Kirby Muxloe

Kirby Muxloe is a dormitory village in Leicestershire. Its suburban nature belies its interesting history.

History

Two Romano-British settlements have been found. One was found during the building of the Leicester Western bypass. It included the sort of metalwork associated with a kiln.

?890 Settlement founded by Danes
1086 Recorded in Domesday book as 'Carbi'. (Caeri's settlement) with a working population of 8
1168 First Church Built
1209 First recorded vicar, Matthew de Cantelupe
?1290 Present Church built
1364 First mention of a wood called "le golet". The name survives as Gullet Lane
1461 William, Lord Hastings becomes Steward of the Honor of Leicester and Ranger of Leicester Forest
1474 The Old White House built
1474 William, Lord Hastings acquires manorial right to Kirby from the Villiers family of Brooksby.
He had rented if for some years previous to this.
1483 June 13th William, Lord Hastings is executed on the orders of King Richard III at the Tower of London. William was caught up in the rivalry for the throne after the death of Edward IV
1484 Work stops on Kirby Muxloe Castle
1570 It is alleged that Mary Queen of Scots is imprisoned at Kirby Muxloe Castle. This may be apocryphal. It was whispered after that time that every castle where she had been imprisoned was in ruins. Seeing that the Castle had by this time been abandoned for over 80 years, it's not surprising that this sort of rumour was able to flourish.
1582 Name of village becomes Kirby Muckelby: variants Mullox Muckle
1628 Disafforestation of Leicester Forest. This effectively divided land near Kirby Muxloe in to two; forest and pasture. The results are visible today.
1649 Hastings families estates in Kirby and Braunstone sold to Winstanley family
1703 First official use of Kirby Muxloe. The Oxford Dictionary of Placenames states that 'Muxloe' is a family name. There was such a family but they lived three miles away, in the village of Desford.
1848 Midland Railway builds a line through Kirby. The Gullet Lane bridge is 103 miles from St. Pancras.
1859 1st July Kirby Muxloe Railway Station opened
1882 The fields known as Far and Near Townsend Close are bought by Kirby Muxloe Land Society. Barwell Road, Castle Road and Church Road are laid out. Building goes on for the next 30 years
1900-10 Pretoria and Ladysmith Roads are laid out
1900 A map of the time shows Kirby Muxloe's sewage farm- on what is now the football pitch of the Sports Club
1911 Kirby Muxloe Castle handed over to Ministry of Works, later English Heritage
1941 Village becomes " most bombed in England". A German bomber on its way back after attacking Coventry empties its load on two streets with destruction of a church and several houses. You can see the gaps in the houses to this day.
1964 7th September Kirby Muxloe Railway Station closed as a result of deep and injurious cuts to Britain's rail network