The earliest recorded mention of Mickleover (and its close neighbour, Littleover) comes in 1011, when an early charter has King Aethelred granting Morcar, a high-ranking Mercian Thegn, land along the Trent and in Eastern Derbyshire, including land in the Mickleover and Littleover areas, consolidating estates he had inherited in North-East Derbyshire from his kinsman through marriage, Wulfric Spot, who founded Burton Abbey on the Staffs-Derbys border.

Magna, in early Latin means Great; oufra coming from Anglo Saxon ofer, flat-topped ridge.

Lombe had gained his experience processing silk in the smaller factory built and run by Thomas Cotchett of Mickleover.

Mickleover is directly south of the city of Derby and has seen multiple developments take place over the decades changing the town from a historic village to a suburb.

It ran from Grantham on the East Coast Main Line via Nottingham Victoria, over Bennerley Viaduct (which still stands today) to Derby Friargate Station.

it joined the Derby to Crewe line of the North Staffordshire Railway which it left at Bromshall Junction near Uttoxeter to journey on to Stafford.

Although most of the line was closed to passenger traffic in December 1939, Mickleover station remained open until 3 February 1964.

and Friargate was acquired by the Train Control Group of the BR Research Division, as a test track.

Mickleover from May 1964 until June 2007, housed a small 35-acre (14 ha) campus of the University of Derby which in 2007-8 made way for nearly 700 new homes.

Many residents of Mickleover, however, attend John Port Spencer Academy, or Littleover Community School at both of which it can be difficult to obtain a place because of high demand.

There is also a Methodist chapel and a Roman Catholic church on Uttoxeter Road called Our Lady of Lourdes.

A notable example being the Mickleover Lightning Sox football team who are listed in the Guinness World Records 2005 for being involved in the longest penalty shootout.