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Communities
The history of Leicestershire is the history of communities. Schools, sports clubs, community celebrations, charities and the friendly societies that kept our Victorian predecessors from the workhouse have all contributed to the fabric of our local societies. Social history...
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Employment
The numerous ways in which people earn their living change over time. Some employments, such as agriculture, mining, quarrying and bellfounding (in this picture) have been in Leicestershire for many centuries, while others, such as framework knitting, have a much shorter...
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Farms and farming
The story of farming in Leicestershire can be considered in three broad periods. For the medieval period, the poor survival of records can often make it difficult to discover very much at all. Even where records do survive, their form and language (usually abbreviated Latin),...
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Get involved
Local history is very popular, and learning more about places and communities in Leicestershire can become a fascinating hobby. Some people enjoy doing their own research in their own way, while others find it helpful to meet like-minded people, at least on an occasional...
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Exploring your parish church
Leicestershire has over 100 medieval churches. As the oldest building for several miles around, if walls could talk, they could certainly tell a few tales. And to some extent they can – once you have learned to interpret what they are saying. Over the centuries, a medieval...
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Your local school
Many people are interested in the history of their village school, and the experiences of its pupils and teachers. This research guide, arranged into three chronological sections, will help you to find and understand the original sources that can tell you more about the...
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Maps before the Ordnance Survey
Historic Ordnance Survey (OS) maps are an essential source for local history, and a study of each published edition at both the one inch to the mile and six inches to the mile scales will reveal changes to the settlement pattern, communications, industry, religious life and much...
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"Our aim is to publish online and within a series of books, a history of every town and village in Leicestershire"
Welcome to Leicestershire History, the site that will help you to explore the rich history and heritage of one of England’s lesser-known counties. We are a broad mix of historians, archaeologists, business people and others who are passionate about Leicestershire’s history. We formed Leicestershire Victoria County History Trust in 2008 to establish a community history project that would research and publish a history of each of Leicestershire’s towns...
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This website is designed to complement our project, by providing details of some of our findings as our research progresses. In addition, a number of free research guides are available for those who would like to do their own local history research. Web publication can be more flexible than the printed page, and we shall be developing interactive resources on this site for a number of broad historical themes...
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Leicestershire Victoria County History Trust provides regular free training and support to volunteers who are helping us by researching full parish histories for publication. We are very grateful for the many hours of research they have provided. We would like to hear from people who would be willing to help us by collecting information from trade directories about religious nonconformity in the county. Our project pages provide more information...
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Be a part of our history and heritage
Click here for details of our new membership scheme
You could help us to expand by making a donation or leaving a legacy in your Will
Click here for details of different types of legacies
Leicestershire Victoria County History Trust trains and supports volunteer researchers, carries out educational work with local schools and community groups and aims to produce a multi-volume reference history of Leicestershire for the national Victoria County History series. It is also delivering the highly successful Charnwood Roots project, a four year exploration of the rich history of Charnwood Forest and the towns and villages that surround it. Click here for membership details.