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White's Directory of Nottinghamshire, 1853

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Babworth, Morton and Ranby

Babworth Parish comprises the hamlets of Babworth, Morton and Ranby, and several scattered dwellings. It lies betwixt the Ryton rivulet and the Great North Road, and extends northwards from Ordsall to Barnby Moor, and contains 608 inhabitants and 6,030a 3r 20p of excellent forest land, all enclosed and tithable, and belonging to several freeholders, who each have the manorial rights of their own property. Babworth lordship contains 1,184 acres, and is all in the occupancy of the owner, Henry B. Simpson Esq. Morton has 3,614 acres, belonging to the Duke of Newcastle, the Hon. and Rev. J.L. Saville, William Mason, and John and William Walker Esqrs., and Ranby has 1,222 acres, of which the Ladies Clinton and Henry Champion Esq. are the principal proprietors.

Babworth is a pleasant village, on the Worksop Road, 1½ miles west of Retford. Its vicinity contains some of the finest scenery in this part of the county, and its beauty has been greatly enhanced by its present proprietor, Henry Bridgman Simpson Esq. of Babworth Hall, a very handsome mansion, situated on a gentle declivity, in the midst of beautiful pleasure grounds and thriving plantations. The grounds are ornamented with a fine sheet of water, a Swiss cottage, and other picturesque objects. The church, dedicated to All Saints, stands on an eminence near the Hall. It is a neat, Gothic edifice, with a tower and three bells, and contains several marble monuments of a modern date. Near it is the rectory house, occupied by the Rev. William Simpson, a sequestered mansion, in which comfort and elegance are happily blended. The rectory is valued in the King's books at £14 12s 2d, now at £826, and is in the patronage of Henry B. Simpson Esq., the lord of the manor The manor has passed by purchase to various families, and was before the Conquest the property of Earl Tosti, but soon afterwards it was given to Roger de Busli.

Morton or Moreton hamlet and lordship occupies the southern part of the parish, about two miles south-west of Retford, and includes the estates and scattered houses of Great, Little and Upper Morton, Morton-on-the-Hill, and Morton Granges.

Ranby hamlet is the north-west division of the parish, extending from 2 miles west to 3½ miles west-north-west of Retford. It was anciently of the King's manor of Bothamsall, except a small part, which was soc to Grove. Ranby Hall is the delightful seat of the Ladies Clinton, in the midst of tasteful pleasure grounds and romantic walks, which command fine views of the woody scenery around Osberton. A neat chapel of ease was erected here about 14 years ago, by the late John Rogers Esq., and which is also used as a village school, the mistress of which has a salary of £35 a year, paid by subscription. Great and Little Ranby, in this division, are two small villages, one on the Worksop road and the other on the canal, and near them is the mansion and extensive farm of Henry Champion Esq. Rushy Inn, now divided into cottages, was formerly a noted posting house on the Great North Road, which in 1766 was diverted so as to pass through Retford. Ranby lordship is included in the constablewick of Barnby Moor, with which it contributes towards the reparation of the roads, and to the county rate, but maintains its poor conjointly with Babworth and Morton. The Great Northern Railway passes through the parish, and has a small station at the Chequer Houses, where two trains stop each way, daily. A square stone was set up in 1802, on Mr Mason's estate in Morton, to commemorate the circumstance of finding 62 copper and 20 silver Roman coins.

Charities: Lindley Simpson, in 1781, left a share in the canal, for the instruction of poor children and yearly distribution of the Bible. The school at Lane Houses was rebuilt in 1771, with £15 left by William and Mrs Simpson. Clerk's Field, at Lane Houses, belongs to the parish clerk, but the donor is unknown.

[Transcribed by Clive Henly]