The name Countesthorpe originates from the 11th century when the area was part of the marriage dowry of the Countess Judith, niece of William the Conqueror. The 'thorpe' part of the name is a variant of the Middle English word thorp, meaning hamlet or small village.[3]
The parish church of St. Andrew was started in 1220 by the family of Lord William of Ludbrook. It was restored in 1840 and again in 1907. The 14th-century tower still remains.
The village has three public houses: The Axe and Square, The Bull's Head and The Railway. Another public house, the King William IV was turned into a Tesco Express in 2013.[4] Magna 73 of the Leicestershire Senior League are an association football team who play just north of the village.
The village is twinned with the town of Mennecy in France.
Education
Countesthorpe is served by one local primary school called Greenfield Primary School.[5] The school achieved a rating of "good" in its 2010, 2014 and 2018 Ofsted reports.[6]
Until September 2016 Countesthorpe had a separate high school named Leysland High School, with Ofsted reviewing it as "outstanding" in 2013, as well as a college called Countesthorpe Community College. Both schools were attended by members of the music group Kasabian. The two schools merged to become Countesthorpe Leysland Community College, which was subsequently renamed Countesthorpe Academy in 2020. The combined school was scored as "inadequate" in 2019.[7]
Maurice Tompkin – first class cricketer and professional footballer.
References
^"Civile Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Archived from the original on 11 October 2016. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
