Kirkby Mallory is a village and former

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

, now in the parish of Kirkby Mallory, Peckleton and Stapleton, in the

Hinckley and Bosworth Hinckley and Bosworth is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district with borough status in Leicestershire, England. The council is based in Hinckley, the largest town. The borough also includes the town of Earl Shilton and numerous v ...

district of

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...

, England. In 1931 the parish had a population of 231. It is known mainly for its race circuit,

Mallory Park Mallory Park is a motor racing circuit situated in the village of Kirkby Mallory, just off the A47 road, A47, between Leicester and Hinckley, in central England. Originally used for Grass track racing, grass-track until 1955, a new, basicall ...

, a one-mile (1.6 km) track where car and motorbike races take place. Its church is All Saints and is located near the entrance. Numerous lakes and farms are situated in and around the village and the lakes are popular fishing areas. There is a yearly firework display at the circuit which is well attended by residents and locals.

History

Kirkby was named after the Mallory family, most prominently Sir Anketil Malory (1341–1393), a knight and governor of the castle and town of Leicester in the time of

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward, Prince of Wales (later known as the Black Prince), and Joan, Countess of Kent. R ...

. In 1564, the population consisted of 25 families. In 1675, Sir Thomas Neale (Noell, Noel, etc.) became 3rd Baronet of Kirkby Mallory and inherited Kirkby Manor from his father Baronet William Neale. In 1696, Thomas's brother, Sir John Neale (father of Clobery and

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

), left a rent roll listing the tenants and their rents and referring to Sir John's mansion house or hall with attached woods worth 3,000 pounds and "a large park, very well wooded, and stocked with deer". According to Nichols, Kirkby was enclosed in 1771, the award listing and naming Edward Wentworth as Lord of the Manor. The parish was notable for its fine new hall, rebuilt in the 18th century by the Lord Viscount Wentworth but demolished in 1952. Ada Byron (born 10 December 1815), daughter of

Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824) was an English poet. He is one of the major figures of the Romantic movement, and is regarded as being among the greatest poets of the United Kingdom. Among his best-kno ...

and colleague of

Charles Babbage Charles Babbage (; 26 December 1791 – 18 October 1871) was an English polymath. A mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer, Babbage originated the concept of a digital programmable computer. Babbage is considered ...

, lived in the now demolished Kirkby Hall during her childhood with her mother, Annabella Milbanke. On 1 April 1935 the parish was abolished and merged with Peckleton; part also went to Newbold Verdon.

References

Villages in Leicestershire Former civil parishes in Leicestershire Hinckley and Bosworth {{Leicestershire-geo-stub