Place:Staunton Harold, Leicestershire, England

source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names

source: Family History Library Catalog

the following text is based on an article in Wikipedia

Staunton Harold is a civil parish in the North West Leicestershire District of Leicestershire about 3 miles (5 km) north of Ashby-de-la-Zouch. The parish is on the county boundary with Derbyshire and about 9 miles (14 km) south of Derby. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 141.

Until 1866 Staunton Harold was a township in the parish of Breedon on the Hill.

A brook flows from the south through the parish, heading for the River Trent which it joins about 4 miles (6.4 km) to the north. In the parish the brook is dammed to form a pair of small lakes.

Downstream from Staunton Harold, just over 1 mile (1.6 km) over the boundary in Derbyshire, the brook is dammed again to form Staunton Harold Reservoir. Most of the reservoir is in the Derbyshire parish of Melbourne, but part of the upper reach of one arm of the reservoir is in Staunton Harold parish.

Staunton Harold Hall

The estate was the seat of the Shirley family. George Shirley (1559–1622) was created 1st Baronet in 1611. Sir Robert Shirley, 5th Baronet (1650–1717) was created 13th Baron Ferrers of Chartley in 1677 and 1st Earl Ferrers in 1711.

Staunton Harold Hall is a country house that was originally Jacobean, but the 13th Baron had it enlarged in about 1700. Washington Shirley, 5th Earl Ferrers had the present Palladian east front added in 1763.

For more information, see the EN Wikipedia article Staunton Harold.

Research Tips

• The Ashby-de-la-Zouch Rural District page includes a map illustrating the civil parishes of the district. Staunton Harold is #14 on the map.
• To inspect the smaller settlements in relation to their civil parishes, see the Ordnance Survey Map of 1944 provided by A History of Britain through Time.