Lenton (Lavington)
- The parish was in the Colsterworth sub-district of the Grantham Registration District.
- After an 1890 redistricting, the parish was placed in the new "Grantham South" sub-district of the Grantham Registration District.
- Check our Census Resource page for county-wide resources.
- The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
Census Year |
Piece No. |
1841 |
H.O. 107 / 620 |
1851 |
H.O. 107 / 2102 |
1861 |
R.G. 9 / 2347 |
1871 |
R.G. 10 / 3354 |
1891 |
R.G. 12 / 2582 |
- The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Peter.
- The church was built in the fourteenth century, with the chancel and sanctuary added around 1540.
- The church was restored in 1879 and the tower was restored in 1897.
- The North Door was blocked up in 1879. This door was originally known as the "Devil's Door" because it was opened during baptisms so that evil spirits could leave the church after a child had been Christened.
- The church seats 200.
- A Lychgate was built to celebrate the Millennium. Robert HARVEY has a photograph of the Millennium lychgate on Geo-graph, taken in April, 2001.
- There are photographs and a history at the St. Peter's Church web site.
- There is a photograph of St. Peter's Church on the Wendy PARKINSON web site.
- Richard CROFT has a photograph of St. Peter's Church on Geo-graph, taken in November, 2009.
- Here is a photo of St. Peter's Church, taken by Ron COLE (who retains the copyright):

- Parish registers exist from 1576, although Bishop's transcripts go back to 1561.
- The LFHS has published several marriage indexes for the Beltisloe Deanery to make your search easier.
- The Public Record Office holds some non-conformist records for Lenton for 1799 - 1840. For more on these chapels and their records, check our Non-Conformist Church Records page for additional resources.
- Check our Church Records page for county-wide resources.
- The parish was in the Colsterworth sub-district of the Grantham Registration District.
- In 1891, the parish was in the new "Grantham South" sub-district of the Grantham Registration District.
- Check our Civil Registration page for sources and background on Civil Registration which began in July, 1837.
Lenton is both a town and parish nine and half miles south-east of Grantham and four miles west of Folkingham. The parish itself is bounded on the north by Sapperton parish, to the west by Ingoldsby parish and on the south by Irnham parish. The parish lies along the old Roman Road and covers about 1,880 acres.
Lenton is a small village, off the main roads. The parish also included the hamlets of Hanby, Keisby and Osgodby. Hanby is a half mile north of Lenton on the old Roman Road and is believed to have been a separate parish in ancient times. Keisby is a mile south-west of Lenton Village and contains the site of a medieval village. Osgodby is another half mile further south and is the site of a spring and Osgodby Hall. A small beck runs through the parish and feeds into the River Glen. If you are planning a visit:
- The town can be accessed off of the A15 trunk road between Bourne and Sleaford. Turn off at Foklingham and head west.
- A local farmer provides fishing at Lavington Lakes.
- Visit our touring page for more sources.
- The ARMYNE family once held the manor at Osgodby. William ARMYNE, baronet, died in 1651 is buried in the church with his second wife, Mary TALBOT.
- In 1872, Lord Aveland, lord of the Lenton Manor, owned Lenton, but Hanby was owned by the Earl of Dysart.
- In 1913, the Earl of Ancaster, lord of the manors of Lenton and Osgodby, and the Earl of Dysart, lord of the manors of Hanby and Keisby, were the principal landowners.
- Osgodby Hall, built in the Elizabethan style, was occupied as a farmhouse in 1900.
- The national grid reference is TF 0230.
- You'll want an Ordnance Survey Explorer 248 map, which has 2.5 inches to the mile scale.
- See our "Maps page for additional resources.
- Visit the "Roll of Honour web site to see the plaque in St. Peter's Church for World War I.
- The name of Lenton comes from the Old English combination Leofa+ing+tun or "estate of a man called Leofa". The name appears in 1067 as Lofintun and in the 1086 Domesday Book as Lavingtone.
A. D. Mills, "A Dictionary of English Place-Names," Oxford University Press, 1991.
- There are many old records where the Lavington form can be found.
- White's 1872 Directory lists the following surnames in the parish: ANNIS, BAGWORTH, BLANKLEY, BLOODWORTH, BRADFORD, BRUTNALL, BULLOCK, COLLIN, COOPER, CRITCHLEY, FRANCIS, HALL, HEALY, HEATHCOTE, HOUGHTON, HOYES, JACKSON, LUPTON, LYNN, PENNEY, PEPPER, RUDKIN, SCARBOROUGH and TAYLOR.
- Kelly's 1900 Directory lists the following surnames in the parish: BELL, BLOODWORTH, BROMPTON, COLLIN, COOK, CURTIS, GRAYSON, GREENBERG, HOYES, HUBBARD, PICK, POLLARD, RUDKIN, RUSSELL, SCARBOROUGH, WADSLEY and WILKINSON.
- Kelly's 1913 Directory lists the following surnames in the parish: BLOODWORTH, BRUMPTON, COLLIN, COOK, GRAYSON, GREENBURY, HOYES, HUBBARD, MITCHELL, PICK, POLLARD, RUDKIN, SHARPE, VESSEY and WILKINSON.
- Lenton was an ancient parish in Lincolnshire and became a modern Civil Parish when those were established. The Civil Parish was "reconstructed" in 1931.
- Keisby was an ancient township in Lincolnshire and became a modern Civil Parish from December, 1866, until April, 1931.
- Osgodby was an ancient township in Lincolnshire and became a modern Civil Parish from December, 1866, until April, 1931.
- In April, 1931, Lenton Civil Parish was abolished and a new Civil Parish of "Lenton, Keisby and Osgodby" was established.
- Lenton parish was in the ancient Beltisloe Wapentake in the South Kesteven district in the parts of Kesteven.
- For today's district governance, contact the South Kesteven District Council.
- Bastardy cases would be heard in the Bourne petty session hearings.
- The parish had an income in 1913 that allowed £11 to be applied to the education of poor children.
- As a result of the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, the parish became part of the Grantham Poor Law Union.
Year |
Inhabitants |
1801 |
280 |
1821 |
330 |
1841 |
329 |
1871 |
185 |
1881 |
178 |
1891 |
136 |
1901 |
143 |
1911 |
118 |
- A free school was founded here in 1721 and built in 1790, endowed by Mrs. Mary PARNHAM initially to teach five poor children from the parish. It has since merged with the Ingoldsby school district.
- The children of the parish attend school in Ingoldsby
- For more on researching school records, see our Schools Research page.
Last updated on 26-November-2015
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