Leicestershire Parish Councils

13 Western Drive, Blaby,
Leicestershire,
LE8 4FR

Tel. 0116 2784728
Fax. 0116 2789330
email: theclerk@blabyparishcouncil.org

Clerk: Ms. Suzanne Hansford
Deputy Clerk: Mrs. Vicki Jepson

HISTORY OF BLABY

Nothing is known of Blaby before the Norman Conquest but the Danish part of the name indicates the Village’s ancestry. At the time of the Doomsday Book, ‘Bladi’ was held by Bricman and Ulf and in 1086 there were 37 households. During the wars of Edward 111 with the Scots, ‘Nicholas L’Enginour’ underook to make 30 ‘springalds’ (siege machines) at Blaby and by 1676, despite the plagues, the population had risen to 285.

Perhaps the most famous resident of Blaby, certainly the most colourful, was Edward Stokes, who lost his sight at the age of eight in an accident involving a pistol. Rector from 1748, he was known as the ‘blind vicar’. He enjoyed hunting despite his handicap, being accompanied by someone who rang a bell when there was a fence to be jumped.

There was a great deal of building in Blaby after the Second World War and many fields became housing estates, including the tomato farms for which Blaby was famous. Today, the population is about 6500 and Blaby is well-known for its vibrant shopping centre, for its old pub - the Bakers Arms, built about 1485 – and for the delightfully landscaped Bouskell Park, which was opened in 1996 by the author Sue Townsend.

Source: -
i)Reminiscences and Pictures of Old Blaby, compiled by Shirley Smith,2000
ii)Blaby Parish Council Records