Ratby
Encyclopedia
Ratby is a commuter village and civil parish
in the Hinckley and Bosworth
district of Leicestershire
. It is situated to the west of Leicester
, and just south of the motorway
. (Groby
is on the other side of the M1.) It has a population of about 4,000. The Roman
name for Leicester
was Ratae Corieltauvorum. It is possible that Ratby takes its name from Ratae.
Other nearby places include Kirby Muxloe
, Glenfield
and Markfield
. The proximity of Ratby to Leicester causes form part of the Leicester Urban Area
.
encampment dating back approximately 3000 years. Later, the Roman army adapted the camp for use as a temporary fort in around 50.
The next oldest structure is the historic Church of St Philip & St James, called Ratby Church, built in four stages from the 13th through 15th centuries and restored by Nicholas Joyce in 1881. There are also some cottages dating back several centuries. For most of its history, Ratby was a small agricultural
village with a few farms and the open 3-field plan until enclosure in the 18th century.
In the 20th century a War Memorial called the "Angel of Peace" was constructed after the First World War and unveiled in 1920 by the wartime British Army
Commander-in-Chief Field Marshal Haig
.
. Ratby Sports Club is home to the local football and cricket teams where England
football international Emile Heskey
started his junior football career, opposite the Co-op Supermarket provides itself as a focal point of the village. Ratby Primary School is also situated towards the village centre besides the library and three pubs: The Bulls Head, The Plough Inn, and The Railway at the other end of the village. Adjacent to the Bulls Head is the village hall which hosts an excellent Taekwondo
lesson every Tuesday at 7pm amongst other things. Several hairdressers, a post office and village hall are also key amenties for the suburb, A new shop has been added to Ratby on Markfield Road called The Convenience store and next to this is a Chinese , one of Ratby's two Chinese take aways .
Ratby is only 1 mile from Junction 21a of the M1
motorway and situated 5 miles from the city centre of Leicester
, with frequent Arriva
bus services supplying the route.
In addition to all of these facilities the village is home to the Ratby Cooperative brass band, the band rehearse in their own bandroom on Taverner Drive and are highly regarded in the brass band movement particularly for their excellent work with youth. The band has around 150 members.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the Hinckley and Bosworth
Hinckley and Bosworth
Hinckley and Bosworth is a local government district with borough status in south-western Leicestershire, England, administered by Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council. Its only towns are Hinckley, Earl Shilton and Market Bosworth...
district of Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
. It is situated to the west of Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, and just south of the motorway
M1 motorway
The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
. (Groby
Groby
Groby is a large English village in the county of Leicestershire, to the north west of the city of Leicester. The population at the time of the 2001 census was 7,301.-Description:...
is on the other side of the M1.) It has a population of about 4,000. The Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
name for Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
was Ratae Corieltauvorum. It is possible that Ratby takes its name from Ratae.
Other nearby places include Kirby Muxloe
Kirby Muxloe
Kirby Muxloe is a town and civil parish west of Leicester. Its proximity to the city causes it to form part of the Leicester Urban Area. The Leicester Forest East parish border runs along the Hinckley Road A47...
, Glenfield
Glenfield, Leicestershire
Glenfield is a village and civil parish in Leicestershire, England. It is part of the Blaby district, and has a population of about 10,000. Its location at the northwestern fringe of the city of Leicester effectively makes it a suburb, although it is politically and administratively separate...
and Markfield
Markfield
Markfield is a commuter village sitting within both the National Forest and Charnwood Forest and in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England. The settlement dates back to at least the time of the Norman conquest and is mentioned in the Domesday Book under the name...
. The proximity of Ratby to Leicester causes form part of the Leicester Urban Area
Leicester Urban Area
The Leicester Urban Area is a conurbation based around the city of Leicester in Leicestershire, England.While it has no formal definition as an administrative area, it is defined by the Office for National Statistics with a population of 441,213 at the time of the 2001 census...
.
History
The oldest known human settlement in Ratby was at the Bury Camp on the edge of Ratby, an Iron AgeIron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
encampment dating back approximately 3000 years. Later, the Roman army adapted the camp for use as a temporary fort in around 50.
The next oldest structure is the historic Church of St Philip & St James, called Ratby Church, built in four stages from the 13th through 15th centuries and restored by Nicholas Joyce in 1881. There are also some cottages dating back several centuries. For most of its history, Ratby was a small agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
village with a few farms and the open 3-field plan until enclosure in the 18th century.
In the 20th century a War Memorial called the "Angel of Peace" was constructed after the First World War and unveiled in 1920 by the wartime British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
Commander-in-Chief Field Marshal Haig
Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig
Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, KT, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCIE, ADC, was a British senior officer during World War I. He commanded the British Expeditionary Force from 1915 to the end of the War...
.
Facilities
Ratby has a number of facilities that provide its status as a highly sought after area within LeicestershireLeicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
. Ratby Sports Club is home to the local football and cricket teams where England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
football international Emile Heskey
Emile Heskey
Emile William Ivanhoe Heskey is an English footballer who plays for Aston Villa as a striker.Born in Leicester, Heskey started his career with hometown club Leicester City after progressing through their youth system, making his first team debut in 1995...
started his junior football career, opposite the Co-op Supermarket provides itself as a focal point of the village. Ratby Primary School is also situated towards the village centre besides the library and three pubs: The Bulls Head, The Plough Inn, and The Railway at the other end of the village. Adjacent to the Bulls Head is the village hall which hosts an excellent Taekwondo
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
lesson every Tuesday at 7pm amongst other things. Several hairdressers, a post office and village hall are also key amenties for the suburb, A new shop has been added to Ratby on Markfield Road called The Convenience store and next to this is a Chinese , one of Ratby's two Chinese take aways .
Ratby is only 1 mile from Junction 21a of the M1
M1 motorway
The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
motorway and situated 5 miles from the city centre of Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, with frequent Arriva
Arriva
Arriva plc is a multinational public transport company owned by Deutsche Bahn and headquartered in Sunderland, United Kingdom. It has bus, coach, train, tram and waterbus operations in 12 countries across Europe, employs more than 47,500 people and services over 1.5 billion passenger journeys each...
bus services supplying the route.
In addition to all of these facilities the village is home to the Ratby Cooperative brass band, the band rehearse in their own bandroom on Taverner Drive and are highly regarded in the brass band movement particularly for their excellent work with youth. The band has around 150 members.