My great-grandfather was Walter Ernest Warden, baker and miller at Rearsby Mill and who was famous for the 'Rearsby Wholemeal' loaf sold to Geareys of Ratby in the early 1950's which is now I believe called the Rearsby loaf. My father, Ernest Frederick Warden was taught by his grandfather to become a master baker and confectioner. He and my mother, Mary, lived at the Mill at the end of WW2 for a couple of years until his grandfather's retirement. My sister and I were born in Leicester but moved to Stockport, Cheshire in September 1963. My father's sister, Joan, still resides in Birstall along with her family in the same area.

Jane Castree (nee Warden)

Email message received 1 September 2005. Send replies to keith@castree14.freeserve.co.uk

I am intending to visit Rearsby in the near future as I have now traced my Thompson family roots as far as I can without visiting the Leicester RO. I would however be grateful for any further knowledge of the family. This is what I know so far.

My father was Norman Thompson the second son and third child of Thomas Thompson born in Rearsby in 1868. All my father's life was spent in Stockport in Cheshire where his parents moved in 1903 (?). His older sister and brother were born in Scalford where my granddad was a shoemaker for a short time before working the rest of his life on GCR/LMS; hence the move to Cheadle.

There is a mystery surrounding the earlier ancestry as pages were ripped from the family bible resuming only with my father's generation. My great-grandad was Jabez Thompson who was a farmer in the village working for Squire Pochin at Manor Farm. He appears to have had 2 families. The first was a son and daughter born in 1855 and 1859 to his first wife Ellen (Helen) Chamberlain (Chamberlayne). They married in 1854 when both were underage. After Grace's birth in 1859 I can find no reference to Ellen at all. Grace was living with her Thompson grandparents on the 1871 census, and Jabez had remarried my great grandmother, Elizabeth in 1866 saying he was a widower. In 1871 my grandfather was just 2 and living in the village with his parents, elder sister and younger brother.

In the Rearsby Village History I note a mention of my GG Uncle Watts Thompson who was older than Jabez by a couple of years and witnessed both his marriages. The name Watts is one which was passed down through the family as my GGgrandmother's maiden name was Watts. She was married to my GG grandfather on 14th May 1832. Both of her sons had sons called John Watts and I believe that the one born to my Ggrandad was still living and working in the village up to at least 1910 when his father died.

I know that Grace my G.aunt born in 1859 went on to marry Benjamin Ensor and they had a son Thomas who was 19 in 1901. There has been a family acrimony/mystery surrounding the settling of my Ggrandad's will from 1910, and it is only since the death of all four of his grandchildren by Thomas that my cousin and I have tried to piece together the bits that were reported to us or we have from the family bible. I would be grateful for knowledge of the family from 1910 in Rearsby and if anyone can through light on our mystery/scandal please get in contact.

Sue Johnson 01785 760362

Email message received 30 March 2005. Send replies to enquiries@rearsby.net

I spent my formative years in Rearsby, living on Brookside from 1964 to 1977. You may find my observations on the village pertinent or irrelevant but maybe interesting.

I remember
* Rearsby House on the corner of Brook Street and Brookside. Ugly old house but full of history and with a glorious walled garden...
*The old terraced houses opposite the Pack Horse Bridge (as we knew it) with their communal back yard. Our 'orrible black dog, which came with us from Lincolnshire, used to escape from our garden and stand in the yard not letting people back into their houses (so we were told).
* The little village shop which co-existed with a Mace (with Post Office) and a Butchers.
* The paddock at the back of our house with a horse. Now it's a manicured park type area. I hope the old residents like this but it does smack of "townification" to me but maybe I'm just out of date.
* The Slaters' thatched cottage on Brookside - would anyone be allowed to knock down such a beauty now?
* The yearly floods. When we first arrived in 1964 we realised why the main part of 32 Brookside was up 3 steps, front and back when we awoke one morning to find Wellingtons, dog bowls and even drowned rats floating around the yard.
* In living memory, what is now part of the house of 32, was a shop. It had a large shop window facing out towards the brook.

I had a very happy childhood in Rearsby and I hope the children living there now are as happy as we were even if they don't have the freedom we had to roam the surrounding countryside from dawn to dusk. Anyone remember Olive Hewes? And Mrs. North?

Bernadette Smith (nee Sheehan)

Email message received 19 March 2005. Send replies to Bogsysmudge@AOL.com

Hello to you, I have just found your website which is set out very clearly and nice and bright. Can you help me with where I can find any history of Rearsby as my ancestors came from there during the 19c. The family name was BLACK ! Is there perhaps a nearby FHS ? Kind regards, Jane Tegg North Lincolnshire

Email message received 9 January 2004. Send replies to enquiries@rearsby.net

Hello! I am from the Yukon, Canada and trying to track down any remaining Marriott relatives who might still be living in/near Rearsby. Some time near 1850 my gtgtgrandmother whose name was Jane married one Isaac Marriott of Frisby on the Wreake. In looking at some sites and records it appears that he may have married a Jane Marriott born in Rearsby(There are 3 Janes listed on the records as having been brides at the time that he married and only Jane Marriott appears to have any family in Rearsby) According to the 1881 census there were several Marriotts still living in Rearsby at that time. If anyone in the villiage knows of any of the Marriotts or could point me in the right direction, I would be truly grateful. It's a long way between Rearsby and the north of Canada, so any help is appreciated.
Karen Mahoney, descendant of Isaac Marriott and possibly Jane Marriott

Email message received 10 June 2003. Send replies to mahoney@klondiker.com

My name is Alastair Hunt. I used to live in Melton Mowbray and I went the upper school with a girl called Faye Hewitt. I decided that I wanted to be a film director so I followed my dream and moved to America were I have been very succesfull in college wich is good for me because I did horrible in school I have lived in Palm Beach Florida for 2 years now but I quite often think about Faye and the fun we had I hope that when you see this message maybe you will know some one who knows this old friend of mine. We went to the upper school from 96 to 98 Iam 20 now.I would love to here from Faye, I now go to college in Connecticut I look forward to your reply thank you.

This message was posted on the Noticeboard on 11 March 2003. Send replies to enquiries@rearsby.net or via Noticeboard under 'Rearsby Connections'

Good news for Alastair - on 29 April we received an email from Faye. Alastair, she has a message for you, so if you could contact the website again (we no longer have your email address) we'll forward it on to you with her email address.

I really enjoyed your site and was pleased to see a photo of the railway gate house,my 3xgreat grandparents and family were gatekeepers here on the 1861 census and stayed here until the death of the father Thomas Collins in the late 1800's.Both Thomas and his wife Mary are burried in the Rearsby church yard,I found their headstone some time ago.I am particualrly interested in the gatehouse and if there any photos or information on my family.If you can help in any way I would be very greatful to hear from you.

Email message received 6 January 2003. Send replies to enquiries@rearsby.net

Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing from British Columbia, Canada, with the hope that you can put me in touch with the Rearsby Historical Society. I have a copy of its wonderful book, Rearsby, the Story of a Village, which gives an address, 7 Gaddesby Lane. However, as the book was published in 1984, I suspect the contact address may have changed. I am anxious to speak to someone about road changes made in 1829, described on page 27. One of the men from whom property had to be purchased was John Mason, the son of my ancestor, James Mason, a farmer/maltster in Rearsby from 1800 to 1829. Although land tax records show that John was the proprietor, James was the occupier until he left the village, presumably to move to Leicester. I would greatly appreciate it if you could find someone who might be able to answer my questions. Thank you, Yours Sincerely, Carolyn Paisley

Email message received 23 September 2002. Send replies to enquiries@rearsby.net

I would be interested to receive any information regarding the Morris family.
My great grandfather, Alfred, was born in Rearsby in 1865. He had siblings: Annie, born 1850 and died 1860, John Thomas, born 1852, Mary Ann, born 1854, Agnes, born 1857, William Henry, born 1859, Sarah Kate, born 1862, Anne (number 2), born 1867 and Robert Charles, born 1871. Father was Alfred Morris and mother was Harriet Bent. They were married in South Croxton in 1849 by Rev. J Wilkinson. I believe the father was a Master Tailor and the family moved to Ticehurst, Sussex before 1892, when the father died and left his tailor's business to his youngest son Robert. Alfred (my great grandfather) married Caroline Esther Ades in 1897 in Tunbridge Wells but they returned to Leicestershire after that and I believe lived in the Lutterworth area. He was discharged from the Leicestershire Foot Regiment in 1884.
Any information would be very much appreciated.
Please email me at all@thebentleyshouse.freeserve.co.uk - thanks.

Email message received 7 April 2002.

I was just scanning your connections page and noticed that you have a few entries from Australia. Our family (with early teen kids) is Australian and we moved to Rearsby last year. I was just wondering if there might be any other Aussies living in the village.

Email message dated 29 September 2001. Send replies to enquiries@rearsby.net

Visited Rearsby June 1999. Found headstones of GGGrandparents, William & Ann Skinner at St. Michaels - very exciting moment. Anyone have any information? Their son came to Australia 1853 during the Goldrush.

This message was posted in the Guestbook on 7 July 2001. Email address to contact Karen direct: Kingleman@dingoblue.net.au

Nice to know that Rearsby has a Website. Yes, I am still involved with the roses game, hope you contact me on email sometime. Does anyone remember and know the whereabouts of Mrs North and Miss Hewes ? If you do, Email their addresses back - would like to get in touch. Thanks.

Send replies to enquiries@rearsby.net

I was born 3/1/43 in Syston. My parents names were Harold and Marion. We moved to Gaddesby in 1950 when I was 7 yrs and my twin sisters Maralyn and Jane were 4 yrs old.
I attended Gaddesby primary school. Mrs Walkden was Headmistress, Mrs Smith took the primary class. School friends included John Mitchell, John Bush, Roger Eaton, Agy Haines, Ruby Haines, Christine Hill, Gillian Eaton and Anne White.
We lived in the house behind Gaddesby Hall were my Father was gardener. Mr Sherriff was the owner at that time and he had extensive renovations done to the hall. I remember that we were invited over to the Hall by Mr and Mrs Sherriff to watch the coronation in 1953 because we did not have a TV at that time. One Xmas at that time Mr and Mrs Sherriff bought me a book as a present it must have been one of the first books I had ever had. Coral Island by R M Ballintyne I hope I have spelt the name correctly, no doubt someone will let me know if I have'nt.
We had quite a few events at Gaddesby Hall, Maralyn in particular, over the period we were there. She broke a collar bone, fell down into the cellars of the hall and fractured her skull, and had the tip of a finger cut off when a stable door slammed.
As for me, I used to build billy carts and rush off down the driveway of Gaddesby Hall with half of the Gaddesby kids aboard. I recall that one day we were doing just that when Mr Sherriff came up the drive in his Mark 10 Jag, well we had to head for the bushes and ended up running into a big yew tree, no great damage but I'm sure some of the kid's should remember that .We also used to pick up the Jackdaw chicks that fell out of the steeple at the church and feed them until they grew up and they would come to us and sit on our shoulders and we would walk around like Long John Silver with his parrot. I have lots of other little stories like these and believe me they are all true.
We moved back to Syston in 1956. We left Syston and moved to Australia in 1961. I came back to the UK for a visit in 1997 and stayed with my cousin Glynne Spencer in Syston. I hope to be coming back again late next year 2001.

My great great grandfather William Bakewell was born in Rearsby in 1833 and married a Charlotte ?? from Wymeswold. Anyone with connections to this family I would be interested in hearing from you.

Send replies to enquiries@rearsby.net

My Rearsby ancestors were called Platts and I have traced them back to 1720. I would be interested to hear from anyone else researching the Platts family history.
Email message dated 9 March 2001.

OUR FIRST SUCCESS STORY!!... over a year later we received this email from Jamie Ferguson
I am doing some family history searching of my wifes fathers family (He is John Platts). I have just started and traced him to the Platts at Rearsby. I am in the US this weekand came across you webpage. I dont have the data with me on my trip (business not holiday) but would like to get in touch on my return. I would welcome it if you could put me in touch with Maureen Toms.
Email message dated 22 July 2002.

And within weeks we had this update from Maureen..
It seems that there is a link between my ancestors and those of Jamie Ferguson's father-in-law. It dates back to the Rearsby marriage of Thomas Platts to Mary Doddin in 1772 !! They had seven children. My line decends from their son John and Jamie's f-in-l's line decends from their son William. It has given me such a buzz to discover someone else researching "my" Platts ancestors :)
Email message dated 9 August 2002