Kelham
"Kelham is a small but pleasant village and parish, upon the Worksop Road, and
on the west bank of the Trent, 2 miles north-west of Newark. Its parish
contains 208 inhabitants and 1,800 acres of land, of which 484 acres are on the
island formed by the two rivers betwixt it and Newark. It has long been the
seat and property of the Suttons, who once held the title of Lord Lexington. It
is now the property of John Henry Manvers Sutton Esq., who resides at the Hall,
which was a plain but elegant building, with a centre and wings of brick, with
stone corners and window frames, standing in a handsome lawn, near the Trent. A
curious wooden bridge which crosses the river close to the lawn has been taken
down, and a light but substantial iron bridge erected in its place at a cost of
£3,000.
The church, dedicated to St Wilfred, had a handsome tower and three bells. It
was new-roofed and completely renovated in 1844. Here is a richly wrought
monument of the last Lord Lexington and his Lady, of fine stauary marble, but
the figures are strangely placed back-to-back. The living is a rectory, valued in the
King's books at £19 8s 4d, annexed to that of Averham, being in the same
patronage and incumbency. The poor have the interest of £25 left by an unknown
donor."
[White's "Directory of Nottinghamshire," 1853]
- The parish was in the Southwell sub-district of the Southwell Registration District.
- The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
Census
Year |
Piece No. |
| 1861 |
R.G. 9 / 2472 |
- The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Wilfred (spelling variations abound!).
- The church was renovated in 1844.
- The church was not in good condition in 1853.
- The church was restored and reseated in 1873.
- A photograph of St. WIlfred Church is available at Flickr.
- The Anglican parish register dates from 1670 and are in fair condition.
- The church was in the rural #2 deanery of Newark.
- The parish was in the Southwell sub-district of the Southwell Registration District.
- Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
Kelham is a village and a parish on the west bank of the River Trent on the Worksop road. It is about 117 miles north of London and 2 miles north-west of Newark-on-Trent. The parish covers 1,689 acres and includes the hamlet of Debdale Hill 1 mile north-west of the village.
If you are planning a visit:
- By automobile, take the A617 trunk road west out of Newark. As you cross the River Trent, you will enter Kelham village.
- On 5 May, 1647, King Charles I surrendered at the end of the English Civil War at nearby Southwell and was held at Kelham Hall for several days.
- A lovely and large bridge built of brick with stone dressings and consisting of five arches crossed the Trent to Newark was erected in 1854. An earlier iron bridge was swept away by ice in a flood in February, 1854. Prior to the iron bridge was a small wooden bridge over the Trent.
- Lord LEXINGTON had a long history with this parish as lords of the manor. Their surname was SUTTON.
- Kelham Hall was destroyed by fire on 27 November, 1857.
- A new Kelham Hall was built on the same site. It stands in a small wooded park of about 25 acres. In 1869 it was the residence and seat of John Henry Manners SUTTON, Esq.
- Kelham Hall was bought by the Society fo the Sacred Mission in 1903 and run as a Theological College. The military used it in World War I. The Great Chapel was dedicated in 1928 and was a masterpiece. It was almost square with a great central dome, (62 feet across and 68 feet high) the second largest concrete dome in England. The Hall was again commandered by the military in World War II.
- The college closed in 1972. Since 1973 the Hall has been the head office of the Newark and Sherwwod District Council.
- The national grid reference is SK 7755.
- 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 in Nottingham county and became a modern Civil Parish when those were established.
- The parish was in the north division of the ancient Thurgarton Wapentake (Hundred) in the northern division of the county.
- In April, 1899, the parish was enlarged when Park Leys Civil Parish was abolished and amalgamated with Kelham.
- In April, 1935, the parish was reduced by 405 acres ceded to Newark opon Trent Civil Parish.
- The poor of this parish shared the interest from £25, left by an unknown donor.
- As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act reforms, this parish became part of the Southwell Poor Law Union.
| Year |
Population |
| 1801 |
227 |
| 1851 |
167 |
| 1861 |
178 |
| 1871 |
157 |
| 1881 |
151 |
| 1891 |
224 |
| 1901 |
242 |
| 1911 |
333 |
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[Last updated: 31-January-2011 - Louis R. Mills]
