Hawton

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

The churchyard, approximately triangular in shape, with the church offset to the north, is still in use. There are burials on all sides but most are concentrated to the south of the church in the largest area of the churchyard. It appears that the earliest headstones date from the 18th century, but most of the older stones are much weathered and difficult to read.

• The parish was in the Balderton sub-district of the Newark Registration District.
   
• The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
   

• The 1086 Domesday Book tells us that there was a priest and two churches in Howton. There is no surviving trace of either church.
   
• The Anglican parish church is dedicated to All Saints.
   
• The church chancel was built around 1320.
   
• The church tower was built in 1482.
   
• The church was restored during 1880-87.
   
• Another major restoration was carried out during 1965-66. The tower was restored in 2018-19.
   
• The church seats 154.
   
• Christine HASMAN has a photograph of the Church of All Saints on Geo-graph, taken in April, 2004.
   
• Alan MURRAY-RUST also has a photograph of All Saints Church on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2012.
   

• Anglican parish register entries exist from 1564 and is fairly legible.
   
• The church was in the rural deanery of Newark.
   
• The Family History Library has a microfilm of the Bishop's Transcripts for 1608 - 1862.
   

• The parish was in the Balderton sub-district of the Newark Registration District.
   
• Civil Registration started in July, 1837.
   

This village and parish are near the River Devon (pronounced Deevon) only about 1.5 miles south of Newark-on-Trent. The parish covers about 2,180 acres.

The River Devon (pronounced Deevon) flows just west of the village.

• David HALLAM-JONES has a photograph of the Middle Beck on Geo-graph, taken in January, 2016.
   

• Geograph
• Flickr

John Marius WILSON's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales, 1870-72  described Hawton as:

"HAWTON, a village and a parish in Newark district, Notts. The village stands near the river Devon, 1½ mile SSW of Newark r. station; and was nearly destroyed during the civil war. The parish comprises 2,160 acres. Post-town, Newark. Real property, £4,768; of which £600 are in quarries."

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

• Read about Hawton History on the Nottinghamshire History site.
   
• Thomas TAYLER of Hawton was accused of missing church services in 1621 and "for unseemly and unreverent words" to the churchwarden. To wit: "Soe looke, Turde in yor teeth, I will goe when I liste & come when I liste" with divers other unseemly and reproachful words said to William LEAKE, one of the churchwardens.
   
• During the Englsih Civil Wars, circa 1650, a redoubt was built just north of Hawton village to protect the river crossings to Newark-on-Trent. Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of the Civil War Redoubt on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2012.
   
• In 1672 Isabell FISHER was causing problems for the village community and publicly criticised the rector, Dr Joseph RHODES. The churchwarden presentment to the Archdeaconry of Nottingham court reads:

  Isabell Fisher, wife of Thomas Fisher of the parish of Hawton, for not receiving the sacrament of the Lord's Supper for several times in the year, and still refuses to come to the same according to the law; the said Isable Fisher for that by her railing and giving out scandalous and unchristian speeches, she makes much disturbance amongst her neighbours, and especially against Dr Roades, his wife and family; speaking to his maid servant [she said] that "his wife and family was all base lyers", and his said servant, going to Newark, [replied that she] "wished she [Fisher] might breake her neck", and the said Isable said in a railing manner that her husband, meaning Tho. Fisher, "was an honest man and did not kisse his maides nor other married weomen", meaning as the said Dr Roades did; Tho. Fisher said to James Blounfeild, Dr Roades' servant, that "Dr Roades should be a peace maker but he was rather a peace breaker" and that he was "unhappie that he lived by such a neigh[bour] as the Dr was"; Isable Fisher, speaking to Dr Roades' manservant, [said] "that she could wish him and all his family hanged his daughter Elizabeth excepted"; Thomas Fisher for calling his neighbour John Dune "dog" and "sonne of a whoare" and when he was reproved by Dr Roades for speaking vile words, he said that "he and all the towne was scrub dogs.

The manor was sold to John PACKENHAM in 1444 who then sold it to Sir Thomas MOLYNEUX.

• See our Maps page for additional resources.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK788511 (Lat/Lon: 53.051361, -0.825882), Hawton 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.

• During the English Civil War (1642-1651), Hawton had a Roundhead encampment just west of the village standing against the Royalist stronghold in Newark.
   
• Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of a Civil War Redoubt on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2012. The Redoubt dates to circa 1651.
   
• The Great War Bulletin for November 16th, 1914 tells us that the following men were selected as Special Constables for Hawton for the duration of the war: John ABRAHAM and Benjamin FARROW, farmers.
   
• There is a War Memorial inside the church. It is a white plaque in a dark border. It has seven names from World War 1 and one from World War II.
   

For a photograph of the War Memorial and the list of names on it, see the Nottingham County Council site.

These are the villagers who died in World War One:

1. private George William CARTWRIGHT
2. private Charles CARTWRIGHT
3. private Ernest CHILVERS
4. private Henry GRAY
5. private John Henry GRAY
6. private Alfred LEADER
7. private Thomas Archibald TAYLOR

The name added to the bottom of the plaque is Reginald A. SHEERY, who died in 1944.

On a desk close by the War Memorial there is a file recording information about each of the men mentioned on the War Memorial.

The 1086 Domesday Book refers to this place as Holtone.

• This place was an ancient parish in Nottingham county and became a modern Civil Parish when those were established.
   
• The parish was in the ancient Newark Wapentake (Hundred) in the eastern division of the county.
   
• In April, 1935, this Civil Parish was reduced by 516 acres given to Newark-on-Trent Civil Parish.
   
• You may contact the local Parish Council regarding civic or political issues, but they will NOT do family history searches for you.
   
• District governance is provided by the Newark and Serwood District Council.
   

• Bastardy cases would be heard in the Newark petty session hearings.
   
• After the Poor Law Amendment Act reforms of 1834, the parish became part of the Newark Poor Law Union.
   

Year	Inhabitants
1801	107
1821	216
1841	240
1851	227
1881	286
1891	246
1901	242

A Public Elementary School was raised here in 1855 with room for 40 children.

Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of the former village school on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2012.

Sarah Jane SOWMAN was the schoolteacher here in 1911. She was 53 years old, born in Lambeth, Middlesex, and single. It appears that she died just after the 1911 census.