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Morton

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"Morton is a small village and parish, within the liberty of Southwell and Scrooby, 2½ miles south-east of Southwell. It contains 137 inhabitants and 500 acres of land, including a portion of 400 acres, which was an open field till 1839, when it was enclosed, two-thirds of which belong to Fiskerton, and one-third to Morton. It was of the fee of Walter de Ayncourt, and afterwards held by the Cressovers, by whom it was conveyed to Thurgarton Priory. After the Dissolution it was granted to Thomas Cooper Esq., from whose family it was bought, in 1846, by the ancestors of the present owner, John Pemberton Plumptre Esq., who is lord of the manor, impropriator, and principal owner of the soil, which is partly held under a leasehold tenure of the Chapter of Southwell.
The church, St Denis, is a small brick structure, and is a perpetual curacy united to Bleasby, the two livings being consolidated in 1841. The Prebendary of Dunham is the patron, and the Rev. Jonn William Marsh the incumbent, who also enjoys 45 acres of glebe. The tithes were commuted a few years ago for upwards of £70. In 1695, Richard Daybell left 50s yearly, for the education of four poor children of Morton and Fiskerton."
[WHITE's "Directory of Nottinghamshire," 1853]

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Archives & Libraries

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

The Community Library at Southwell is close by and is another good resorce.

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Cemeteries

Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of the east end of the church graveyard on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2020.

There are three box or chest tombs, dedicated to members of the KEYWORTH family, in very poor condition, on the south side of the church.

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Census

  • The parish was in the Southwell sub-district of the Southwell Registration District.
     
  • The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
     
Census
Year
Piece No.
1841 H.O. 107 / 866
1861 R.G. 9 / 2472
1871 R.G. 10 / 3534
1881 R.G. 11 / 3370
1891 R.G. 12 / 2708
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Church History


  • The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Denis (spelling variations abound!), the patron saint of France.
     
  • There has been a church in Morton since medieval times.
     
  • The present church was built in 1758 (some sources give 1756).
     
  • The church was thoroughly repaired in 1890.
     
  • The church is a Grade II* structure with British Heritage.
     
  • Tim HEATON has a photograph of St. Denis Church on Geo-graph, taken in November, 2008.
     
  • Richard VINCE also has a photograph of St. Denis Church on Geo-graph, taken in April, 2014.
     
  • Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of the Church Hall, which used to be the village school, on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2012.
     
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Church Records

  • The Anglican parish register dates from 1640 and is in good condition.
     
  • The Southwell Church History Project tells us that: "Parish registers were not maintained during the 1640s and 1650s. No records were kept of births, marriages and deaths, so Henry MOORE wrote up the previous twenty years from evidence collected from the villagers and the parish register therefore starts at 1640."
     
  • The parish was in the rural deanery of Southwell.
     
  • There is a partial extract of the parish register for 1622-1623 at the Jim FISHER website.
     
  • The Family History Library has the Bishop's Transcripts for 1622-1843 on microfilm.
     
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Civil Registration

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

Morton is a village and a parish only .75 mile south-west of Fiskerton, 7 miles south-west from Newark, 3 miles south-east of Southwell and 125 miles north of the city of London. The parish covers only 498 acres.

If you are planning a visit:

  • Take the A612 arterial road north-west out of Nottingham to Southwell. Turn right (east) in Southwell and follow the signs to Fiskerton. I do not know if there are signs for Morton village.
     
  • The nearest functioning railway station is at Fiskerton.
     
  • Stop by the Full Moon Pub for refreshment and local chatter. The pub serves fresh food for children.
     
  • There is a drain that runs along the north-west side of the village. It drains into the Marlock Dyke which merges eventually with the Beck Dyke and into the River Greet.
You can see pictures of Morton which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

John Marius WILSON's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales, (1870-72):

"MORTON, a parish, with a village, in Southwell district, Notts; on the Nottingham and Lincoln railway, near Fiskerton r. station, and near the river Trent, 2½ miles SE by S of Southwell. Post town, Fiskerton, under Newark. Acres, 498. Real property, £1,252. Pop., 142. Houses, 34. The property is much subdivided. The manor belongs to W. Wright, Esq. Morton Grange is the residence of H.Barnett, Esq. The living is a p. curacy, annexed to the vicarage of Bleasby, in the diocese of Lincoln. The church is a neat brick structure, of nave and small chancel, with an embattled tower. "
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History

The village of Morton is mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book.

Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of the Parish Pinfold on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2020. This Pinfold was restored in 1987 by the Newark Community Programme.

Stephen McKAY has a photograph of the Full Moon pub on Geo-graph, taken in October, 2017.

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Manors

  • The "Manor House" was occupied by Thomas GELSTHORPE, a farmer, in 1881.
     
  • Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of Morton Hall on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2012.
     
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Maps

  • See our Maps page for additional resources.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK727513 (Lat/Lon: 53.054022, -0.916821), Morton which are provided by:

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Military History

The War Memorial is a marble tablet on the east wall of the parish church, dedicated in 1920.

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Military Records

For a photograph of the War Memorial and the list of names on it, see the Southwell Church History Project site.

These are the names listed on the War Memorial plaque for World War One in St. Denis church:

  1. pte. Samuel COX
  2. pte. Frank FOSTER
  3. pte. Cyril GILLIATT
  4. Petty Officer Charles JARVIS
  5. pte. Leonard SMITH
  6. cpl. Charles William VOCE
  • Srgt. John Gamble WALLER
  • pte. Charles WILLOWS
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The Great War Bulletin for January 18th, 1915 tells us that Charles JARVIS (listed above) died in an accident while leaving his submarine, HMS Electric, in a British port.

These are the names listed on that same War Memorial plaque for World War Two:

  1. Flight Lt. C. C. COX
  2. Sgt. Thomas. Kem DUDLEY
  3. Sgt. J. W. GARLAND
  4. Pte. John Vessey HIBBARD
  5. Pte. William Arthur RAISIN
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Monumental Inscriptions

There is an inscription on a stone in the centre aisle floor to the east end of the nave, which reads:

Here Lieth the
Body of Elizth
Harvey who
departed this Life
October ye 5th
In the Year of
our Lord 1764
Aged 74 Years

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Politics & Government

  • This place was an ancient Chapelry in county Nottingham. It became a modern Civil Parish shortly after those were established.
     
  • The parish was in the Southwell division of the ancient Thurgarton Wapentake (Hundred) in the southern division of the county.
     
  • The parish was in the Southwell and Scrooby Liberty only for two years: 1836 through 1837.
     
  • It appears that the Civil Parish of Morton was abolished in 1884, but the web page author could not find documentation on that. The current civil administrative unit is the Parish of Fiskerton cum Morton.
     
  • You may contact the Fiskerton cum Morton Parish Council regarding civic or political matters, but they can NOT assist you with family history searches.
     
  • The new parish is part of the Newark and Sherwood District Council.
     
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Poor Houses, Poor Law

  • Bastardy cases would be heard in the Southwell petty session hearings.
     
  • The Common Land was not enclosed here until 1839.
     
  • As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act reforms, this parish became part of the Southwell Poor Law Union.
     
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Population

The village has practically doubled in size since 1911.

 YearPopulation
1801101
1811135
1841131
1851140
1861142
1871120
1881109
1901108
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Schools

  • A Parochial School was built here for the parishes of Morton and Fiskerton from an endowment left in 1695 by Richard DAYBELL. The school building was erected before 1869.