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Westborough

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Archives & Libraries

The Library at Newark will prove useful in your research.

The Library at Grantham would be second on my list for libraries.

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Cemeteries

Jonathan THACKER has a photograph of the Churchyard at Westborough on Geo-graph, taken in March, 2021.

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Census

  • The parish was in the Bennington sub-district of the Newark Registration District.
     
  • Check our Census Resource page for county-wide resources.
     
  • The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
     
Census
Year
Piece No.
1841H.O. 107 / 623
1861R.G. 9 / 2481
1891R.G. 12 / 2715
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Church History

  • The Anglican parish church is dedicated to All Saints.
     
  • The church is an ancient stucture dating back to the early 13th century.
     
  • The church tower dates from 1750.
     .
  • The church has seating for 300.
     
  • A photograph of All Saints church is at the Wendy PARKINSON English Church Photographs site.
     
  • Richard CROFT has a photograph of All Saints Church on Geo-graph, taken in November, 2005.
     
  • Here is a photo of All Saints Church, taken by Ron COLE (who retains the copyright):
     
image
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Church Records

  • As an ecclesiastical parish, Westborough included Dry Doddington.
     
  • The Anglican parish church register dates from 1564 and bishop's transcripts include a few records from 1562.
     
  • The Family History Library holds the Westborough parish registers on microfilm for 1564 - 1957. Specifics are: Baptisms, marriages, burials, 1564-1734 Baptisms, burials, 1735-1808 Marriages, 1735-1753 Baptisms, burials, 1809-1812 Marriages, 1754-1812 Baptisms, 1813-1872 Marriages, 1813-1957 Burials, 1813-1947; film 1542307 item 3.
     
  • Parish marriages for 1651 - 1837, including Dry Doddington, are found in Boyd's Marriage Index.
     
  • The Lincolnshire FHS has published several marriage indexes for the Loveden Deanery to make your search easier.
     
  • The Lincolnshire FHS has a Loan Library service which has the parish registers on microfiche for baptisms from 1812 to 1846.
     
  • The village had a Catholic chapel, Our Lady of the Holy Souls (some sources show Our Lady of Mercy), served from Grantham. The Primitive Methodists had a small chapel built here in 1850, which became the Catholic chapel prior to 1900.
     
  • For information and assistance in researching these chapels, see our non-conformist religions page.
     
  • Check our Church Records page for county-wide resources.
     
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Civil Registration

  • The parish was in the Bennington sub-district of the Newark Registration District.
     
  • Check our Civil Registration page for sources and background on Civil Registration which started in July, 1837.
     
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Description & Travel

Westborough is a civil parish and village just one mile east of Long Bennington and about 6 miles SW of Newark on Trent. The town of Grantham is 7 miles away to the SW. The parish covers about 2,000 acres.

The small village of Westborough sits on the northern bank of the River Witham as it flows toward Long Bennington. If you are planning a visit:

You can see pictures of Westborough which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

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History

  • Westborough was a Roman settlement.
     
  • Richard CROFT has a photograph of the 15th Century Cross base on Geo-graph, taken in May, 2012.
     
  • Many of the HERON family, baronets of Stubton, were buried here.
     
  • Check the history of the Wapentake at the Loveden Wapentake website.
     
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Land & Property

  • The principal landowners in 1871 were George NEVILE, Esq., the trustees of the late reverend Robert HALL and several small proprietors like the LEE, WILSON, GILBERT and JOHNSON families.
     
  • The principal landowner in 1913 was Sir Ralph Henry Sachevel WILMOT, baronet.
     
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Maps

  • See our Maps page for additional resources.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK851446 (Lat/Lon: 52.991954, -0.733852), Westborough which are provided by:

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Military History

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Military Records

This is the crew of Lancaster LM619 which crashed here on 15th January 1945.

  1. Pilot; Flg Off. Ivan Lindsay THOMPSON, age 23
  2. Flight Engineer; Flt Sgt. James RAWLINSON, age 19
  3. Navigator; Sgt. John Gordon HAZELDEN, age 21
  4. Wireless Operator; Flt Sgt. Allen Benjamin THOMAS, age 22
  5. Bomb Aimer; Sgt. Cyril Reuben Clifford MANN, age 23
  6. Air Gunner; Sgt. Dennis Gilbert BURN, age 23
  7. Air Gunner; Sgt G. F. ASHBY was injured but survived.

In the churchyard there is a gravestone for William Richard COPLEY who died in 1902. Also on the gravestone: William Richard son of the above who was killed in action at Kemmel, Belgium, 13 Apr 1915 age 21.

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Names, Geographical

  • The name Westborough is from Old English west+burh, for "western stronghold". In the 1086 Domesday Book, the village name is given as Westburg.
    [A. D. MILLS, "A Dictionary of English Place-Names," Oxford University Press, 1991]
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Names, Personal

  • White's 1872 Directory lists the following surnames: ARNOLD, ATKINSON, BROUGHTON, COPLEY, CRAGG, FARMIDGE, GILBERT, HATFIELD, JOHNSON, LEE, MEREDITH, MILES, MINTA, POTTS and ROBINSON.
     
  • Kelley's 1913 Directory lists the following surnames: ARNOLD, BREWSTER, BURROWS, CARR, GROCOCK, HOYES, HUTCHINSON, JOHNSON, OLDHAM, POTTS, ROBINSON, SEAGRAVE and STOREY.
     
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Politics & Government

  • This place was an ancient parish in Lincoln county and became a modern Civil Parish when those were established.
     
  • The parish was in the ancient Loveden Wapentake in the South Kesteven division of the county, in the parts of Kesteven.
     
  • In April, 1931, this Civil Parish was abolished and re-incarnated as the combined Civil Parish of Westborough and Dry Doddington. Do NOT ask them to do family history searches for you.
     
  • For today's district governance, contact the South Kesteven District Council.
     
  • Jonathan THACKER has a photograph of the Village Hall on Geo-graph, taken in October, 2010. Stop in and ask for a schedule of forth-coming events. Ask about hiring the Hall for your family reunion.
     
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Poor Houses, Poor Law

  • Bastardy cases would be heard in the Spittlegate (Grantham) petty session hearings.
     
  • Since the enclosure of common lands in 1771, a portion of the land has been used to generate income for the parish poor.
     
  • An unknown donor contributed 12 shillings to the poor each year in the 1800's.
     
  • After the Poor Law Amendment Act reforms of 1834, the parish became part of the Newark Poor Law Union.
     
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Population

YearInhabitants
1801181
1841250
1871217
1881181
1891138
1911151
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Schools

  • The Public Elementary School was built in the 1800's to seat 50 children, but was closed by 1896. The children of the parish went to school in Dry Doddington.
     
  • For more on researching school records, see our Schools Research page.