Epworth
- A burial ground was formed, covering 3 acres, in 1881 and placed in the control of the parish council.
- The Isle of Axholme Family History Society has a list of burials from 1881 through 2001.
- The Anglican parish church is dedicated to St. Andrew.
- Portions of it are known to date back to Richard II's time. Its architechture suggests that it may have been built in the 12th century with later additions in the 14th and 15th centuries
- The church seats about 353 people.
- A Church of England Mission Church was erected here in 1887.
- The mission church could seat 100 people.
- There is a photograph of Saint Andrew's Church on the Wendy Parkinson Church Photos web site.
- The Anglican parish registers were burnt in a 1709 fire, although a book covering December 1539 thru August 1601 was saved. The registers starting in 1710 are in perfect condition.
- Check the Isle of Axholme Deanery to see which LFHS indexes exist.
- The United Methodists built a chapel here in 1860. There was a Wesleyan chapel here in 1821, but it fell into disuse. In 1889 a new Wesleyan chapel was erected with a capacity of 500. The Reverends Charles and John Wesley were both born in this village. The Primitive methodists built a chapel in 1883. The Baptists had a chapel here in 1857. For information and assistance in researching these chapels, see our non-conformist religions page.
- Check our Church Records page for county-wide resources.
- The parish was the heart of the Epworth sub-district in the Thorne Registration District.
- Check our Civil Registration page for sources and background on Civil Registration which began in July, 1837.
Epworth is both a small market town and a parishh in the Isle of Axholme in the far northwest corner of Lincolnshire. See the histories and descriptions of Epworth provided by the Isle of Axholme FHS.
Epworth parish sits 165 miles north of London, 3 miles west of the River Trent and about six miles southwest of the conurbation of Scunthorpe. The parish of Haxey lies to the south. If you are planning a visit:
- The village is perhaps best reached off of the A161 trunk road which runs through the heart of the village.
- Visit our touring page for more sources.
- The national grid reference is SE 7803.
- 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.
For a photograph of the Epworth Roll of Honour plaques and a list of the names on them, see the Roll of Honour site.
- Locals pronounce the name as "Ep-eth". [Fred T. Brumby]
- The Epworth Bells was continuously published since 1872. In 1912 it was published weekly, on Saturday, by BARNES and BREEZE in Crowle.
- The Isle of Axholme Weekly Herald was established prior to 1912. It was published weekly, on a Saturday, by Mr. Thomas BEAL.
- Please check our Newspapers page for more information.
- This place was an ancient parish in Lincolnshire and became a modern Civil Parish when those were established.
- The parish was in the ancient Manley Wapentake in the North Lindsey division in the parts of Lindsey.
- Some Directories of the 1900s list the parish as being in the West Lindsey division of the county.
- This parish was part of the Isle of Axholme Rural District Council. The Council met at the police station in Epworth once a month.
- In August, 1882, this Civil Parish gained the West Hale and Samuel Closes from Belton Civil Parish.
- In March, 1884, this Civil Parish gained additional acreage from Belton Civil Parish.
- In March, 1885, this Civil Parish transfered the Kelsey Closes to Haxey Civil Parish.
- In the 1974 government redistricting, Epworth became part of the Boothferry District, which is now in the County of Humberside (formerly Lindsey, Lincolnshire).
- The citizens of Epworth are governed by the Epworth Town Council, which you may contact regarding civic or political issues. They are NOT staffed to assist you with family history questions.
- For today's district governance, see the North Lincolnshire Council website.
- The parish overseers of the poor had about £50 annually which was distributed to the poor as clothing.
- The parish became part of the Thorne Poor Law Union after the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834.
- Bastardy cases would be heard in the Epworth petty session hearings.
| Year |
Inhabitants |
| 1801 |
1,434 |
| 1841 |
1,825 |
| 1871 |
2,295 |
| 1881 |
2,178 |
| 1891 |
1,903 |
| 1901 |
1,856 |
| 1911 |
1,836 |
| 2001 |
3,734 |
- A school was built here in 1846 to hold up to 145 children. It was still in operation in 1912.
- A school was built here in 1876 and was enlarged in 1912 to hold up to 300 children.
- For more on researching school records, see our Schools Research page.
The local genealogical society is the Isle of Axholme FHS.
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[Last updated: 11-March-2013 - Louis R. Mills]
