Leicester

LEICESTER, a municipal county and the county town of Leicestershire, England ; on the river Soar, a southern tributary of the Trent, 99 m. N.N.W. from London by the L.M.S. railway.

It is served also by the L.N.E. railway and by the Leicester canal. Pop. (1931) 239,111. Leicester was created a city in 1919.

The Romano British town of

Ratae Coritanorum, on the Fosse Way, was a municipality in A.D. 120-121. Leicester was called a "burh" in 918, and a city in Domesday. Until 874 it was the seat of a bishopric. In io86 the king and Hugh de Grantmesnil had much land in Leicester; by 11o1 the latter's share had passed to Robert of Meulan, to whom the rest of the town belonged. Lei cester thus became the largest mesne borough. In the i3th century the town developed its own form of government by a mayor and 24 jurats. In 1464 Edward IV. made the mayor and four of the council justices of the peace. In 1489 Henry VII. added 48 burgesses to the council and made it a close body. In 1589 Eliza beth incorporated the town. James I. granted charters in 1605 and 161o; and Charles I. in 163o. In 1684 the charters were surrendered ; a new one granted by James II. was rescinded by proclamation in 1688.

Leicester was represented in parliament by two members from 1295 to 1918, it now has three. It has had a prescriptive market now held on Wednesday and Saturday since the 13th century. Leicester has been a centre for brewing and the manufacture of woollen goods since the 13th century. Knitting frames for hosiery were introduced about 1680. Boot manufacture became important in the 19th century.

Roman remains include a portion of Roman masonry known as the Jewry Wall; several pavements have been unearthed; among other remains, is a milestone from the Fosse Way, marking a distance of 2 m. from Ratae. St. Nicholas is early Norman with

Roman material. St. Mary de Castro church, with Norman re mains, including sedilia, shows Early English work in the tower and elsewhere, and has a Decorated spire. All Saints church has Norman remains. St. Martin's, mainly Early English, is a cruci form structure. St. Margaret's, with Early English nave, has extensive Perpendicular additions. North of the town are re mains of an abbey of Black Canons founded in 1143. The ruins of the castle include parts of the Norman hall, two gateways, and the artificial Mount on which the keep stood. The old town hall was formerly the gild-hall of Corpus Christi. There is a valuable library founded in the 17th century. The Trinity hospital was founded in 1331 by Henry Plantagenet, earl of Lancaster and of Leicester, and Wyggeston's hospital (1513). In 1921 a university college was founded. The Abbey Park is a pleasure ground; there are also Victoria Park, St. Margaret's Pasture and other grounds. The staple trade is hosiery, an old-established industry; there are also manufactures of elastic webbing, cotton and lace, rubber, boots and shoes, ebonite, furniture, tobacco and printing; iron works, maltings and brick-works. Leicester became a county bor ough in 1888, and the bounds were extended and constituted one civil parish in 1892. A measure creating a diocese of Leicester has received the royal assent. The diocese embraces all of Lei cestershire and St. Martin's church is the cathedral.