Ashby Magna

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Ashby Magna is a typical small English village and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire. The parish has a population of 294. It is in the west of the district, and lies midway between junctions 20 and 21 of the M1. Nearby places are Willoughby Waterleys, Peatling Parva and Dunton Bassett.

It also lies almost as far from the sea as possible in Britain, near the North sea/Bristol Channel watershed, near the crossing of two of the longest Roman Roads in Britain, and beside one of Britains finest former railways.

The village is of Danish origin and recorded in the Doomsday Book as 'Essebi' or 'Asseby'. Its name derives from the 'ash' tree, from 'by', Old Danish for a farmstead or settlement, and from 'Magna', Latin for great. It was large by medieval standards but the population has remained static at around 300-400.