LOUGHBOROUGH, (Leicestershire) 86 cm. 107 mm. from London, the second T. in the Co. was in the Saxons time a royal village. After the conquest it bel. to the noble family of Despensers, who obtained a Mt. for it on Th. and Fairs on August 1, and Nov. 2. It was afterwards forfeited to the crown, and granted by Edw. III. to Henry Ld. Beaumont; but was again forfeited by one of his descendants in the R. of Edw. IV. and granted to William Ld. Hastings. Visc. Beaumont was restored to it by Hen. VII. but on the attainder of Visc. Lovel, his successor, it reverted to the crown, and K. Hen.VIII. granted it to the Marq. of Dorset; but on the attainder of his son, Henry D. of Suffolk, Q. Mary granted it to Edward Ld. Hastings; from whom it descended to the Es. of Huntingdon, to whom it gives title of Baron; and near it they have a seat. Since Camden's time, when he says it was the largest and best built T. in the Co. next to Leicester, it has been very much diminished by fires. It has a large Ch. and a fr. sc. besides a ch. sc. for 80 boys, and another for 20 girls. It is still a very agreeable T. with rich meadow-ground on the Fosse, which runs here almost parallel with the r. Soar.