Belton by Grantham
Note: There is another Belton in the Isle of Axholme. The name also appears in Norfolk and Leicestershire
- The parish was in the Grantham sub-district of the Grantham Registration District.
- Check our Census Resource page for county-wide resources.
- The present Anglican parish church is dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul and the principal part built during the reign of Henry VII. Additions and reconstruction have been performed over the centuries
- The church has 130 seatings.
- Monuments inside the church can be found for members of the BROWNLOW, HUME, TYCONNEL and CUST families.
- Here is a photo of the church, taken by Ron Cole (who retains the copyright):
- Parish registers date from 1538.
- The Lincolnshire FHS has a Loan Library service which has the parish registers on microfiche for Baptisms from 1539 to 1812 and Marriages from 1539 to 1812.
- The I.G.I. Batch numbers are C026981 for baptisms 1770-1855 and C026982 for baptisms 1562-1769.
- The LFHS has published several indexes for the Loveden Deanery to make your search easier.
- Check our Church Records page for county-wide resources.
- The parish was in the Grantham sub-district of the Grantham Registration District.
- Check our Civil Registration page for sources and background on Civil Registration which began in July, 1837.
This village and parish lies about two and a half miles north of the centre of Grantham. Welby parish is just to the east, Londonthorpe parish to the south and Syston to the north. The parish covers only about 1,725 acres.
The village of Belton sits in the picturesque vale of the River Witham. A stream flows northward along the east edge of the village joining the Witham north of Barkston. If you are planning a visit:
- Take the A607 north from Grantham and turn east at Belton.
- Tours of Belton House Manor and grounds are offered for £20, lunch included. Booking is essential. Tele: 01476 566116.
- One can stay at the beautiful Belton Woods Hotel & Country Club, Belton, Grantham, NG32 2LN, tele: 01476 593200.
- Visit our touring page for more sources.
- The first Earl BROWNLOW had many of the houses in Belton rebuilt and kept in good condition to reflect on his standing.
- There is short film, 3.75 min, on Belton's public gardens and nearby Belvior available at the Lincolnshire Film Archive. It is 16mm, colour, silent film, taken in 1970.
- In 1871, the principal landowner was Earl BROWNLOW, the lord of the manor, who owned all but about 30 acres of the parish.
- In 1913, the principal landowner was still Earl BROWNLOW.
- An earlier manor house was torn down about 1685.
- Belton House is a large mansion, built of stone, home of Sir John BROWNLOW, designed by Sir Christopher WREN and completed in 1689. It is in the form of an "H". King William III was entertained here in October of 1695. In 1775, the house was improved by the architect James WYATT. It has since become a National Trust site and is surrounded by beautiful gardens. In the 1800's, much of the garden area was a wooded deer park.
- There was a triumphal arch of some size called the Belmont (alternatively: "Bellmount Tower") built at the east end of the parish.
- The national grid reference is SK 9239.
- 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.
Michael Peck provides us with: "The war memorials at Belton (near Grantham) have now been recorded. There are three; one is a memorial proper while the second is a Roll of Honour and the third is to a named individual. There are no numbers, ranks or arms of service mentioned except for the individual:"
WW1 memorial
- Dove Frank
- Davison Armine
- Emerton Walter
- Hickman Frederick
- Kisington Mark
- Mears Laurence
- Napping William
- Saxelby Charles
- Saxelby Walter
- Waltham Horace
Roll of Honour - Roll Call of men from Belton who served in the Great war 1914 - 1919
- Asher Herbert
- Baxter Thomas
- Beacon Alfred
- Bowns William
- Catt Harold
- Cheetham Wilfred
- Cheetham Charles
- Clarke Harvey
- Clarke Percy
- Craddock Francis
- Craddock Theodore
- Darby Walter
- Davison Armine +
- Dove Frank +
- Emerton Walter +
- Exton Ernest
- Flowers Herbert
- Flowers Rupert
- Fowler Matt
- Ghent Nevell
- Greenbury John
- Holland Joseph
- Hollingworth Robert
- Hollingworth Ernest
- Hickman Frederick +
- Hurd Albert
- Hurd Arthur
- Imber Alywyne
- Imber Henry
- Imber Alfred
- Jacobs Herbert
- Johnson Philip
- Kissington Mark +
- Maxey Harry
- Mears Lawerence
- Mee Charles
- Moore Ernest
- Napping William +
- Pearson Arthur
- Powell William
- Porter Harold
- Rhodes Arthur
- Rhodes John
- Saxelby Charles +
- Saxelby Walter +
- Silver Frederick
- Thornley William
- Wainwright Wilfred
- Waltham Horace +
Individual
- To the glory of God and in undying memory of Arthur John Purey-Cust Sub-Lieut Royal Navy and of his gallant comrades of HMS Strongbow killed in action 17 October 1917 in defence of a convoy in the North Sea fighting against overwhelming odds until their vessel sank with colours flying.
- The origin of the name Belton is uncertain. It most likely comes from the Old English bel+tun or "farmstead in a glade or on dry ground". The village is listed in the 1086 Domesday Book as Beltone.
- White's 1871 Directory contains: BROWNLOW, DINGLEY, HATFIELD, LAWDER, LORT, LOWE, LUPTON, MOORE, RICHARDSON, WILLCOCK and WOODWARD.
- Kelly's 1913 Directory contains: BROWNLOW, BURNETT, CLARKE, CRADDOCK, EMERTON, GHENT, HHOLLINGWORTH, LYNN, PAWLETT, PEACOCK, WATSON and WOOLWARD.
- Care of the poor dates back to at least 1659 when Alice, wife of Sir John BROWNLOW, baronet, dedicated a bede house for six poor women. Each inmate was to receive £10 annually.
- Charitable trusts were left by Henry HEWITT in 1769 (£100), Joseph SAVAGE in 1829 (£5) and Reverend Richard CUST in 1864 (£10).
- After the Poor Law Amendment Act reforms of 1834, the parish became part of the Grantham Poor Law Union.
| Year |
Inhabitants |
| 1871 |
176 |
| 1881 |
183 |
| 1911 |
181 |
- A Public Elementary School was built in 1826 to seat 60 children, but in 1913 the average attendance was only 12.
- For more on researching school records, see our Schools Research page.
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[Last updated: 29-October-2007 - Louis R. Mills]
