Billesdon was a rural district

Rural district

Rural districts were a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales, and Ireland for the administration of predominantly rural areas at a level lower than that of the administrative counties.-England and Wales:In England...

 of Leicestershire

Leicestershire

Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. It originates with the Billesdon Poor Law Union

Poor Law Union

A Poor Law Union was a unit used for local government in the United Kingdom from the 19th century. The administration of the Poor Law was the responsibility of parishes, which varied wildly in their size, populations, financial resources, rateable values and requirements...

, formed in 1835. In 1894 the area became a rural district. It was named for the village of Billesdon

Billesdon

Billesdon is a village and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England, with a population of 745 according to the 2001 census. It is just off the A47, nine miles east of Leicester. The Billesdon bypass opened in October 1986...

.

1935 saw the rural district decreased by the annexing of Humberstone, most of Evington

Evington

Evington is an electoral ward and administrative division of the city of Leicester, England. It used to be a small village centred around Main Street and the Anglican church of St Denys but was close enough to Leicester to become one of the outer suburbs in the 1930s...

, and some of Thurnby

Thurnby

Thurnby is a village just east of Leicester's city boundaries, in the Harborough district.Thurnby village proper is set to the south of the A47, just after it leaves the city. A sister village, Bushby lies just to the East and merges into it such that the two have made one civil parish, Thurnby...

 civil parish

Civil parish

In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...

es to Leicester

Leicester

Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...

 (with some small parts going to Oadby

Oadby

Oadby is a town within the borough of Oadby and Wigston, in Leicestershire, England. It is to the east of Wigston Magna, and to the southeast of Leicester. Oadby forms part of the Leicester Urban Area, and is situated on the A6 road....

 in 1936). It was further reduced in 1966 by the annexation of part of Scraptoft

Scraptoft

Scraptoft is a village in Leicestershire, England that is effectively a suburb of Leicester. It has a population of about 1,500. It lies north of the A47 road east of Leicester, and runs directly into the built up area of Thurnby and Bushby to the south...

, Stoughton

Stoughton

Stoughton is the name of some places:in the United States of America:*Stoughton, Massachusetts**Stoughton *Stoughton, Wisconsin*Stoughton Hall, Harvard Yard, Cambridge, MassachusettsIn England:*Stoughton, Leicestershire*Stoughton, Surrey...

 and Thurnby parishes http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10193965 In 1974 it became part of the Harborough

Harborough

Harborough is a local government district of Leicestershire, England, named after its main town, Market Harborough. Covering , the District is by far the largest of the eight district authorities in Leicestershire and covers almost a quarter of the County....

 non-metropolitan district

Non-metropolitan district

Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...

, along with the Market Harborough Rural District

Market Harborough Rural District

The rural district of Market Harborough existed in Leicestershire, England, from 1894 to 1974. It covered the area around Market Harborough, but not including it. It was greatly extended by the abolition of Hallaton Rural District in 1935...

, Lutterworth Rural District

Lutterworth Rural District

The rural district of Lutterworth in Leicestershire, England existed from 1894 to 1974. It contained the following civil parishes:*Arnesby*Ashby Magna*Ashby Parva*Bittesby*Bitteswell*Broughton Astley*Bruntingthorpe*Catthorpe*Claybrooke Magna...

 and Market Harborough

Market Harborough

Market Harborough is a market town within the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England.It has a population of 20,785 and is the administrative headquarters of Harborough District Council. It sits on the Northamptonshire-Leicestershire border...

urban district.