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Willington

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WILLINGTON, a parish and township in the hundred of Morleston and Litchurch, county Derby, 4½ miles N.E. of Burton-on-Trent, and 6 S.W. of Derby. It is a station on the Midland railway. The parish is traversed by the Grand Trunk canal, connecting the Trent and Mersey, and by the rivers Trent and Dove, over the former of which is a bridge of five arches to Repton.

The village is situated on the road from Derby to Burton-upon-Trent, near the line of the ancient Icknield Street. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Lichfield, value £82, with 35 acres of glebe and tithe allotment, in the patronage of the Governors of Etwall Hospital and Repton Grammar School. The church is dedicated to St. Michael. The Baptists and Wesleyans have chapels. The charities produce about £13 per annum. Sir Robert Burdett, Bart., is lord of the manor.”

from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland - 1868

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Archives & Libraries

Willington village is served by the Mobile Library on route 5, which makes 3 stops at Trent Avenue and Derwent Court every fourth Wednesday in the afternoon.

The Derby City Library is an excellent resource with a Local History section and a Family History section.

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Cemeteries

  • Graham HOGG has a photograph of St. Michael's Churchyard on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2016.
     
  • There is a Willington public Cemetery on the north end of the village, but all I could find was a photograph on the parish council website.
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Census

  • The parish was in the Repton sub-district of the Burton on Trent Registration District.
     
  • The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
     
Census
Year
Piece No.
1861R.G. 9 / 1961
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Church History

  • The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Michael.
     
  • The church appears to be of Norman origin, although the web page author could not find a precise date of construction. Sources say it was originally constructed in the 12th century.
     
  • The church tower was added in 1824.
     
  • The church seats 220.
     
  • The church is a Grade II listed building with British Heritage.
     
  • Alan HEARDMAN has a photograph of St. Michael's Church on Geo-graph, taken in 2011.
     
  • Malcolm NEAL also has a photograph of St. Michael's Church on Geo-graph, taken in March, 2017.
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Church Records

  • The Anglican parish register dates from 1680.
     
  • Marriages at Willington, 1698-1812 are available in Nigel BATTY-SMITH's database of scanned images of Phillimore's Parish Registers.
     
  • The church was in the rural deanery of Repton.
     
  • The Wesleyan Methodists had a chapel here before 1857.
     
  • The Baptists have had an active chapel here since 1858. A new chapel was built for them on Twyford Road in 1981-82.
     
  • Phil MYOTT has a photograph of the Baptist Chapel on Geo-graph, taken in November, 2006.
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Civil Registration

  • Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
     
  • The parish was in the Repton sub-district of the Burton on Trent Registration District.
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Description & Travel

"WILLINGTON is a parish, in the hundred of Morleston and Litchurch, about five miles N.E. from Burton-upon-Trent, and about two N.W. from Repton. The river Trent and the Grand Trunk canal pass through the parish. The church is dedicated to St. Michael: the living is a discharged vicarage, in the patronage of the corporation of Etwall and Repton. Population of the parish, in 1821, 411, and in 1831, 402."

[Description from Pigot and Co's Commercial Directory for Derbyshire, 1835]

The parish is in south Derbyshire just 6 miles south of Derby city on the north bank of the River Trent. The parish covers almost 1,200 acres.

Trent Barton Bus Service has branded "The Villager" as the bus line that serves Willington. Stephen McKAY has a photograph of The Villager on Geo-graph, taken in October, 2009.

The railway came to Willington in 1838, but the line was closed in 1964. A new line, the Ivanhoe Line, came in 1990 to link the village to Leicester and Burton-on-Trent, as well as the city of Derby. The new station opened here in 1995.

The Mercia Marina is just north-east of the village off Findern Lane.

Mat FASCIONE has a photograph of narrowboats on the Trent & Mersey Canal on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2015.

You can see pictures of Willington which are provided by:

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Directories

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Gazetteers

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History

  • In the 17th century this place became the port furthest up the River Trent, which garnered the village a great deal of trade from exported coal.
     
  • The bridge with five arches over the River Trent was opened in August, 1839.
     
  • The parish feast was always held on the first Sunday after September 19th.
     
  • Robert HARVEY has a photograph of the Green Man Pub. on Geo-graph, taken in January, 2018.
     
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Maps

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK297284 (Lat/Lon: 52.852284, -1.560404), Willington which are provided by:

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Military History

In 1779, thirty-four-year-old Captain John SPILSBURY of this place was stationed in Gibraltar with the 12th Regiment. He would be there during the Great Siege of Gibraltar (1779 - 1783).

Willington Hall held Prisoners of War during World War One.

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Periodicals

You may be interested to read the Willington Village News, a bi-monthly publication on what is happening locally.

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Politics & Government

  • This place was an ancient parish in Nottingham county and it became a modern Civil Parish when those were established.
     
  • This parish was in the ancient Morleston and Litchurch Hundred (or Wapentake).
     
  • You may contact the Willington Parish Council regarding civic or political issues, but they are NOT staffed to assist with family history searches.
     
  • District governance is provided by the South Derbyshire District Council.
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Poor Houses, Poor Law

  • Bastardy cases would be heard in the Derby petty session hearings every Friday.
     
  • In 1789, the Rev. Francis GISBORNE left an annual charity of £5 10s. yearly, for clothing for the poor.
     
  • As a result of the 1834 Poorlaw Amendment Act reforms, this parish became a member of the Burton upon Trent Poorlaw Union.
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Schools

A National School (mixed) was erected here in 1871 at a cost of £280 raised by subscription. A class room being added in 1883 enlarged the school to hold 100 children.