Mattersey

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

• A Cemetery was formed in the parish around 1900 and it covered half an acre. The Cemetery is north-west of the village on Thorpe Road.
   
• The Cemetery is managed by the Burial Board of the local Mattersey Parish Council.
   
• Chris MORGAN has a photograph of the Cemetery Sign on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2015.
   
• Neil THEASBY has a photograph of the parish church graveyard on Geo-graph, taken in October, 2020.
   
• Steven RUFFLES also has a photograph of the south churchyard on Geo-graph, taken in November, 2016.

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

• A Priory was founded here by Roger de Mattersey, circa 1185. The Priory was destroyed by fire in 1279. Although largely rebuilt, it was destroyed again during the English Civil War by Parliamentary troops. The remains can be found about a mile west of the village.
   
• English Heritage has a report and history of the priory.
   
• The Anglican parish church is dedicated to All Saints. The church is on Abbey lane.
   
• The church was built in the 14th century in an Early English style.
   
• The church was restored in 1866.
   
• The church seats 230.
   
• Richard CROFT has a photograph of All Saints Church on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2011.
   
• John SLATER also has a photograph of All Saints Church on Geo-graph, taken in April, 2015.
   

• The Anglican parish register dates from 1540.
   
• The church was in the rural #1 deanery of Retford.
   
• Richard CROFT has a photograph of the old Pentecostal chapel of 1792 on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2011.
   
• The Wesleyan Methodists had a chapel here in 1881 and replaced it in 1892.
   
• Graqham HOGG has a photograph of the former Wesleyan Methodists chapel on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2015.
   

• The parish was in the Gringley sub-district of the East Retford Registration District.
   
• Civil Registration started in July, 1837.
   

This village and parish are about 145 miles north of London, 6 miles north of Retford and 4 miles south-east of Bawtry. The parish covers 2,344 acres and is bordered on the north and east by the River Idle. Mattersey Thorpe is a hamlet about one mile north-west of the village and Blaco Hill  is a tiny hamlet one mile south-east.

If you are planning a visit:

• Graham HOGG has a photograph of the River Idle in Mattersey on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2015. The river passes through the north end of the village.
   
• By automobile, the village is just north off of the A52 trunk road, heading east out of Nottingham.
   
• Graqham HOGG has a photograph of the Village Sign on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2015.
   
• Alan MURRAY-RUST also has a photograph of the Village Sign on Geo-graph, taken in November, 2014.
   
• The local Mattersey Parish Council has an informative website. The newsletters on the site make for interesting reading. Please do NOT ask them to help with family history searches.
   

• Geograph
• Flickr

• We have an extract from White's 1853 Directory relating to this parish.

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

• Neil THEASBY has a photograph of an Old village cross in Mattersey churchyard on Geo-graph, taken in January, 2016. Apparently the old market cross was moved here some time back.
   
• Jonathan THACKER has a photograph of the Barley Mow House (a former Pub.) on Geo-graph, taken in December, 2011.
   
• On January 21, 1999, four people died when a jet from RAF Cottesmore collided with a Cessna airplane over the village.

Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of Mattersey Hall on Geo-graph, taken in November, 2014.

Mattersey Hall is now a Christian College and is the main training centre for the Assemblies of God in Great Britain, offering bachelors' degrees in Biblical Studies and Theology. It also offers a Master degree in Biblical Studies. the school started as an Assemblies of God training center in the Summer of 1973.

• See our Maps page for additional resources.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK689893 (Lat/Lon: 53.396044, -0.965306), Mattersey 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.

The main War Memorial consists of a marble tablet mounted on the south aisle wall in the church.

A Roll of Honour, listing all those who volunteered for war service, is displayed near the church tower.

A 3-light stained glass memorial window is dedicated to the three HUNTRISS brothers who were all killed in the First World War.

Transcriptions of the plaque is listed at the Southwell and Nottinghamshire Church History Project site. The Roll of Honour is difficult to read.

TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN GRATEFUL MEMORY OF THE MEN OF THIS PARISH WHO LOST THEIR LIVES IN THE GREAT WAR 1914 - 1918.

1. ANTCLIFF, LOUIS, Pte. Lincs Regt.
2. BLAND, ERNEST " " Royal Marines
3. BOWER, HORACE " " 10TH AUSTRALIAN Lighthorse
4. DARWIN, GEORGE Sgt. 1ST Yorks and Lancs.
5. DARWIN, HUBERT Dvr. 1ST King's Own Y.L.I.
6. DENTON, JOSEPH Gnr. Royal Field Art.
7. FORD, WALTER Pte. Machine Gun Corps
8. GLASBY, EDGAR SR Bomr. Royal Field Art.
9. GLASBY, EDGAR JR Crpl 7TH Leics. Regt.
10. GRAHAM, FRANK B. Pte. 9TH Royal SCOTS
11. HUNTRISS, CYRIL J. Capt 1ST BATTN. EAST YORKS
12. HUNTRISS, HAROLD E. " " 1ST BATTN. BEDFORDS
13. HUNTRISS, WILLIAM Lieut. 3RD DUKE OF WELLTN’S W.Y.
14. NEEDHAM, JOSEPH Pte. 2ND Yorks and Lancs.
15. SMITHSON, GEORGE " " 5TH SOUTH STAFFS.
16. SMITHSON, HARRY " " 6TH King's Own Y.L.I.
17. TAYLOR, FREDERICK" " Notts and Derby
18. TAYLOR, THOMAS C." " Notts and Derby
19. WARD, CYRIL Dvr. Royal Field Art.

The name of Walter GARNER has been added to the above list to honour his loss in World War Two.

The Memorial to the three HUNTRISS brothers and their names can be seen at the Nottinghamshire War Memorials site. They are:

1. William HUNTRISS, Lieutenant 9th Bn West Riding Regt.
2. Harold Edward HUNTRISS, Captain 1st Bn Bedfordshire Regt.
3. Cyril John HUNTRISS, Captain 1st Bn East Yorkshire Regt.

The village name is often spelled as "Mattersea".

• This place was an ancient parish in Nottinghamshire and became a modern Civil Parish when those were established.
   
• The parish was in the Hatfield division of the ancient Bassetlaw Wapentake in the northern division of the county.
   
• You may contact the Mattersey Parish Council regarding civic or political issues, but they are NOT funded to help you with family history searches.
   
• District governance is provided by the Bassetlaw District Council.
   

• Bastardy cases would be heard at the Retford petty session hearings held in West Retford.
   
• The Common Land was enclosed here in 1770.
   
• After the Poor Law Amendment Act reforms of 1834, this parish became a part of the East Retford Poor Law Union.
   

Year	Population
1801	327
1811	351
1841	510
1851	493
1871	368
1881	342
1891	322
1901	371

• There was a National School here by 1869 to hold 70 students.
   
• The School had an endowment to allow 7 boys to be taught free.
   
• Andrew HILL has a photograph of the Old School on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2010.