Drayton, Leicestershire

Coordinates: 52°31′16″N 0°46′37″W / 52.521°N 0.777°W / 52.521; -0.777

Drayton
Approaching Drayton
Drayton  Drayton shown within Leicestershire
Population	254
OS grid reference	SP8303992202
District	Harborough
Shire county	Leicestershire
Region	East Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Police	Leicestershire
Fire	Leicestershire
Ambulance	East Midlands
EU Parliament	East Midlands
List of places UK England Leicestershire

Drayton is a village in Leicestershire, England in the district of Harborough. It was formerly in the Parish of Easton along with the nearby villages of Bringhurst and Great Easton. Drayton is also located close to the town of Corby. It has one of the smallest churches in England. Drayton is close to the county boundary with Northants and the nearest town is indeed Corby, in the neighbouring county of Northamptonshire.

Drayton has won many awards for its "outstanding natural beauty" and continues to be at the forefront of the English village revolution.

Population and History

In the 1870s, Drayton was described as being:

"A township in Bringhurst parish, Leicester; near the river Welland, 2 miles West of Rockingham. Pop., 126. Houses, 29. There is a Wesleyan chapel. George Fox, the founder of Quakerism, was a native"

^[1]

The village of Drayton had a population of 137 according to the 1881 census. 10 years later, the population had decreased by 32 to just 105. By 1901, this had shrunk even further, to just 93 residents. The 1911 census saw a small increase in the village's population by just 8 residents to a total of 101. 1921's census shows another decrease in population (this time only by 4) to 97 residents. After this, it once again began to rise quite significantly to 121 residents in 1931. 20 years on, following World War II, the 1951 census found a population of 99 residents, presumably due to loss of lives during the war. The 1961 census saw another gradual increase in population to 112.^[2] By the time of the 2011 census,50 years later, the population of Drayton had increased quite drastically when considering the size of the village and past population data, by 117 people to 254 residents.^[3]

Housing

Census data shows the changing number of households in the village of Drayton. The first census in 1881 showed that there were just 30 houses in the village which is not surprising considering the villages small population of just 137 in this year. By 1891, the total number of households in the village was had increased by 7 to 137 and in 1901 had decreased again to 35. Following World War 1, the 1921 census showed that the total number of houses in Drayton had decreased to 29. In 1931 it had increased once more to 37 houses. 20 years later, following World War 2, the total house number was 35 and finally, the 1961 census showed a total house number of 37.^[4] 50 years later, the 2011 census of Drayton showing a total of 96 households in Drayton.^[5]

Church of St James

The Church of St James is located on Main Street in Drayton. The Church was listed as being Grade II on December 7, 1966.^[6] St James' Church fell out of religious use in the 18th century, following the reformation, and at one point, became used as the village bakery. In 1878, George Lewis Watson of Rockingham Castle bought the building and proceeded to remodel it throughout 1878-79 into a Mission Church.^[7] It is said to be Leicestershire's smallest consecrated church.^[8]

References

External links

Media related to Drayton, Leicestershire at Wikimedia Commons