Category: Local History

Some readers may not know that during World War II long before the formation of the Kibworth & District Chronicle there existed The Kibworth News and Forces’ Journal. No.1 was published in 1944. In 1945, issue No 2 was sent free to all those serving in His Majesty’s Forces. It is subtitled Vth Birthday and Victory Number.

I was fortunate enough to acquire a copy of this 171 year old railway timetable. It appeared in the Market Harborough Advertiser in both January and October 1854. It charts the journey from Stamford in Lincolnshire through Leicestershire to connecting lines for London and Liverpool. This was issued on behalf of the Rugby and Stamford Branch line.

On the weekend of 15/16 March volunteers from the Hallaton Fieldwork Group spent many hours digging exploratory pits in the ground around Kibworth mill. With the assistance of mill volunteers, they sifted the soil looking for items of historical interest. Although the finds were nearly all modern and comprised pottery, brick/tile and animal bone. They used a metal detector on the trenches and spoil. This produced many nails, modern coins and metal fittings (some clearly from parts of the windmill). 

Wikipedia tells us that Papillon Hall, off Theddingworth Road near Lubenham, was built in about 1620 and demolished in 1950. It was located adjacent to what is now the Bramfield Park Homes site and it was built by David Papillon, (1581-1659), a French Huguenot architect and military engineer. It was an octagonal, two-storey stone house surrounded by a moat.

Kibworth Mill will once again be opening for National Mills Weekend giving members of the public an opportunity to visit the oldest mill in Leicestershire on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 May. Volunteers will show people around inside and outside the mill, giving visitors the chance to see the inner workings and marks left by the millers over the last 400 years.

If you've passed the roundabout recently, you may have noticed our new Kibworth Beauchamp Village Sign, funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Grant. Hand-crafted by Glyn Mould Woodcarving, it beautifully illustrates key historical landmarks and moments that define our village.

Last month a series of local history talks began in Kibworth Community Library. The talk by Graham Wat, one of the volunteers at Kibworth Harcourt Post Mill was very well-received.

As we know from Michael Wood’s Story of England, Kibworth itself dates back to the time of the Romans. The villages and the area around us are steeped in history, so we are delighted to introduce a new series of talks in the library covering a variety of historical topics.

To complement the upcoming season of Local History Talks (see the Kibworth Community Library article here), the Kibworth Community Library team, with the help of some members the Family History Workshop and aided by Kibworth & District Chronicle, are to mount an exhibition of Kibworth Past.

1930 -2024