These
records are a transcription of the enumerators'
sheets for the 1861 census for the village
of Sileby. The numbers shown in the address
of the properties are not house
numbers, but the schedule number for that
property. Occasionally a property was
sub-let, so two schedule numbers are occasionally
seen for one property. In this case, the
second household is shown in a black font.
I
have tried to minimise any transcription
errors by cross-referencing with the 1881
census and Leicestershire Directories
of the period, but there are bound to
be some irregularities due to human error
on my part, the enumerator's or the householder
who originally completed the schedules
on which these sheets are based. Where
I have come across an entry I couldn't
be totally sure of, I've highlighted it
in red. Please refer to the original census
records if you have any queries about
the accuracy of this transcription.
The
1861 census shows Sileby as it was in
the days of our great grandfathers, before
the hosiery and footwear industries came
to the village. Agriculture and home-based
framework knitting looms are by far the
main sources of employment in the village.
The
village was based on three of the same
four streets that still form it's heart
– High Street, King Street and Brook St/
The Banks, with Barrow Road being very
similar to it's present size. The notable
absentee is Swan Street, which had yet
to be built, and there is no mention of
any houses on Ratcliffe Road or Seagrave
Road. Mountsorrell Lane was divided in
the Census into Church Lane North and
Church Lane South, and present-day Cossington
Road was divided into Cossington End and
several lodges on Cossington Lane.
The
records cover 2 enumeration districts
–
District 7, covered by Mr Joel Kirk,
described as
"That
part of the Parish called the Barrow road
the North Church Lane including the Vicarage
King Street including the two Lodges called
Porters Lodge and Harrimans Lodge."
District 8, covered by Mr. John Taylor,
described as
"That
part of the Parish called the South Church
Lane High Street Brook Street including
the Banks Cossington end the Lodges lying
South and East including Porters Lodge."
The
population of the village in 1861 was
given as x,xxx.
I
have divided the records into 7 pages
to decrease download times –
