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Woodborough

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"Woodborough is a large, straggling village, in a narrow vale near the Dover Beck, 8 miles north-east by north of Nottingham. The parish comprises 852 inhabitants and 1,940 acres of land. The common was enclosed in 1798, when 252 acres were allotted to the three prebendaries of Oxton and Woodborough, 66a 1r 1p to William Taylor Esq., and 53a 3r 11p to the late John Bainbridge Storey Esq., in lieu of the great tithes and their manorial claims, they being both impropriators and lords of the manor, which is now in three divisions called the Prebendal, the Copyhold, and the Freehold estates. The latter now belongs to William Taylor Esq.
The hall was anciently the residence of the Strelleys and Bainbridges, and is now the seat and property of Mansfield Parkyns Esq. The church is a large structure, dedicated to St Swithin, and has some fragments of ancient armorial glass in its windows which, when perfect, was exceedingly beautiful. It is a curacy, and has been augmented with Queen Anne's Bounty. The Chapter of Southwell is the patron, and the Rev. Samuel Lealand Oldacres is the incumbent. The Baptists, Methodists and Primitive Methodists each have a chapel here."
[WHITE's "Directory of Nottinghamshire," 1853]

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Archives & Libraries

The Library at Nottingham will prove useful in your research.

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Cemeteries

  • The Woodborough Cemetery was a one acre lot, opened in 1879, but had no chapel for many years.
     
  • The Cemetery was administered by the Burial Board of the Parish Council.
     
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Census

  • The parish was in the Arnold sub-district of the Basford Registration District.
     
  • The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
     
Census
Year
Piece No.
1841H.O. 107 / 867
1851H.O. 107 / 2128
1861R.G. 9 / 2444
1891R.G. 12 / 2677
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Church History

  • It appears that the Saxons had a church here before 1100. The Normans apparently built a small church here around 1150.
     
  • The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Swithun (Swithen or Swithin).
     
  • The church was built by the Normans in 1335 on the site of the older church. The tower was built in two stages: 13th century and 15th century.  The chancel is from the 14th century.
     
  • The church is on the south side of Main Street.
     
  • The church seats 250.
     
  • The churchyard was closed by 1881.
     
  • Richard CROFT has a photograph of the church chancel on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2013.
     
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Church Records

  • The Anglican parish registers date from 1547 for baptisms, 1573 for marriages and 1572 for burials and is in good condition.
     
  • The parish was in the rural deanery of Southwell (Gedling).
     
  • The Baptists, Wesleyan Methodists and Primitive Methodists each had a chapel here by 1869.
     
  • Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of the Baptist chapel on Geo-graph, taken in March, 2010.
     
  • J. THOMAS has a photograph of the Wesleyan Methodist chapel on Geo-graph, taken in March, 2010.
     
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Civil Registration

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

Woodborough is a village and a parish 7 miles north-east of Nottingham city and 141 miles north of the city of London. The parish covers over 1,900 acres.

If you are planning a visit:

  • The A1 motorway used to run through the village but a modern bypass now skirts the place.
     
  • The nearest railway stop is Newark.
     
You can see pictures of Woodborough which are provided by:

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Directories

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Gazetteers

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History

  • The Romans had a settlement here.
     
  • In the 1800s many residents made their living as frame-work knitters.
     
  • In the 1800s bricks were also made in the parish.
     
  • In 1881 there was a large racehorse breeding and training establishment in the village, with 70 to 80 horses residing.
     
  • Visit the Woodborough Heritage Site for more history information.
     
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Manors

  • Woodborough Hall, the seat of Mansfield PARKYNS in 1881, is a very ancient mansion at the extreme end of the village.
     
  • In 1869, the BRODHURST family were living in Woodborough Hall.
     
  • Woodborough Hall is currently used as a conference centre and hotel. See Woodborough Hall for more information.
     
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Maps

  • See our Maps page for additional resources.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK631477 (Lat/Lon: 53.022883, -1.060726), Woodborough which are provided by:

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Military History

  • Outside the church near the northwest corner of the tower is the War Memorial obelisk surmounted by a Celtic cross.
     
  • Learn more about the Woodborough War Memorial and the men from World War I who are honored on it.
     
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Military Records

To see the list of names on the War Memorial, see the Southwell Church History Project site.

     1914 - 1918

  1. Harry Desborough
  2. John Thomas Desborough
  3. Frederick Severn Foster
  4. William Henry
  5. Ernest Orange
  6. Harold Orange
  7. John William Poole
  8. Sidney Richardson
  9. Richard Claude Savage
  10. Percy Shipstone
  11. Arthur Spencer
  12. Samuel Spencer
  13. George Teather
  14. Edmund James Webb
  15. Arthur White
  16. Leonard Thomas Woodford

     1939 - 1945

  1. David Cook
  2. James Greaves
  3. Reginald Hallam
  4. Peter Frederick Paulson
  5. Robert Paulson
  6. Eric Richardson
  7. Wilfred Richardson
  8. Arthur Roy Ward
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Politics & Government

  • This place was an ancient parish in county Nottingham.
     
  • The parish was in the south division of the ancient Thurgarton Wapentake (Hundred) in the southern division of the county.
     
  • The parish was also in the Southwell and Scrooby Liberty between 1836 and 1837.
     
  • The local Parish Council meets on Mondays on Lingwood Lane. They are NOT staffed to provide family research assistance.
     
  • In 1974, the parish joined the new Gedling Borough Council.
     
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Poor Houses, Poor Law

  • The Common Lands were enclosed here in 1798.
     
  • Bastardy Cases would be heard in the Nottingham petty session hearings.
     
  • After the Poor Law Amendment Act reforms of 1834, this parish became a part of the Basford Poor Law Union.
     
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Population

 YearInhabitants
1801527
1811611
1841801
1851852
1871898
1881889
1891768
1901722
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Schools

  • A Free School was founded here by Reverend Montague WOOD in 1706 (or 1736 - sources differ).
     
  • In 1881, the School could accommodate 300 children.
     
  • The School is now known as the Woodborough Woods Foundation CofE Primary School.