Smisby is an ancient manor

Manorialism

Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...

, a civil parish

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...

 and small village in South Derbyshire

South Derbyshire

South Derbyshire is a local government district in Derbyshire, England. It contains a third of the National Forest, and the council offices are in Swadlincote....

, England.
It is four miles (6 km) from Melbourne

Melbourne, Derbyshire

Melbourne is a Georgian market town in South Derbyshire, England. It is about 8 miles south of Derby and 2 miles from the River Trent. In 1837 a then tiny settlement in Australia was named after William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, Queen Victoria's first Prime Minister, and thus indirectly takes...

 and near the Leicestershire border and the town of Ashby de la Zouch. The village including the outlying farms and houses has a population just over 200 that occupies some 110 properties.

Early history

Smisby is mentioned as Smidesbi in 1086 in the Domesday Book

Domesday Book

Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...

, which states under the title of "The lands of Nigel of Stafford":

Notable residents

• Hannah Bailey, an early emigrant to New Zealand
  New Zealand
  New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
  
  , was born here. She befriended the Māori after marrying the Rev. Charles.

Ivanhoe

Within 200 metres of the village is a spot where a tournament was held that was described by Sir Walter Scott in his novel Ivanhoe

Ivanhoe

Ivanhoe is a historical fiction novel by Sir Walter Scott in 1819, and set in 12th-century England. Ivanhoe is sometimes credited for increasing interest in Romanticism and Medievalism; John Henry Newman claimed Scott "had first turned men's minds in the direction of the middle ages," while...

. In chapter seven the text reads

This quotation is attributed to a visit Scott made to Coleorton

Coleorton

Coleorton is a village and civil parish in North West Leicestershire, England. It is situated on the A512 road approximately 2 miles east of Ashby de la Zouch...

 Hall to visit Sir George Beaumont

Sir George Beaumont, 7th Baronet

Sir George Howland Beaumont, 7th Baronet was a British art patron and amateur painter. He played a crucial part in the creation of London's National Gallery by making the first bequest of paintings to that institution....

. They visited Smisby and climbed a now-demolished watchtower

Watchtower

A watchtower is a type of fortification used in many parts of the world. It differs from a regular tower in that its primary use is military, and from a turret in that it is usually a freestanding structure. Its main purpose is to provide a high, safe place from which a sentinel or guard may...

. Scott noted that a flat area towards Ashby Castle, but within Derbyshire was reputed to be the place where ancient jousting tournaments had taken place.