Dunham (or Dunholme)
"DUNHAM, a village and a parish in East Retford district, Notts. The village stands on the river Trent, 5 miles ENE of Tuxford r. station, and 10 SE of East Retford; was once a market-town; and has now a fair on 12 Aug., and a post office, of the name of Dunham-on-Trent, under Newark. The parish, jointly with Ragnall, comprises 2,030 acres. Real property of Dunham only, £2,570. Pop., 327. Houses, 73. The land lies low; and much of it is subject to inundation. A cast-iron bridge over the Trent here was erected in 1832 by Leather; and has four arches, each 118 feet in span, and a total length of 563 feet. The living is a vicarage, united with the p. curacies of Darlton and Ragnall, in the diocese of Lincoln. Value, £370. Patron, the Bishop of Manchester. The church was restored in 1862. There is a chapel of ease at Darlton. There are also a Wesleyan chapel, and charities £7."
[John Marius Wilson's "Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales," 1870-72]
- The parish was in the Tuxford subdistrict of the East Retford registration district.
- The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
Census
Year |
Piece No. |
| 1841 |
H.O. 107 / 849 |
| 1861 |
R.G. 9 / 2417 |
| 1891 |
R.G. 12 / 2642 |
- The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Oswald.
- The church was rebuilt in 1805, except for the ancient tower. The church had long been in ruins before 1805.
- The church was restored in 1862.
- The Anglican parish register dates from 1600.
- The church was in the rural Number 2 deanery of Retford.
- The International Genealogical Index (IGI) includes records from this parish for the period 1773-1836.
- The Wesleyan Methodist chapel was built in 1824.
- Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
- The parish was in the Tuxford subdistrict of the East Retford registration district.
Dunham is a large village and a parish on the west bank of the River Trent, 6 miles ENE of Tuxford and 15 miles north of Newark on Trent. The parish covers just over 1,000 acres and lies 134 miles north of London and about 12 miles upriver from Gainsboro (Lincolnshire).
If you are planning a visit:
- Take the A57 trunk road west out of Lincoln or east off of the A1 motorway just north of Tuxford.
- A Cast Iron Bridge was built across the River Trent into Lincolnshire in 1832.
- Dunham was long used to inundation by the River Trent at flood. An embankment, five to eight feet high, was completed in 1844 to contain the river.
- The parish held a fair here each August 12th for cattle, cheese and other goods.
- A village feast was held on the first Sunday after the August 12th fair.
- An account of the village of Dunham on Trent and its origins by John H. Gilbert.
- The national grid reference is SK 8174.
- You'll want an Ordinance Survey Explorer map, which has 2.5 inches to the mile scale.
- See our Maps page for additional resources.
- This place was an ancient parish of Nottinghamshire and became a modern Civil Parish when those were established.
- The parish covered 2,030 acres in 1881, and was reduced to 1,066 acres by 1891.
- The parish was in the South Clay division of the ancient Bassetlaw Wapentake (Hundred) in the northern division of the county.
- In 1658, John ADDY left land for the parish to rent and the income was distributed to the poor.
- In 1728, Leonard and John HAINSWORTH left the interest from £50 for the poor, but the principal was lost by 1853.
- In 1763, Mrs. HAINSWORTH left the interest from £50 for the poor.
- The Common Land was enclosed here in 1803.
- After the Poor Law Amendment Act reforms of 1834, this parish became a part of the East Retford Poor Law Union.
| Year |
Inhabitants |
| 1861 |
327 |
| 1871 |
350 |
| 1881 |
271 |
| 1891 |
280 |
| 1901 |
273 |
| 1911 |
298 |
| 1921 |
257 |
| 1931 |
253 |
- A National School for boys and girls was built and opened here in 1844.
Find help, report problems, or contribute information.
[Last updated: 10-February-2011 - Louis R. Mills]
