

 coal and limestone, however, are valuable, and in some 

 parts abundant ; and there are also lead, iron-stone, coaL 

 slate, and free-stone. The coal mines ' are situated in 

 the north-west of the county, not far from the borders 

 of Derbyshire. Those at Cole-( >rton and Lount have 

 been long wrought ; but those on Ashley Wolds have 

 been lately established by the Marquis of Hastings. 

 The seam is nearly three yards deep ; but as it lies 200 

 yards below the surface, it is raised at considerable ex- 

 pence ; the quality of this coal is good. The most ce- 

 lebrated lime-works in this county are those of Bredon \_i me . 

 and Barrow-upon- Soare. Bredon lies in the hundred 

 of West Goscote, near the borders of Derbyshire. It 

 is situated at the base of a high limestone rock, of a co- 

 nical form, with the top seemingly cut off; '' the stra- 

 ta which compose the central parts of it (and which are 

 found nearly horizontal in the plain)' f\} raised r.iniost 

 perpendicularly, and placed upon their edge*, while 

 those on each side decline like the surface of the hill." 

 According to Dr. Darwin, the Bredon limestone con- 

 tains two parts magnesian earth, and tliree calcareous. 

 The kilns, in which it is burnt, are in the form of an 

 inverted cone. Alternate layers of coal and limestone 

 are placed at the top, and the burnt lime is drawn out 

 at the bottom. 1 hi-' lime, in consequence of the quan- 

 tity of magnesia which it contains, is reckoned prejudi- 

 cial to the lulu 1 ., u.iloss it is laid on with gre;it c.iutlrii 

 and judgment. The linu.stoi L- .it Barrow -on-Siwre ;; : 

 of a diffareHt uualitv fVom th.-t of BmL.n. it consists 

 ot' a hard blue stone, which lies in thin strata, The 

 under the surface is tinged with yellow, the rest 



