Place:Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire, England

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source: Family History Library Catalog

the text in this section is based on an article in Wikipedia

Ashby de la Zouch, often shortened to Ashby, is a small market town and civil parish in the North West Leicestershire District, within the National Forest and close to the Derbyshire border. The civil parish includes the hamlets of Shellbrook west of the town and Boundary to the northwest. The population of the town according to the 2001 census was 11,410 which increased to 12,370 in the 2011 census.

Ashby de la Zouch Castle was of importance from the 15th to the 17th centuries.

Nearby villages include Normanton le Heath, Smisby, Packington, Donisthorpe, Oakthorpe, Moira, Measham and Coleorton. The towns of Swadlincote, Burton upon Trent, Melbourne and Coalville are all within 10 miles (16 km) of Ashby, with the city of Derby 11 1⁄2 miles (19 km) due north.

The town is situated at the heart of The National Forest and approximately 24 miles (39 km) due south of the Peak District National Park. It lies on the A42 between Tamworth and Nottingham.

In the 19th century Ashby's main industry was leather working. There was also a cotton textile factory and a glue factory. Ashby was surrounded by coalmines but was never a coal mining town itself. By far the largest employer in the town today is United Biscuits, providing about 2,000 jobs at its distribution centre, which stores its products and transports them nationwide. The firm formerly had a larger presence in Ashby. McVitie's biscuit factory on Smisby Road closed in 2004.

Research Tips

• The Ashby de la Zouch Rural District page includes a map illustrating the civil parishes of the district. Ashby de la Zouch is included 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.