Dunham

The Library at East Retford will prove useful in your research.

Howard Chadwick, "History of Dunham-on-Trent with Ragnall, Darlton, Wimpton Kingshaugh, etc.", 1924, publ. Massl, Page & Shaw.

Steven RUFFLES has a photograph of St. Oswald's churchyard on Geo-graph, taken in May, 2015.

• The parish was in the Tuxford subdistrict of the East Retford registration district.
   
• The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:

• There is no church or priest mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book.
   
• The church was apparently constructed around 1100 C.E. The church is first mentioned during the reign of King Henry I.
   
• The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Oswald.
   
• The church was rebuilt in 1805, except for the ancient tower. The church had long been in ruins before 1805.
   
• The church was restored in 1862.
   
• In 1903 the church was renovated.
   
• Despite the flood defences there were further serious floods in 1910.
   
• In 1930 the church tower was restored.
   
• Gary BROTHWELL has a photograph of St. Oswald's Church on Geo-graph, taken in July, 2010.
   
• Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of a stone gateway to the churchyard on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2014.
   
• The church was declared redundant in 1991 and (as reported in 2014) is for sale.

• The Anglican parish register dates from 1600.
   
• The church was in the rural Number 2 deanery of Retford.
   
• The International Genealogical Index (IGI) includes records from this parish for the period 1773-1836.
   
• The Wesleyan Methodist chapel was built in 1824.
   

• Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
   
• The parish was in the Tuxford subdistrict of the East Retford registration district.
   

Dunham is a large village and a parish on the west bank of the River Trent, 6 miles ENE of Tuxford and 15 miles north of Newark on Trent. The parish covers just over 1,000 acres and lies 134 miles north of London and about 12 miles upriver from Gainsboro (Lincolnshire).

If you are planning a visit:

• Take the A57 trunk road west out of Lincoln or east off of the A1 motorway just north of Tuxford.
   
• David SMITH has a photograph of the Bus Shelter on Main Street on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2018.
   
• Graham HOGG has a photograph of the Village Sign as you enter Dunham on Geo-graph, taken in October, 2014.
   
• Mat FASCIONE has a photograph of the Welcome to Nottingham sign on Geo-graph, taken in May, 2016. You will see this sign as you enter the village from the East (Lincolnshire).
   

• Geograph
• Flickr

White's 1853 Directory of Nottinghamshire:

DUNHAM is a considerable village and parish, pleasantly seated on a gentle eminence on the west bank of the river Trent, 6 miles E.N.E of TuxfordL It comprises 362 inhabitants, and 904 acres of land, a great part of which belongs to John Angersteine, Esq., the lord of the manor; the other principal owners are Earl Manvers, Thomas Newstead, Esq, Frederick Alderson, and William Booth. Much of the land in this as well as the adjacent parishes, has long been subject to inundation from the Trent; to prevent which, an Act has been obtained for raising an embankment, which was completed in the summer of 1844, and is from five to eight feet high. The broad and shallow ferry which crossed the Trent here, was superseded about 20 years ago, by a handsome cast iron bridge of four arches, each 118 feet span ; the cost of this noble structure was £1,854. 11s. l0d., which was raised by a proprietary of £50, shareholders, who, according to the Act of Parliament, were to purchase the ferry at a fair valuation: the first stone was laid in March, 1831, and the whole was completed in 1832 ; the iron work which weighs 900 tons, was cast by Messrs. Booth & Co,, of Sheffield.

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

John BACON is found in the 1861 census, RG 9 / 2417 pg 7, male, 46, Head of Household, born Dunham circa 1815, Farmer of 20 acres of land. His wife, Ann BACON, age 45, born in Collingham, Notts. Daughter Jane BACON, 17, born Dunham, daughter Ann E. BACON, age 15, born Dunham, son Thomas BACON, male, age 13, born Dunham,son Robert BACON, male, age 11, born Dunham, son John BACON, male, age 9, born Dunham, daughter Emma BACON, female, age 8, born Dunham, daughter Elizabeth BACON, age 8, born Dunham were all included with the family.

• The site of Whimpton Village, a deserted medieval village, is about 1.25 miles (2.0 km) west of Dunham.
   
• A Cast Iron Bridge was built across the River Trent into Lincolnshire in 1832.
   
• Dunham was long used to inundation by the River Trent at flood. An embankment, five to eight feet high, was completed in 1844 to contain the river.
   
• Tim HEATON has a photograph of the White Swan on Geo-graph, taken in July, 2012.
   
• Graham HOGG has a photograph of The Bridge Inn on Geo-graph, taken in October, 2014. At last report (in 2014) the Inn was closed.
   
• The parish held a fair here each August 12th for cattle, cheese and other goods.
   
• A village feast was held on the first Sunday after the August 12th fair.
   
• We have an account of the village of Dunham on Trent and its origins by John H. Gilbert.
   

• See our Maps page for additional resources.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK811745 (Lat/Lon: 53.261312, -0.785659), Dunham 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.

From gravestones near the church:

"Here lieth the body of
Mary Boswell
who departed this life
March 7 1729
aged 60 years"

"Here lieth the body of
Robert the son of John and Mary Wills
who departed this life
February the 19 1738
aged 10 years"

"Here lieth the body of
Mary the wife of John Bacon
who departed this life M.... 2.
In the year of our Lord 1731"

At the west end of the nave there is a floor stone:

"In Memory of John and
Rachel Cave the Son and
Daughter of Andr: Cave
Vicr and Rachel his Wife."

There is a small brass plaque mounted on the east wall of the north aisle:

"THE LADY CHAPEL CANDLESTICKS
-------------------------
IN MEMORY OF
Frank E Leach
1914-1989"

• Chris MORGAN has a photograph of the War Memorial cross intersection on Geo-graph, taken in October, 2014.
   
• Maigheach-GHEAL has a photograph of the War Memorial on Geo-graph, taken in April, 2011.
   
• The War Memorial cross was unveiled 22nd June 1921 by ex-servicemen of Dunham parish. It has 4 panels - The panels give the names of the 15 men from Dunham, the 5 men from Ragnall, the 5 men from Darlton all of whom fell during the Great War, the fourth panel shows the names of the men who fell during the Second World War.
   
• There was a Roll of Honour in the parish church of Saint Oswald, Dunham on Trent/Ragnall which is now in Nottinghamshire Archives (ref PR 18,490: St Oswald, Dunham on Trent, Roll of Honour First World War. Deposit 19 February 1980). It is a printed scroll with 45 names written in manuscript. The names of those who died are marked with a Cross.

The names on the memorial are:

1. George Edward BACON, pte. 2nd Bn Sherwood Foresters
2. Alec Griffiths BEAT, pte. 12th Bn Sherwood Foresters
3. Ronald Griffiths BEAT, pte. 2nd Bn Sherwood Foresters
4. Norman Bennett BRUMBY, pte. 1st Bn North Staffs. Regt.
5. Charles F. COULING, pte. 7th Bn Lincs. Regt.
6. William CREE, pte. 6th Bn Border Regt.
7. Howard George FIELDHOUSE, pte. 97th Field Ambulance Royal Army Medical Corps
8. John GOODMAN, pte. 1st Bn Lincs. Regt.
9. Charles Henry HAYES, lcpl. 7th Bn Lincs. Regt.
10. Alfred Cecil HEALD, shoeing smith, Sherwood Rangers
11. Arthur Selby JACKSON, 2nd Lt. 9th Bn Yorkshire Light Infantry
12. Harry LOBLEY, gunner Royal Garrison Artillery
13. Sidney ROE, pte. 2nd Bn Sherwood Foresters
14. John RUSHBY, pte. 1/7th Bn Northumberland Fusiliers
15. Charles SAMSON, pte. 16th Bn Sherwood Foresters
16. George SKELTON, pte. 5th Reserve Bn Machine Gun Corps
17. Herbert G. SKELTON, pte. 2nd Bn The Loyal North Lancashire Regt.
18. James TALBOT, pte. 8th Bn Royal Lancaster Regt.
19. John TALBOT, pte. 8th Bn Royal Lancaster Regt.
20. Richard Rilor TALBOT, lsrgt. 6th Bn Royal Berkshire Regt.
21. William TALBOT, pte. 22nd Bn London Regt.
22. George TURNER, pte. 16th Bn Sherwood Foresters
23. William WARD, lcpl. 1/8th Bn Sherwood Foresters
24. George WILSON, pte. Linc. Yeomanry
25. Walter WOOD, gunner 161st Bde Royal Field Artillery

World War II are:

1. pte. T. J. COOPER, died 1922
2. srgt. Charles Robert HINCHCLIFFE
3. pte. Marcus MIDDLEBROOK

The village and parish are often listed as "Dunham-on-Trent".

• This place was an ancient parish of Nottinghamshire and became a modern Civil Parish when those were established.
   
• The parish covered 2,030 acres in 1881, and was reduced to 1,066 acres by 1891.
   
• The parish was in the South Clay division of the ancient Bassetlaw Wapentake (Hundred) in the northern division of the county.
   
• You may contact the local joint Dunham with Ragnall, Fledborough and Darlton Parish Council regarding civic or political issues, but they are NOT staffed to help with family history lookups.
   
• District governance is provided by the Bassetlaw District Council.
   

• Bastardy cases would be heard at the Retford petty session hearings held in West Retford.
   
• In 1658, John ADDY left land for the parish to rent and the income was distributed to the poor.
   
• In 1728, Leonard and John HAINSWORTH left the interest from £50 for the poor, but the principal was lost by 1853.
   
• In 1763, Mrs. HAINSWORTH left the interest from £50 for the poor.
   
• The Common Land was enclosed here in 1803.
   
• After the Poor Law Amendment Act reforms of 1834, this parish became a part of the East Retford Poor Law Union.
   

Year	Inhabitants
1793	260
1871	350
1881	271
1891	280
1901	273
1911	298
1921	257
1931	253

• A National School for boys and girls was built and opened here in 1844.