Leicestershire

This article is about the county. For the former parliamentary constituency, see Leicestershire (UK Parliament constituency).

Leicestershire
Non-metropolitan and ceremonial county
Belvoir Castle; Carillon Tower; the River Soar.
Leicestershire within England
Leicestershire within England
Coordinates: 52°39′22″N 1°11′24″W / 52.656°N 1.19°W / 52.656; -1.19
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionEast Midlands
EstablishedHistoric
Time zoneUTC+0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
UK Parliament10 MPs
Ceremonial county
Lord LieutenantMike Kapur
High SheriffHenrietta Chubb[1] (2023–24)
Area2,156 km2 (832 sq mi)
 • Rank28th of 48
Population 
(2022)[2]
1,095,554
 • Rank20th of 48
Density508/km2 (1,320/sq mi)
Ethnicity
  • 87.5% White
  • 8.2% Asian
  • 2.2% Mixed
  • 1.1% Black
  • 1% Other
Non-metropolitan county
County councilLeicestershire County Council
ControlConservative
Admin HQCounty Hall, Glenfield
Area2,083 km2 (804 sq mi)
 • Rank15th of 21
Population 
(2022)[3]
722,155
 • Rank16th of 21
Density347/km2 (900/sq mi)
ISO 3166-2GB-LEC
GSS codeE10000018
ITLTLF22
Websiteleicestershire.gov.uk
Districts

Districts of Leicestershire
  Unitary   County council area
Districts
  1. North West Leicestershire
  2. Charnwood
  3. Melton
  4. Harborough
  5. Oadby and Wigston
  6. Blaby
  7. Hinckley and Bosworth
  8. Leicester

Leicestershire (/ˈlɛstərʃɪər, -ʃər/ ⓘ LEST-ər-sheer, -⁠shər) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warwickshire to the south-west, and Staffordshire to the west. The city of Leicester is the largest settlement and the county town.

The county has an area of 2,156 km2 (832 sq mi) and a population of 712,300. Leicester occupies the centre of the county and is by far the largest settlement, with a built-up area population of 357,000. The remainder of the county is largely rural, and the next-largest settlements are Loughborough (65,000), Hinckley (50,000), and Coalville (22,000). For local government purposes Leicestershire comprises a non-metropolitan county, with seven districts, and the unitary authority area of Leicester.

Leicestershire is generally a lowland county, characterised by small, rolling hills. It is bisected by the River Soar, which rises near the Warwickshire border south of Hinckley and flows north through Leicester and Loughborough before reaching the Trent at the county boundary. To the west of the river is Charnwood Forest, an upland area which contains Bardon Hill, which at 278 m (912 ft) is the county's highest point.

There are prehistoric earthworks in the county, and Leicester was a Roman settlement. The region was settled by the Angles in the sixth century and became part of the Kingdom of Mercia, and the county existed at the time of the Domesday Survey in the 1080s. The county has had a relatively settled existence, however it was the site of the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, which established the Tudor dynasty's position as monarchs of England. During the Industrial Revolution the Leicestershire coalfield in the north and west of the county was exploited. Leicester became known for shoemaking, and with Loughborough continues to be a manufacturing centre. In agriculture the county is known for Stilton cheese and Melton Mowbray pork pies.[4]

  1. ^ "No. 63990". The London Gazette. 9 March 2023. p. 4634.
  2. ^ "Mid-2022 population estimates by Lieutenancy areas (as at 1997) for England and Wales". Office for National Statistics. 24 June 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  3. ^ "Mid-Year Population Estimates, UK, June 2022". Office for National Statistics. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  4. ^ "Leicestershire | county, England, United Kingdom | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 29 June 2023.