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Oadby
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Oadby is an unincorporated town in Leicestershire, England, within the Borough of Oadby and Wigston. It is to the east of Wigston Magna, and to the south-east of Leicester. It runs directly into the conurbation, and is situated on the A6.
The town is most famous for Leicester Racecourse, situated on the border between Oadby and Leicester, and the University of Leicester Botanic Garden. It is also the home of the Beauchamp College, and halls of residence for the University of Leicester. John Deacon, bass player of the influential rock group Queen, was born and grew up in Oadby.
The local football club Oadby Town F.C. play in the Midland Football Alliance league. Leicester Tigers, the premiership rugby union club, train at their new centre in Oval Park on the Wigston Road, Oadby.
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There has been a habitation in Oadby since an Anglian settlement in the year 550. In 1760, on Brocks Hill, evidence of an Anglian burial ground was discovered. Oadby is one of seventy Danish settlements in Leicestershire ending with "-by", which means village or settlement. Its name likeliest came from Old Norse Auðarbýr = "Auði's settlement". Danish rule continued until 920, when King Alfred the Great won his battles against the Danes. The Oadby area is supposed to be the site of at least one of these battles.
In 1086, Oadby's name was recorded as Aldebi. The name then changed to Oladebi, Outherby, Onderby and, finally, Oadby.
When King Harold was defeated, William the Conqueror gave Oadby to Hugh de Grandmesnil, Governor of Leicestershire, who founded the parish church of Oadby on the site of the present St Peter's Church.
In January 1817, Oadby was the scene of a mass riot. 400 people were involved and haystacks were set ablaze. The Leicester Cavalry and a regiment of dragoons were called out to quell the riot and three were imprisoned.[1]
Oadby remained a small settlement until the late nineteenth century when it became a fashionable suburb for the factory-owners of Leicester's shoe and stocking manufacturers. Many substantial houses were built, some of which are now used by the University of Leicester. Leicester's trams terminated at the edge of the city, as the A6 entered Oadby.
Expansion of Oadby took place rapidly in the twentieth century and is still continuing in 2006. Many residential developments have been constructed so that the population in 2001 reached 22,729[2].
Oadby today is a predominantly residential area. The success of Beauchamp College makes Oadby an attractive location for families with children.
As is increasingly the case throughout Leicestershire, Oadby has an ethnically diverse population. In 2001 approximately 11% of the population identified themselves as Hindu and 6% as Muslim. [3].
Major employers in Oadby are the schools, Asda, Sainsburys and the shops in the centre of the town. Invicta Plastics remains in Oadby, where they once manufactured the popular Mastermind Game. The red noses for the bi-annual Red Nose Day appeal of the Comic Relief charity are also made by Invicta in Oadby. There is an Industrial Estate with a variety of different types of business.
'The Parish and Parish Church of Oadby' - leaflet published by St Peter's Church, Oadby
- ^ Edmund Burke 1817 (Ed.) The Annual Register (p5)
- ^ 2001 UK Census
- ^ 2001 UK Census stated religion data