Leicester is a well known city cum unitary authority area based in the English East Midlands. It is also the ceremonial county town of Leicestershire. The city of Leicester is positioned on the Soar River toward the border of the English National Forest. The municipal region stretches beyond the borders of the town proper, and includes the satellite cities of Oadby, Wingston, Braunstone Town, Bristall, Glenfield, Blaby, Thurmaston, Syston and Leicester Forest East. In fact, most of these municipalities are incorporated suburbs of Leicester itself.
The city of Leicester is believed to be one of the oldest cities in Great Britain, with a history dating back nearly 2000 years. The city of Leicester was first known as Ratae Coritanorum and was colonized by the Corieltauvi people. The Corieltauvi were a well-known Celtic ethnic group and the city of Leicester was founded as their capital. The Roman town of Ratae Corieltauvorum was established in the year 50 A.D. primarily as an army base on the Fosse Way Roman Road. After the army left the region, Ratae Corieltauvorum transformed into a vital trading area and became one of the biggest regions in Roman Britain. The relics of the Roman baths are present in the Jewry Wall and other Roman objects have been put up for viewing in the Jewry Wall Museum. The city of Leicester was selected as the hub of a bishopric in the year 679 and survived till the 9th century, until Leicester was attacked and taken over by Danes and was converted into one of the five boroughs of Danelaw.
The Saxon Bishop of Leicester left the city for Dorchester-on-Thames and Leicester did not become a bishopric until the 20th century. It is said that the term “Leicester” is obtained from the phrases “castra of the Ligore,” which means residents of the “River Legro.” The Legro River was the original name of Soar River. During the beginning of the 10th century, the city’s name was documented as “Ligeraceaster,” which meant “city of the Ligor People.” In the Domesday Book, the city’s name has been documented as Ledecestre.
During the Medieval Period, the city of Leicester had developed into quite an important city. It was documented in the Domesday Book as the ‘Civitas,” but during the 11th century it lost the title of city primarily because of the conflict amid the Church and the aristocracy. In the year 1919 it was once again given city status, and the Church of St. Martin was made the Cathedral of Leicester in the year 1927. The grave of King Richard III is positioned in the inner nave of the cathedral, although he is not actually buried there; it is said that King Richard III was originally buried in the Greyfriar’s Church in Leicester.
There is a local tale which states that the body of King Richard III was disinterred on the orders of Henry VII and later thrown away into the Soar River, although there is no solid proof of any such incident taking place. Local historians state that his remains and the tomb itself were ruined with the dissolution of the church. Leicester is said to be of significant importance to the history of England. In the year 1265, Simon de Montfort orced the then ruler of Leicester, King Henry III, to carry out the first ever Parliament of England at the fortress of Leicester. This was the first and last parliament ever held in the city of Leicester.
In the year 1530, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey was detained on charges of disloyalty and was taken away from York Place. On his way to the south to be tried for the disloyalty allegations, Thomas Wolsey fell severely ill. The faction taking him to south for the trial were concerned about his health and stopped by at Leicester. During his stopover in Leicester his condition worsened and he eventually died on November 29, 1530, and was later buried at Leicester Abbey, which is now known as Abbey Park.
During the 1790s, the Grand Union Canal was built. This canal was primarily constructed to connect London to Birmingham, after which the city of Leicester saw large-scale industrialization development. Some of the main industries started during this time were the hosiery, footwear and clothing industries. Towards the 20th century, the engineering sector in Leicester grew at a fast, unstoppable pace. In the year 1832, Leicester received its first railway line, and the first ever train to leave from this region was the Leicester and Swannington Railway. This train was mainly used to transport coal from the neighboring colliery.
In 1860, the city of Leicester got a direct train route to London through the construction of the Midland Main Line. With the commencement of the Great Central Railway in 1900, another alternate route to London was started, but this route was eventually closed down in the year 1966. Throughout the 19th century, the borough extended rapidly and in the year 1892 it took over the neighboring regions of Belgrave, Aylestone, Knighton and North Evington. Leicester obtained its current boundaries in the year 1935, with the annexation of the remaining regions of Evington, Humberstone and Beaumont Leys, along with certain areas of Braunstone. It was transformed into a county borough in the year 1889, but eventually all county boroughs were later abolished with the creation of the Local Government Act of 1972, and the city was made a regular quarter of Leicestershire. In the year 1997 it was once again given unitary status.
During World War II, the city of Leicester experienced a rise in immigration from different parts of the world. Immigrant groups currently make up nearly 40% of Leicester’s total population. Because of this large scale immigration, the city of Leicester has become one of the most ethnically-diverse towns in Great Britain. Quite a few Polish military men were denied entry into their homeland after the war owning to the communist rule, and this group of soldiers later went on to setup their own colony in Leicester. People from Ireland continued arriving in Leicester even after the war. During the 1960s, Leicester saw large-scale migration from the Indian subcontinent, and these numbers were further amplified with the arrival of Indians from different parts of Kenya and Uganda during the 1970s.
During the 1990s, a cluster of Dutch citizens, mainly of Somali origin, came to Leicester and settled there. These migrants were quite impressed with the friendly surroundings and the numerous mosques that were available. In 2004, the enlargement of the European Union took place and many European immigrants came and established homes in Leicester. While over 70% of the populations of most regions in Leicester are of Asian decent, the areas toward the west and south have large-scale white populations. The Commission for Racial Equality has stated that by the year 2011 Leicester will have nearly half of its population comprised of cultural and racial minorities, making it one of the primary regions in Great Britain without a British majority. These predictions were made on the basis of the escalation of the ethnic minority groups which occurred between 1991 and 2001. In 2001, a discussion board by the name the “Leicester Multicultural Advisory Group” was launched by the editorial department of Leicester Mercury to manage the public relations with these citizens representing various sectors such as law, education, media and faith.
In 1619, the city of Leicester received its first coat of arms at the Heraldic Visitation. The coat of arms was primarily based on the arms setup by the first Earl of Leicester, Robert Beaumount. The coat of arms has a sallow cinquefoil on a red background, and this motif is used by the City Council. In 1919, when Leicester was made a city once again, the city council filed for the coat of arms. They were given permission in the year 1929, and the sustaining lions, from the Lancastrian Earls of Leicester, were added to the coat of arms. The motto “Semper Eadem” used by the city was actually the motto of Queen Elizabeth I, who had given imperial charter to the town.
During the 1500s, the city of Leicester had a total population of approximately 3,000 people. Like many other regions in those times the town suffered from numerous epidemics of plague which occurred in 1564, 1579, 1583 and 1593. In spite of these continuous epidemics, the city continued to prosper at a face pace. The abbey, the friaries and the hospitals of St. Leo and St. John were closed by the orders of Henry VIII. The son of Henry VIII stopped the merchants’ federation and seized their assets, including the guildhall which was eventually sold to the city council in 1563. Leicester got its first grammar school in 1545.
In 1604, 1606, 1610, 1625, 1636 and 1638 more epidemics of plague occurred in Leicester and claimed numerous lives. In 1642, a civil war took place between the king and the legislature, and the king laid siege on the entire city in 1645. The king’s army was nearly 5,500 soldiers strong, whereas the guard units inside Leicester numbered barely 2,000. Conspirators escaped from the city during the night and provided information to the king about the various weak spots in the walls. The king’s army targeted these spots and made breaches. The guards, in an attempt to protect themselves, filled the damaged spots with huge bags of wool, but the king’s army kept attacking. They tried to create a breach in the wall close to Newark nearly four times, but their attacks were unsuccessful. Later, the king’s soldiers attacked a breach near the Eastgate. They pushed the guards back by lobbing grenades at them. Once the guards were out of their paths, they entered through the breach and within hours Leicester was conquered. The king’s army ransacked the entire town and killed many citizens.
The victory was short-lived and the king’s army was defeated at the conflict of Naseby. Later, the city of Leicester was put under siege once again, but this time by the parliamentary army. The king’s army did not have an adequate amount of time to repair the breaches which had been created in the walls, and hence it was attacked and forced to surrender. The army was later given permission to leave on the condition that it surrendered all its arms. The castle was demolished completely so that it could never be attacked by the king’s army again. Leicester recovered quickly from the effects of the battle, and by 1670 its population grew to over 5,000 people.
During the 17th century, the hosiery industry grew at a fast pace in Leicester due to large-scale migration of workers from different parts of the country. During early 1700s, the population of Leicester swelled to 6,000 people. Within a span of 20 years the population touched 8,000. Growth steadied until the 1760s, after which again there was a sudden spurt of growth in the population, and by the 1800s the population had reached 17,000.
In the year 1711 the property of Greyfriar’s Church was put up for sale, and later numerous new structures were constructed on the grounds. Toward the 1760s, public wells were installed with hand pumps, and the Leicester Royal Infirmary was established in 1771. The city council created a walking area for the general public and named it “The New Walk.” Toward the end of the 18th century, Leicester grew rapidly mainly because of the industrial revolution. The construction of the Soar Canal was finished by 1794. The construction of the canal helped the engineering industry prosper on a large scale as it provided an economical means of transporting iron and coal to the city.
Throughout the 18th century the population of Leicester continued to grow. Residential structures were constructed on the borders of Belgrave Gate by the 1820s. There was large-scale construction in other areas of Leicester, including Northampton Street, Conduit Street and Prebend Street. In 1835, the boundaries of the city were re-laid once again, stretching up to the West Bank region of the Soar River. The population increased to 40,000 by 1841 and later amplified to 68,000 by the 1860s.
In 1849, the city was hit by an epidemic of cholera after which a Board of Health was established. One of the first moves of the board was to setup proper drainage systems throughout the region. The city received its first civic library in 1871 and a new city hall was constructed in 1876. Leicester’s first telephone exchange was setup on Granby Road. The engineering industry grew rapidly after the establishment of the Britannia Iron Works. The Leicester city council started construction of a residential building in 1914, and many estates were also constructed in the North Evington region. During the 20th century, the Jewish community spread rapidly in this region and many Polish and Latvian refugees shifted here. Over the next period of years, many new industries including pharmaceuticals, electrical and fabrication were founded in Leicester.
The economy of Leicester primarily depends on the engineering industry and most of the people residing in the city work for companies like Jones & Shipman, Richards Engineering, Transmon Engineering and Trelleborg among others. Some of the leading commerce companies of the world including Alliance & Leicester, Royal Bank of Scotland, State Bank of India, HSBC and Price Water House Coopers have setup their offices in the city. The city has an annual business award function known as the “Leicestershire Business Awards” which offers numerous awards in categories like Contribution to the Community, Investing in Leicestershire and Entrepreneur of the Year. The University of Leicester and the De Montfort University, which are regarded as some of the best universities in the United Kingdom, are based in Leicester.
The city has a yearly Pride Parade along with the Caribbean Carnival and the biggest Diwali celebrations outside India. The city also hosts the largest comedy festival in the country, the Leicester Comedy Festival. Leicester has its own football team known as Leicester City F.C. which currently plays in the Football League Championship. Numerous citizens in Leicester are currently employed at the University Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust. The Leicester Market is one of the biggest open-air markets in Europe and the goods on sale include fruits and vegetables which are sold by stall owners who shout the prices out loudly. Other products like mutton, chicken, beef and fresh fish are sold in the Indoor Market. The city of Leicester extends to a total area of nearly 73.32 square kilometers with a total population of nearly 289,700. To enhance Leicester’s educational system, a city-based academy known as “The Samworth Enterprise” is currently in the process of development. A 250 million pound project known as “Building Schools for the Future” has been established and is currently funded by the Private Finance Initiative. In 2006, the Leicester City Council went through many structural changes and recently founded a Children & Young People’s Services department to focus on the future citizens of tomorrow.