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Barkston

NOTE: There is also a Barkston in North Yorkshire.

Archives and Libraries

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Census

Census
Year
 Piece Numbers
1841 H.O. 107 / 615
1861 R.G. 9 / 2482
1871 R.G. 10 / 3545
1891 R.G. 12 / 2716 & 2717
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Church History

Barkston St. Nicholas parish church

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Church Records

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Civil Registration

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Description and Travel

Barkston (sometimes "Barkston le Willows" or "Barkstone in the Willows") is both a village and a parish four miles north of Grantham and 110 miles north of London. Marston parish lies to the west, Syston parish to the south. In the eastern portion of the parish is Barkston Heath, and part of that is now an RAF training airfield. The parish covers 2,100 acres in an east-west orientation.

The River Witham runs past the western side of the village, turning its flow from north to west. If you are planning a visit:

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History

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Land and Property

  • Thomas PACY was lord of the manor here under Henry VI.

  • The principal landowners in 1871 were the J. A. HOUBLIN and Sir John H. THOROLD, baronet, of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, and Wm. CROPLEY.

  • The principal landowner in 1913 was Sir John H. THOROLD, baronet.

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Maps

  • The national grid reference is SK 9342.

  • You'll want an Ordnance Survey Explorer map, which has a scale of 2.5 inches to the mile.

  • See our Maps page for additional resources.

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Military History

  • The RAF opened an airfield here in April, 1941. It was initially a relief landing field. It was closed in April, 1943 to relay the runway and reopened in January, 1944.

  • The USAAF started using the field in February, 1944 and left in April, 1945.

  • The RAF ceased operations here in April, 1945.

  • The RAF reopened the field in 1954 and it is still listed as an active field.

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Military Records

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Names, Geographical

  • The name Barkston is a combination of Old English and Old Scandinavian in Barkr+tun, for "farmstead of a man called Barkr". It appeared in the 1086 Domesday Book as Barchestune.
    [A. D. Mills, "A Dictionary of English Place-Names," Oxford University Press, 1991]

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Names, Personal

  • Here's a partial list of surnames found in Barkston in 1871: BAILEY, BARBER, BLACKBURN, BRETT, BREWSTER, CROPLEY, FORRESTER, GILES, GOODACRE, HAMILTON, HAND, HOLMES, HUNTER, JERMAN, JOHNSON, KENNEWELL, MARNHAM, MARSH, MILLAR, MORLEY, NIXON, PARR, PEACOCK, POWER, ROPER, STANHOPE, THOMPSON, WARD and WRIGHT.

  • Kelley's 1913 Directory lists these surnames: BARNES, BURTON, CLARK, CLEMENTS, COTTAM, DICKENSON, ELMORE, GIBSON, HAMILTON, HARRIS, HUMPHREYS, MACKEARS, MORLEY, NEVILLE, NIX, NODEN, PARR, ROBINSON, SCARBOROUGH, WADKIN, WARD, WATSON and WILKINSON.

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Politics and Government

  • Prior to 1842, the parish was in the ancient Loveden Wapentake.

  • The parish was also in the Soke of Grantham.

  • The parish was later reassigned to the ancient Winnibriggs and Threo Wapentake in the South Kesteven division of the county, parts of Kesteven.

  • For today's local governance, contact the South Kesteven District Council.

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Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

  • Six almshouses for the poor were built here in 1640, founded by Richard HICKSON. These were rebuilt in 1839.

  • David BEVIS provides a photograph of Hickson's Almshouses on Geo-graph, taken in 2012.

  • There were eight additional almshouses for the poor, along with sixteen acres of land ("poor's land") in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

  • The Rev. John BROUGHTON left the interest on £10 for the poor beginning in 1736.

  • After the Poor Law Amendment Act reforms of 1834, the parish became part of the Newark Poor Law Union.

  • In the 1870's, J. A. HOUBLIN provided a yearly donation of £20 for distribution among the poor at Christmas.

  • Bastardy cases would be heard in the Spittlegate petty session hearings.

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Population

    Year  Inhabitants
1801 276
1841 413
1871 521
1881 499
1891 476
1901 390
1991 464
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Schools

  • The first Free School was built here in 1835 on land given by Mrs. NEWTON. It was enlarged once (torn down and rebuilt) in 1875 to hold 80 children.

  • The parish had a small charity endowment left by Selina TOWERS in 1718 for the education of poor children.

  • For more on researching school records, see our Schools Research page.

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Last updated on 14-November-2013
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