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Ashby de-la Zouch, often shortened to Ashby, is a small market town and civil parish in North West Leicestershire, England, within the National Forest. It is a sister citiy with Pithiviers in north-central France.
Ashby - "place with ash trees" is the most likely, although sometimes, it can be a corruption of Asby (home in the east). The ending was added much later to differenciate it from the hundreds of other Ashbys nationwide.
Ashby de-la Zouch castle was of importance from the 15th to the 17th centuries. In the 19th century the town became a spa town and before the growth of Coalville it was the chief town in north-west Leicestershire.
In the 19th century its main industries were ribbon manufacture, coal mining and brickmaking. The town was served by the Leicester to Burton upon Trent Line of the Midland Railway from 1849.
The civil parish includes the hamlet of Shellbrook west of the town. Nearby villages include Normanton le Heath, Packington, Donisthorpe, Oakthorpe, Measham, Coleorton and Moira.
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