Burrough on the Hill

{{Short description|Village in Leicestershire, England}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}

{{Use British English|date=July 2015}}

{{Infobox UK place

| official_name= Burrough on the Hill

| civil_parish = Somerby

| country= England

| region= East Midlands

|coordinates = {{Coord|52.688|-0.882|type:city_region:GB|display=title}}

| os_grid_reference=

| post_town=

| postcode_area=

| postcode_district=

| dial_code=

| constituency_westminster =

| shire_district= Melton

| shire_county= Leicestershire

| hide_services= Yes

| population =

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|static_image=St Mary the Virgin's Church, Burrough-on-the-Hill, Leicestershire.jpg

|static_image_caption=Burrough on the Hill parish church of St. Mary

|website=

}}

File:BurroughHill.jpg Iron Age fort]]

Burrough-on-the Hill is a small village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Somerby, in the Melton district, in the county of Leicestershire, England. It is {{convert|12|mi|0}} north east of Leicester.{{cite book |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22042 |accessdate=7 May 2012 |contribution=Burrough on the Hill |title=A History of the County of Leicestershire: Volume 5: Gartree Hundred |year=1964 |editor=J.M. Lee |editor2=R.A. McKinley |pages=61–68 |archive-date=18 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018181022/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22042 |url-status=live }} The parish church is St. Mary the Virgin. Burrough Hill is an Iron Age hill fort near the village and is in an {{convert|86|acre|adj=on}} country park of the same name.{{citation |url=http://www.leics.gov.uk/index/environment/countryside/countryparks/burrough.htm |title=Burrough Hill |publisher=Leicestershire County Council |date=3 June 2011 |accessdate=11 July 2011 |archive-date=6 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606095737/http://www.leics.gov.uk/index/environment/countryside/countryparks/burrough.htm |url-status=live }} The hillfort stands on a promontory around {{convert|200|m|disp=flip}} above sea level, {{convert|7|mi}} south of the modern settlement of Melton Mowbray.{{citation |last2=Thomas |first2=John |last1=Taylor |first1=Jeremy |title=Excavations at Burrough Hill, Burrough-on-the-Hill, Leicestershire: Interim Report 2010 |year=2011 |publisher=University of Leicester |url=http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/archaeology/research/Burrough%20Hill%202010%20report.pdf |page=2 |access-date=7 May 2012 |archive-date=7 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120507163119/http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/archaeology/research/Burrough%20Hill%202010%20report.pdf |url-status=live }} In 1931 the parish had a population of 214.

The village's name means 'fortification on the hill'. Though later forms of Old English show that it could mean 'the earthen fortification on the hill'.{{Cite web|url=http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Leicestershire/Burrough+on+the+Hill|title=Key to English Place-names|website=kepn.nottingham.ac.uk|access-date=16 August 2021|archive-date=16 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816164548/https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jqueryui/1.8.17/jquery-ui.js|url-status=live}}

On 1 April 1936 the parish was abolished and merged with Somerby.{{cite web|url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10372367|title=Relationships and changes Burrough on the Hill AP/CP through time|publisher=A Vision of Britain through Time|accessdate=26 December 2022}}

The village shared John O' Gaunt railway station with the neighbouring village of Twyford. The station is adjacent to a 14-arch viaduct. Trains used to go north to Melton Mowbray, and south to Leicester and Market Harborough, but the line was closed in the 1960s. There is a local bus service to Melton Mowbray and Oakham.

10th Battalion, the Parachute Regiment

During preparations for Operation Market Garden the 10th Battalion, the Parachute Regiment were billeted in and around Somerby before setting off to join the action the day after the outbreak of the Battle of Arnhem on 18 September 1944.

File:The 10th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment Memorial at Burrough on the Hill.jpg

The 10th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment Memorial at Burrough on the Hill was completed and unveiled in September 2019 by Friends of the Tenth.{{cite web |title=Friends of the Tenth |url=https://friendsofthetenth.co.uk |website=Friends of the Tenth |access-date=28 July 2023}} A memorial garden has also been created looking over and across to the valley where the battalion practised parachute drops and training exercises in 1944.{{cite web |title=Friends of the Tenth |url=https://friendsofthetenth.co.uk/2020/02/ |website=Friends of the Tenth |access-date=28 July 2023}}