Moulton
Caution: There are 5 other parishes in England with this name. Be sure that you research in the correct one.
Moulton is both a village and parish about 100 miles north of London, midway between Spalding and Holbeach. The parish is a long, narrow affair, running north to south, and incorporates the hamlets of Moulton Chapel, Moulton Eugate and Moulton Seas End. Crowland parish lies to the south, Weston parish forms the western border, and the River Welland is the northern boundary. The area is about 12,000 acres of flat fenland, drained by many small canals.
If you are planning a visit:
- The A151 trunk road runs past the north end of the village.
- Moulton is famous for its old windmill. In 1895, the cap and sails blew down, but a restoration project is underway. (Thank you, John Bland.)
- Colin MITCHELL has a photograph of Moulton Windmill on Geo-graph, taken in November, 2005.
- Ashley DACE has a more recent photograph of Moulton Windmill after restoration on Geo-graph, taken in December, 20115.
- See our touring page for area resources.
- Richard CROFT has a photograph of the Moulton Chapel village sign on Geo-graph, taken in October, 2007.
- It's a SIGN! Patricia McCRORY provides these village signs to welcome you to your ancestors' village:
- The parish was in the Moulton sub-district of the Spalding 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 / 609 |
| 1851 |
H.O. 107 / 2096 |
| 1861 |
R.G. 9 / 2325 |
| 1871 |
R.G. 10 / 3324 |
| 1891 |
R.G. 12 / 2564 |
- All Saints church was built about 1200, except for the steeple which is much more recent..
- All Saints church was thoroughly restored in 1868.
- The parish now has two Anglican churches; one dedicated to St. James (a former Chapel of Ease) and the other to All Saints.
- There is a photograph of All Saints Church on the Wendy PARKINSON Church Photos web site.
- Richard CROFT has a photograph of All Saints' church nave on Geo-graph, taken in October, 2007.
- Here is a photo of All Saints Church, taken by Ron COLE (who retains the copyright):
- Moulton Chapel, a chapel of ease for All Saints, was built 4.5 miles south of the village in 1722. All register entries would be under All Saints. Moulton Chapel was enlarged in 1886 and rededicated as St. James Anglican church, complete with its own registers (starting in 1890).
- There is a photograph of Moulton Seas End, Mission Church, on the Wendy PARKINSON Church Photos web site.
- Richard CROFT has a photograph of St. James' Church on Geo-graph, taken in October, 2007.
- Here is a photo of St. James Church, taken by Ron COLE (who retains the copyright):
- Anglican parish registers exist from 1558 for baptisms and marriages, 1560 for burials.
- Parish marriages are recorded in Boyd's Marriage Index covering 1651 - 1837 and Pallot's marriage Index for 1790 - 1837.
- Parish registers are on file at the Society of Genealogists, covering 1558 - 1837.
- The Lincoln Archives have copies of the parish register.
- We have a partial parish register extract. Your additions to this are welcome. Contact the site co-ordinator below.
- The LFHS has published several marriage and burial indexes for the West Elloe Deanery to make your search easier.
- The Wesleyan Methodists had two chapels in the parish, and the Free Methodists had one at Moulton Chapel. The Primitive Methodists built one at Seasend in 1835. For information and assistance in researching these chapels, see our non-conformist religions page. (JB)
- The Primitive Methodist chapel at Seasend was eventually turned into a residence. Richard HUMPHREY has a photograph of the former chapel on Geo-graph, taken in April, 2013.
- Richard CROFT has a photograph of the Moulton Chapel Methodist Church on Geo-graph, taken in October, 2007.
- Check our Church Records page for county-wide resources.
- The parish was in the Moulton sub-district of the Spalding Registration District.
- Check our Civil Registration page for sources and background on Civil Registration which started in July, 1837.
- Near Ravensbank, several Roman urns of fine white and red earth were dug up in 1721.
- The town is said to have originated in 1100 AD, under the auspices of Thos. de MULTON, the first Baron Multon. His family had a moated mansion here, in a place called Hall-grounds, which they occupied occasionally until 1313.
- In a lane called Old Spalding Gate, formerly the main road across the parish, stands a small ancient stone, called Elloe Stone, around which the wapentake court is said to have been held.
- On 9 December 1765, a sudden and unexpected high tide inundated the salt marsh on the north end of the parish and drowned 2,092 sheep and 13 horses, plus a few cows.
- On 10 November 1810, a breach in the seawall caused considerable damage and some loss of life.
- By 1872, Moulton village had a railway station on the Bourn and Lynn branch of the Great Northern line.
- In White's 1842 Directory, Lord Boston was the principal landowner, and others included John TATAM of Austindyke (the directory mentions that he weighs 36 stone), Maurice JOHNSON, Lord Say-and-Sele, Sir W. J. HAWLEY, Sir William LANGHAM, Richard SIMPSON, the Crown, and the families BOUTLON, HOOTON, CLARKE, EVERARD, BUCKWORTH and few other small holders.
- The national grid reference is TF 3024.
- You'll want an Ordnance Survey Explorer #249 map, which has a scale of 2.5 inches to the mile.
- See our Maps page for resources.
- The District Nursing Institution was established in 1902. It is unknown what records may exist in the Archives office, but any patient records may be subject to Closure (privacy) laws.
- Miss LYON was the head nurse from 1913 to 1930.
- Inside All Saints' Church is a marble tablet on the south wall added in 1920 in memory of the men who perished in World War I.
- There is a memorial inside St. James' Chapel to RAF Airman CLARKE, photo taken in August, 2012.
For a photograph of the Moulton War Memorial plaques and the list of names on them, see the Roll of Honour site.
For a photograph of the Moulton SeasEnd War Memorial and the list of names on it, see the Roll of Honour site.
Moulton All Saints churchyard holds two Commonwealth War Graves from World War II:
- William Henry ELY, priv., Pioneer Corps, age 34, died 16 July 1941. Son of Elijah and Elizabeth ELY and husband of Eva Mary ELY.
- Emily GOODYEAR, leading aircraftwoman, WAAF, age 23, died 26 June 1944. Daughter of John Joseph and Emma GOODYEAR.
- The name Moulton is from the Old English Mul+tun, which could mean either "Place where mules are kept" or "Mula's Village". In the 1086 Domesday book, the village is given as Multune.
[A. D. Mills, "A Dictionary of English Place-Names," Oxford University Press, 1991]
- John Bland tells us (2004) that the locals drop their "t"s and pronounce the name as "Mol-on".
- The parish was in the ancient Elloe Wapentake in the South Holland district in the parts of Holland.
- In 1890, Moulton Chapel was made a separate parish, by order of Her Majesty in council, on 17 May. The boundary line was made the middle of Austendyke road. The southern boundary was Queen's bank. The new parish covered about 3,850 acres.
- You may contact the local Parish Council regarding civic or political issues, but they are NOT funded to do family history searches for you.
- For today's district governance, visit the South Holland District Council site.
- Bastardy cases would be heard in the Elloe (Spalding) petty session hearings.
- The poor of this parish had Poor Lands and Houses, composed of fifteen cottages and other buildings "from time immemorial".
- In 1633, Erasmus AMY left land to generate rent income for the poor of the parish.
- In 1655, Wm. GULSON left land to generate rent income for the poor of the parish.
- In 1667, Richard SEAMANY left land to generate rent income for the poor of the parish.
- In 1676, John REA left land to generate rent income for the poor of the parish.
- In 1692, Ann DENNY left a little over 4 acres to generate rent income for two poor widows of the parish.
- In 1815, Henry HOLLAND left a little over 5 acres to generate rent income for the poor of the parish.
- In 1833, Jacob DAVEY left the interest on £100 to buy coal for the poor of the parish.
- As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, the parish became part of the Spalding Poor Law Union.
| Year |
Inhabitants |
| 1801 |
1,228 |
| 1831 |
1,850 |
| 1851 |
2,058 |
| 1861 |
2,143 |
| 1871 |
2,272 |
| 1881 |
2,248 |
| 1891 |
2,088 |
| 1901 |
2,017 |
| 1911 |
2,226 |
| 1921 |
2,345 |
| 1931 |
2,431 |
- A Free Grammar School was founded here in 1561 by John HARROX (also listed as WADDOX). A new facility for older students of the school, called an Upper School, was built in 1856. The older building, built in 1792 was used for younger children. The "new" building closed in 1939. The old building was replaced in 1878.
- A National School was built at Moulton Chapel about 1855. A new school was built here in 1880.
- For more on researching school records, see our Schools Research page.
Last updated on 1-October-2013
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