Sketchley is a deserted village and now a residential area that is part of the village of Burbage in the Hinckley & Bosworth borough of the ceremonial county of Leicestershire, England.
Toponymy Variations of the place name Sketchley have been recorded since the year 1220. The name is thought to be derived from the Old Norse word "skeio" meaning a boundary and the Old English word "clif", meaning a cliff or steep slope. The boundary indicated is nearby Watling Street, the furthest extent of the Danelaw.
History
In 1100, the manors of Aston, Burbage and Sketchley were given to Robert de Flamville.
Another mention of Sketchley was as part of the civil parish of Aston Flamville and the Hundred of Sparkenhoe. The poor law union was made in Hinckley. Sketchley was described by Samuel Lewis in his "A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition" as
A book from 1777 briefly mentions "Sketchley".
Charles James Billsson, in his 1895 Folk-Lore of Leicestershire and Rutland, mentions Sketchley, saying:
Sketchley Hall
A notable building in the village named "Sketchley Hall" was built in 1892 by Charles H. Alldridge, who bought, in 1919, the 1914 Grand National winner, Sunloch. The horse was in training for the 1920 Grand National, in Sketchley, when it fell, broke a fetlock, and was shot and buried on the spot. He purchased the hall from the Sketchley Estate. However, he later sold the hall in 1930 before it was rebuilt in 1934. The hall is now a hotel and spa.
Present day Sketchley is now used as the name of an area of Burbage and a ward on the Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council. As of 2026 the former Sketchley Lodge Farm is now 'The Lodge at Sketchley Park' a 100+ housing estate on the former farm
References