Harworth
"Harworth Parish is situated at the western verge of the county, betwixt Blyth and Tickhill, and contains upwards of 7,000 acres of land and 1,198 inhabitants, although those who live in Styrrup and Oldcoates are all returned with Blyth parish, in which part of that township is comprehended. The hamlets of Hesley and Limpool, Martin and Serlby are all in this parish, and maintain their poor conjointly with Harworth, which is the only part of the parish exonerated from tithe at the enclosure in 1804, when 108a 1r 36p was awarded to the vicar, and 115a 3r 21p in lieu of the great tithes, appropriated to Shrewsbury Hospital, in Sheffield Park, of which the Duke of Norfolk is trustee.
Harworth is a pleasant village, with a small stream running through it, 2 miles east-south-east of Tickhill, and 3 miles west-south-west of Blyth. It contains 595 inhabitants and 1,428a 3r 2p of land, principally belonging to Lord Galway. The church, dedicated to All Saints, is an ancient fabric, built about the 12th century, except the chancel, which was erected in 1672. In repairing the building in 1828, an arched recess was discovered in the wall, with a cupboard containing a garland, a cribbage board, and several other articales of a more sacred character. At the same time a handsome cross was found in the churchyard, and is now placed above the east window."
[WHITE's "Directory of Nottinghamshire," 1853]
- The parish was in the Carlton sub-district of the Worksop Registration District.
- The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
Census
Year |
Piece No. |
| 1841 |
H.O. 107 / 849 |
| 1861 |
R.G. 9 / 2420 |
| 1891 |
R.G. 12 / 2645 |
- The Anglican parish church is dedicated to All Saints.
- The church was built about the 12th century.
- The church was rebuilt in 1869.
- The church seats 400.
- The church is a Grade II structure with British Heritage.
- Richard CROFT has a photograph of All Saints' Church on Geo-graph, taken in January, 2006.
- David KELLY has another view of All Saints' Church on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2002.
- All Saints' Church, Harworth.
- The Anglican parish register dates from 1538.
- The church was in the rural deanery of Retford No. 1.
- The Wesleyan Methodists had a chapel built in Oldcotes in 1840.
- The Methodist Church, Harworth.
- The Catholic Church built a chapel in Oldcotes in 1871. There may have been a chapel that proceded this one.
- The parish was in the Carlton sub-district of the Worksop Registration District.
- Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
Harworth is a large village and a parish in the north-west of Nottinghamshire on the border with Yorkshire. It lies 150 miles north of London, 2 miles south-east of Tickhill and 9 miles north of Worksop. The River Idle flows through the parish. The parish covers 4,000 acres and includes most of the townships of Styrrup and Oldcotes (or Alcoates) and the hamlets of Norney, Plumtree, Serlby and Martin. Bircotes is a relatively new hamlet founded in the 1920s after the discovery of coal in the area.
If you are planning a visit:
- By automobile, take the A1 between Doncaster and Blyth.
- Serlby Hall was the seat of Viscount Galway, lord of the manor. It stood 2 miles north of the village.
- Michael PATTERSON has a photograph of Serlby Hall on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2006.
- The national grid reference is SK 6191.
- You'll want an Ordinance Survey Explorer map, which has 2.5 inches to the mile scale.
- See our Maps page for additional resources.
- J. THOMAS has a photograph of the War memorial on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2011.
- Alan MURRAY-RUST has another photograph of the War memorial alongside the Main Street on Geo-graph, taken in November, 2014.
- RAF Bircotes was built within the South Yorkshire border on land that had formerly been part of Nottinghamshire. The airfield opened in late 1941. The field closed in 1948.
There are eleven names listed on the Harworth War Memorial. To see the list, go to the Nottinghamshire Gov. site.
- This place was an ancient parish in Nottinghamshire and became a modern Civil Parish when those were established.
- The parish was in the Hatfield division of the ancient Bassetlaw Wapentake (Hundred) in the northern division of the county.
- In April, 1935, this parish was reduced by 521 acres which went to Blyth Civil Parish.
- The hamlet of Bircotes is part of this Civil Parish.
- Bastardy cases would be heard in the Worksop petty session hearings.
- The Hospital of St. Mary Magdalen was founded some time before 1316 by Robert MORETON. In 1635 it held two poor widows. The hospital had a chapel where the founder was buried.
- After the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, this parish became part of the Worksop Poor Law Union.
| Year |
Inhabitants |
| 1801 |
270 |
| 1831 |
526 |
| 1851 |
595 |
| 1861 |
925 |
| 1871 |
632 |
| 1881 |
549 |
| 1891 |
593 |
| 1901 |
554 |
| 1911 |
579 |
| 1921 |
865 |
| 1951 |
7,621 |
- A National School was built in Harworth in 1700. Construction was funded by Robert BRAILSFORD.
- Mrs. Mary SAUNDERSON funded the school above in 1724.
- A National School was built in Oldcotes in 1836.
- A Catholic School was built in Oldcotes prior to 1881.
[Last updated: 18-January-2015 - Louis R. Mills]
