Caunton

The Library at Newark-on-Trent will prove useful in your research.

Andrew HILL provides a photograph of St. Andrew's Churchyard on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2012.

There are gravestones which were relaid in south aisle of the church during restoration:

Here
lieth the Body
Of Mrs ANN BRISTOW
Who departed this
life October the 13th
in the Year of our Lord
1763
In the Sixty fourth Year
of her age

Also in the south aisle, a badly worn gravestone for:

Here lieth interred the Body
[of] Mrs Elizth Bristowe the Wife of
[ ] Bristowe Gent of Sutton
on Trent Nottm who deceased
[D]ecber ye fourth Anno Dom: 1731
and in the 34th Year of her Age
[s]he was one of the Daughters
[a]nd Coheiress of Mr JOHN BO[?TELER]
[?Alder]men Draper of LONDON
[...] has left [...] Children
[...] and two daughters

• The parish was in the Kneesal sub-district of the Southwell Registration District.
   
• There exists an 1846 "census" of 125 families done by Richard BRETT, the schoolmaster. Copies are in the Kew Archives. These may only be families with children, but the purpose of his list is not known.
   
• The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
   

• A church is NOT mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book.
   
• Evidence points to the first stone building here was raised in the early 12th century.
   
• The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Andrew.
   
• The church was originally constructed in the late 12th century, but has been extensively reworked since then.
   
• The tower was heightened in stages and is topped with a 15th Century frieze, battlements and gargoyles.
   
• This church was restored and repewed in 1869.
   
• The chapel at the end of the south aisle was restored in 1927 as a Lady Chapel with English altar furnishings.
   
• The church seats 307.
   
• The church is a Grade I listed building with British Heritage.
   
• The church tower has a slight lean to the west.
   
• Richard CROFT has a photograph of St. Andrew's Church on Geo-graph, taken in October, 2006.
   
• Richard CROFT also has a photograph of the nave interior on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2016.
   

• The Anglican parish register dates from 1709 for all entries.
   
• The Anglican parish register from 1564 to 1709 is missing.
   
• The church was in the rural deanery of Southwell.
   
• The Wesleyan Methodists had a chapel built here before 1858.
   
• Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of the former Wesleyan Methodist chapel on Geo-graph, taken in July, 2014.
   
• The Primitive Methodists had a chapel here before 1858.
   
• Alan MURRAY-RUST has another photograph of the former Primitive Methodist chapel on Geo-graph, taken in July, 2014.
   

• The parish was in the Kneesal sub-district of the Southwell Registration District.
   
• Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
   

Caunton is both a village and a parish about 129 miles north of London, 5 miles north-west of Newark and 7 miles south-east of Ollerton. The parish covers just over 3,100 acres. Beesthorpe and Knapthorpe are hamlets in the parish. Beesthorpe is a manor about a mile west of Caunton village.

Caunton village is on the road between Newark and Ollerton. If you are planning a visit:

• By automobile, take the A616 arterial road north-west out of Newark. Caunton will be on your right.
   
• Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photgraph of the inviting Bus Shelter on Main Street on geo-graph, taken in July, 2014.
   
• If you are driving, please slow down to protect the ducks. Neil THEASBY has a photograph of the Duck protection sign in Caunton on Geo-graph, taken in October, 2020.

• Geograph
• Flickr

• Ask for a calculation of the distance from Caunton to another place.

The village is mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book, together with the five outlying manors that ring the southern half of the parish.

The Rev'd Samuel Reynolds HOLE was made curate of St. Andrew's Church in 1844. He stayed in the parish for 37 years and was buried in Caunton churchyard in 1904. He was nationally famous as a rose grower and judge, founder of the National Rose Show (1858) and as author of A Book of Roses (1869).

Graham HOGG has a photograph of the Plough Inn on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2016.

Graham HOGG also has a photograph of the Caunton Beck Inn on Caunton Beck on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2016. This pub used to be called the "Hole Arms".

Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of The Caunton Beck Pub. on Geo-graph, taken in July, 20146.

• Beesthorpe Hall  was the residence of Captain Edwin John POLLARD, RN, in 1881, but the property of Samuel Boteler BRISTOWE.
   
• Captain POLLARD was a midshipman on the HMS Victory at Trafalgor. He is credited with killing the French sniper who shot Admiral Nelson. Pollard married in 1822 and can be found in this parish in the 1881 census.
   
• Graham HOGG has a photograph of the gateway to Caunton Manor on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2016.
   

• See our Maps page for additional resources.
   

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK745600 (Lat/Lon: 53.131964, -0.887958), Caunton which are provided by:

• OpenStreetMap
• Google Maps
• StreetMap (Current Ordnance Survey maps)
• Bing (was Multimap)
• Old Maps Online
• National Library of Scotland (Old Ordnance Survey maps)
• Vision of Britain (Click "Historical units & statistics" for administrative areas.)
• English Jurisdictions in 1851 (Unfortunately the LDS have removed the facility to enable us to specify a starting location, you will need to search yourself on their map.)
• Magic (Geographic information) (Click + on map if it doesn't show)
• GeoHack (Links to on-line maps and location specific services.)

• All places within the same township/parish shown on an Openstreetmap map.
• Nearby townships/parishes shown on an Openstreetmap map.
• Nearby places shown on an Openstreetmap map.

• Peter TURNER has a photograph of the War Memorial by the church entrance on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2012.
   
• Alan MURRAY-RUST also has a photograph of the War Memorial built into the churchyard wall on Geo-graph, taken in July, 2014.
   
• Inside the church on the south wall there are two framed illuminated Rolls of Honour listing all the men and women of the parish who served in the two World Wars.
   
• In addition there is a brass tablet to a sailor lost in the Boer War.

The Boer War Monument is on the north aisle wall, brass plaque on a slate mount, by Gawthorp, London:

"IN EVER LOVING
MEMORY OF
HORACE S. BLAND
SUB-LIEUTENANT
H.M.S. BEAGLE
WHO WAS ACCIDENTALLY DROWNED
WHILE LANDING AT
SEAL ISLAND, MOSSEL BAY
SOUTH AFRICA
SEPTEMBER 29TH 1901
AGED 21 YEARS
“He giveth his beloved sleep”

There are the 7 names listed on the War MemoriaI monument:

1. Alexander ANTCLIFFE. pte. Suffolk Regt.
2. George William BARKER, pte. 1/8th Bn Sherwood Foresters
3. Sydney GIBSON, pte. 2/5th Bn Sherwood Foresters
4. George Samuel MOODY, trooper Life Guards
5. John Frederick POTTERTON, pte. 1/4th Bn Lincolnshire Regt.
6. George Henry SMITH, pte. 7th Bn Lincolnshire Regt.
7. Francis Arthur WOMBWELL, lcpl. 20th Hussars

George Henry SMITH is listed on the memorial as George W. SMITH.

Details on these individuals can be found at the Nottingham War Memorials web site.

The World War One Roll of Honour is hand-written on a poster designed for this purpose:

Caunton, near Newark-on-Trent in the county of Nottingham

Captain Hugh F.S. Hole, Interpreter to Indian Corps (now Major), DAQM [wording uncertain] G., General.
Captain John Hole, 17th Battalion City of London Royal Fusiliers, (now Major), MC with bar.
Lieut. Alec George Thackeray Schwabe, Royal Horse Artillery.
Albert Elvidge, Army Service Corps.
George Henry Wells, Lincolns, (Corporal).
Thomas Frecknall, Army Service Corps, Sergeant.
Alexander Antcliffe, Machine Gun Section, 2nd Battalion Suffolk Regiment Killed in Northern France by the bursting of a shell on March 3rd 1916. R.I.P.
Francis Arthur Wombwell, 20th Hussars (Lance Corporal). Died of wounds received in action in France on April 3rd, 1918.
George Samuel Moody, 1st Life Guards (Corporal?). Killed on Sunday Night May 19th, 1918, during a German air raid on the camp at the base in France while defending nurses & wounded.
Charles Poole, 9th Sherwood Rangers.
Walter Poole, Army Service Corps.
Edwin Gilbert, Sherwood Rangers, Corporal.
Frank Jaques, Sherwood Rangers.
George William Barker, 8th Sherwood Foresters. Died of wounds received in battle, in Hospital, at Etaples, in Northern France, & buried in the Cemetery there. R.I.P.
Albert Bartle, Notts & Derbys.
Frederick Potterton, Lincolns. Missing, afterwards reported killed. R.I.P.
George Elvidge, South Notts Hussars.
Heber Elvidge, Lance Corporal, Remounts.
Sidney Gibson, Sherwood Foresters. Missing, afterwards reported killed. R.I.P.
Frank Lord, Army Service Corps.
David Butterfield, Notts & Derbys.
Albert George Reynolds, Army Service Corps.
2nd M. Ernest Burrows, 2nd Wing, Royal Flying Corps.
Frank Ogden, Notts & Derbys.
Herbert Rushby, Notts & Derbys.
Sapper J Pearce, 3 Co P5, Royal Engineers.
G Turner, E Company, 19th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters.
F Carrott, 9th Sherwood Foresters.
G W Smith, Lincolns (British Expeditionary Force). Killed in action in France on 15th April 1916. R.I.P.
Cyril Fincham, Royal Flying Corps.
Horace Fincham, Notts & Derbys, 27537, C, Coy 10 Platoon, 9th Royal Warwicks, Exp. Force, Mesopotamia.
Driver Charles Pinder, 6/3430 Canterbury Infantry, Transport Brigade, Egypt.
Ernest Wells, Notts & Derbys.
Sydney Reynolds, Sherwood Foresters.
Charles Bickerton, Aeroplane Ordnance Corps.
Sydney Bartle, Machine Gun Corps.
Walter Bartle, Notts & Derbys.
George Henry Lord, 94th Oversea Battalion.
Richard Hopkinson, RFA (Royal Field Artillery).
Walter Hickman, 45599, 2nd Sherwood Foresters, Headquarters Company, British Expeditionary Force, France.
Frederick Gilbert, Army Ordnance Corps, 98th Regiment.
John Thomas Baines, Army Service Corps.
George Pinder, West Yorks.
Thorold Fincham, 32583, 15th Section, 4th Platoon, 55th Labour Coy, B. E. F., France.
Pioneer George Brown, 345 Compy, Royal Engineers, British Expeditionary Force, France.

O merciful God & Heavenly Father, give Thy servants the blessing of Thy guidance & protection, for Jesus Christ’s sake, Amen

John Tinkler, MA, Vicar of Caunton, Notts.

Above the priest’s door in the church is an elegantly shaped marble tablet with sculpted urn above that reads:

In memory of
SAMUEL HOLE
who died 10 May, 1818
aged 71 years

Also of
SARAH his wife
who died 6 Augt. 1824,
aged 70 years

And of ROBERT, Son of
SAMUEL & SARAH HOLE
who died 11 Jan. 1818,
aged 20 years

On the East end of the south wall is this monument:

Sacred to the Memory
of Samuel Ellis Bristowe Esqr
late of Beesthorpe in this parish and of Twyford
in the county of Derby, eldest son of Samuel Bristowe Esqr
and Eliza Ann his Wife, born the 10th day of March
1800, died the 15th day of June 1855.

Also to the memory of
Mary Ann wife of the above Samuel
Ellis Bristowe Esqr and daughter of Samuel Fox Esqr
and Ann his wife, who died at Clifton in the County
of Somerset, the 9th day of April 1829, Aged 29.

Also to the memory of the
Lady Alicia Mary widow of the above
Samuel Ellis Bristowe and daughter of Francis
1st Earl of Kilmorey who died at Datchet Bucks
the 31st day of January 1885, Aged 86

And underneath Window 7 in the south aisle:

THIS CHAPEL WAS RESTORED
TO THE GLORY OF GOD
AND IN LOVING MEMORY OF
ALBERTINE E. E. BRISTOWE
WIFE OF
SAMUEL BOTELER BRISTOWE
BY HER CHILDREN 1927

And underneath Window 7 and 8 in the South aisle:

In memory of
Isabella
daughter of S B and A E E Bristowe,
at Beesthorpe in this parish
born the 15th day of April 1857,
died the 8th day of Jany 1858
To die is gain

 

In the 1086 Domesday Book the name is rendered as Calnestune.

Spellings in mediaeval documents are variants of “Calneton”, reflecting the traditional pronunciation, approximately “cahnt’n”, which was regularly used until the second half of the 20th century. It is only in the last 40 or 50 years that the modern pronunciation of “cawnton” has become the norm.

The CCNO Parish Magazine serves the villages of Caunton, Cromwell, Norwell and Ossington and is published monthly. It is delivered free each month to households in the four parishes. They usually keep about 15 months online. Older copies shoulb be available at the Newark-on-Trent Library. Content is mostly about church events in the 4 parishes.

• This place was an ancient parish in Nottingham county and became a modern Civil Parish when those were established.
   
• The parish was in the northern division of the ancient Thurgaton Wapentake (Hundred) in the southern division of the county.
   
• You may contact the local Parish Council regarding civic or political matters, but they are NOT funded to help you with family history searches.
   
• District governance is provided by the Newark and Sherwood District Council.
   

• Bastardy cases would be heard in the Newark petty session hearings every other Wednesday.
   
• The Common Lands were enclosed here in 1793.
   
• As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act reforms, this parish became part of the Southwell Poor Law Union.
   

Year	Population
1801	366
1841	539
1851	611
1861	596
1881	401
1901	345

• A Parochial School was built here in 1840. The building ceased to be a school in 1971 and was converted to a private residence in 1984.