Willoughby Waterleys
| Willoughby Waterleys | |
|---|---|
 Willoughby Waterleys
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| Willoughby Waterleys shown within Leicestershire | |
| Population | 327 |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Leicestershire |
| Fire | Leicestershire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| EU Parliament | East Midlands |
Willoughby Waterleys (formerly known as Willoughby Waterless) is a small village and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England. It is situated near the A426 Leicester–to–Lutterworth road. Nearby villages are Ashby Magna, Peatling Magna and Countesthorpe. Main Street is the basis of the village running north to south, there have been some new developments such as bungalows and large detached houses however many farms still remain in the parish.
Between 1870 and 1872 John Marius Wilson of the Imperial Gazetteer described Willoughby Waterleys as "a parish, with a village, in Lutterworth district, Leicester; 1¾ mile ESE of Broughton-Astley r. station, and 6 NNE of Lutterworth".
It has a population of 327 according to the 2011 census.
The name Willoughby Waterleys was formerly Willoughby Waterless, with the two elements meaning "willow-tree farm/settlement" and "water meadows". It was an ancient parish of Leicestershire, becoming a modern civil parish in July 1837 with the civil registration. The Anglian parish church, St Mary's, was built in the Norman period, and its registers date back to 1559. Restored in 1875, the church seats 300 people.
The village is mentioned in the Domesday Book as being in the area of Guthlaxton, with a total population of "22 households (quite large)", "12 meadow acres" and "5 ploughlands with 3 men plough teams". Notably, the entry mentions two lords of the area: Esbiorn of Oadby in 1066 and Countess Judith in 1086.
In 2000 Willoughby was transferred and the boundary changed from Market Harborough registration district to the Leicestershire district, alongside other parishes such as Ashby Magna, Peatling Magna, Arnesby and Skeffington.
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