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Cotham

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"Cotham is a small village on the east bank of the Devon, 4 miles south of Newark. It contains 98 inhabitants, and 1,210 acres of land valued at £1,700, all belonging to the Duke of Portland, who is the impropriator and patron of the church, which is dedicated to St Michael.
The church was partly rebuilt, a porch being added, and new pewed in 1832. The living is a donative valued at £35, and is now enjoyed by the Rev. John Ince Maltby of Shelton. This place was long the seat of the knightly families of Leek and Markham, but it is now divided into three farms, occupied by John Booth, William Hodgkinson and Thomas Rose, the latter of whom resides at Cotham Lodge, a pleasant residence, commanding fine prospects."
[WHITE's "Directory of Nottinghamshire," 1853]

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Archives & Libraries

The Library at Newark-on-Trent will prove useful in your research.

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Cemeteries

Richard CROFT has a photograph of St. Michael's churchyard on Geo-graph, taken in November, 2012.

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Census

  • The parish was in the Bennington sub-district of the Newark Registration District.
     
  • The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
     
Census
Year
Piece No.
1841H.O. 107 / 862
1851H.O. 107 / 2138
1861R.G. 9 / 2481
1871R.G. 10 / 3544
1891R.G. 12 / 2715
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Church History

  • In the 1086 Domesday Book there was a church and a priest reported.
     
  • The present church was erected in the 12th century.
     
  • Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Michael.
     
  • The tower and the west part of the nave were pulled down in the latter part of the 18th century.
     
  • A new belfry was added in 1890.
     
  • The church seated 120.
     
  • The church was largely disused since 1966 and closed for services in 1976.
     
  • Richard CROFT has a photograph of St. Michael's Church on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2008.
     
  • Bob DANYLEC also has a photograph of St. Michael's Church on Geo-graph, taken in November, 2005.
     
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Church Records

  • The Anglican parish register exists from 1581.
     
  • Nottinghamshire Archives show that they hold PR cmb for 1587 - 1900.
     
  • The church was in the rural deanery of Newark.
     
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Civil Registration

  • Civil Registration started in July, 1837.
     
  • The parish was in the Bennington sub-district of the Newark Registration District.
     
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Description & Travel

This parish sits between the river Devon (pronounced Deevon) and the border of Lincolnshire. It is 118 miles north of the city of London and 4 miles south of Newark-on-Trent.

If you are planning a visit:

  • By automobile, take the A46 south out of Newark-upon-Trent and turn east (left) and pass thru Elston. The village will be to your left.
     
You can see pictures of Cotham which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

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History

  • The old medieval village of Cotham lies near the church. There are few traces of it.
     
  • Robert DANYLEC has a photograph of the Wensor Bridge (also known as Windsor Bridge) on Geo-graph, taken in November, 2005. The bridge lies about 3 miles south of Cotham village.
     
  • Richard CROFT has a photograph of the River Devon on Geo-graph, taken from Wensor Bridge in May, 2012.
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Maps

  • See our Maps page for additional resources.
     

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK796475 (Lat/Lon: 53.018889, -0.814838), Cotham which are provided by:

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Military History

There is a War Memorial plaque, a brass plaque within a wooden frame, removed to the Old School Room, Newark Road in 1971 as the church was unsafe. It lists six men killed in World War I.

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Military Records

The six men listed on the brass plaque are:

  1. Cope, Henry, pte. Bedfordshire Regt.
  2. Cope, James, lcprl. Notts & Derby Regt.
  3. Cope, Thomas, pte. Notts & Derby Regt.
  4. Cragg, Francis Mark, pte. Canadian Infantry
  5. Cragg, Thomas William. pte. Sherwood Yeomanry
  6. Sentance, Fred, cprl. Notts & Derby Regt.

The Newark Great War Bulletin of 22 November 1915 tells us that 24-year-old private Henry COPE, with the 2nd Btln. Bedfordshire Regt., was killed in action on 25 September 1915. His twin brother Thomas COPE and younger brother James will both die in action.

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Politics & Government

  • This place was an ancient parish in county Nottingham and became a modern Civil Parish when those were established.
     
  • The parish was in the ancient Newark Wapentake (Hundred) in the eastern division of the county.
     
  • The citizens of this parish have elected to forgo a formal Parish Council. They hold periodic Parish Meetings to discuss civic and political matters.
     
  • District governance is provided by the Newark and Sherwood District Council.
     
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Poor Houses, Poor Law

  • Bastardy cases would be heard in the Newark petty session hearings every other Wednesday.
     
  • 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
180177
184187
185198
187188
1881130
1891115
1901113
1911130
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Schools

The Public Elementary Scholl here was rebuilt by the Duke of Portland in 1893 to hold 31 children. Average attendance in 1904 was 28.