Burrough on the Hill

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 12 mile (19 km) north east of Leicester. The parish church is St. Mary the Virgin. Burrough Hill is an Iron Age hill fort near the village and is in an country park of the same name. The hillfort stands on a promontory around above sea level, 7 mile (11 km) south of the modern settlement of Melton Mowbray. 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'. On 1 April 1936 the parish was abolished and merged with Somerby. 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. The 10th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment Memorial at Burrough on the Hill was completed and unveiled in September 2019 by Friends of the Tenth. 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.

British thoroughbred racehorse Burrough Hill Lad was named after Burrough on the Hill by owner Stan Riley, who was born and raised in the village. After a run of victories in 1984 including the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Hennessy Gold Cup and King George VI Chase, Burrough Hill Lad was considered one of the greatest racehorses in the history of the sport.