Cossington Heritage Group is currently an informal village group. Heritage in its widest sense includes family and local history, archaeology, flora and fauna and geology. It is hoped that as more people become involved these areas will be investigated and shared,

The current focus is on researching and sharing the local and family history of Cossington. This is done through the “Lost Stories of Cossington” project run by Lynne Ford. Research is carried out into aspects of village life, past residents, the church, the school, buildings and events. Resources used include parish registers, census returns, newspaper articles, old books, school log books, old postcards and maps.

Since 2014 history trails have been put up around the village for Open Gardens weekends and V.E Day.

The group have provided village history displays in the church for each Open Gardens weekend since 2014 and specialist displays for the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day in 2018, the School’s 150th Anniversary in 2023 and the 800th Anniversary of the Church.

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The group have organised history meetings and events in the village to share research.

Story Evening: In July 2018 an evening of Lost Stories of Cossington took place at the Royal Oak. Presentations included –

  • The local Smallpox Isolation Hospital.
  • The Cossington Church choir on strike.
  • Plato Smith, a gipsy, buried as a stranger in Cossington churchyard.
  • The Harrison brothers, grooms from the village who became WW2 prisoners of War in the far east.
  • Cossington Mill, a little girl in the churchyard and the Australian Gold Rush.

History Café: In August 2018 a History Café took place in the Jubilee Hall.  Residents came to enjoy tea and cake, reminisce, look at old Cossington photos and maps and share stories. A past resident who had lived in the village since the 1960s shared his memories:

“ I came to the village in 1955 … I was surprised how different the world was in Cossington compared with my home town of Oadby. We were not the only ones to keep pigs – many of our neighbours did too. Another alarming (to me!) feature of the village was the absence of any sewage drainage. Large buckets did the job which were collected every week by a tanker filled up by a little chap and then pulled away by a large carthorse”

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Church 800th Anniversary: As part of the 800th anniversary celebrations of the church in November 2022, the church building was filled with the flickering light of 800 candles, the sounds of peals of bells and the singing of Rothley Choir, mulled wine and pews packed with villagers and visitors. For that evening only the Watcher came down from the roof to share 800 years of stories and memories about the history of the church and residents of the village.

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For Open Gardens in May 2024 there will be a heritage trail round the village, a display in the church and a display in the school, all of which will be presenting new Lost Stories of Cossington.

It is hoped to organise more events in the future including more history cafés, talks, house history projects and children’s activities.

Please contact me if you have any questions or are interested in:

  • Being involved in organising and running events
  • Leading a research project
  • Being involved in a research project
  • Sharing your information and research

[email protected] / 01509 813915

We have a Cossington History Group WhatsApp group you can join if you would like. Just text me on 07971779218.

Lynne Ford.

Become involved and visit this page for more updates where  historical research, photographs, anecdotes and information will be shared.  Consider joining the group and sharing your own research.

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In the meantime, does anyone know who this is?

Mrs Margaret Smith believes this is Edith Eve Mason (born 1878), mum to Freda Lindsey (nee Mason) 

Another point for identifying the house…

14 Main Street