Keyworth
"Keyworth village and parish is situated seven miles south by east of Nottingham,
and contains 667 inhabitants and 1,530 acres of land, on the north side of the Wolds.
It was enclosed in 1798, when 214 acres were allotted in lieu of tithes, and 6a 4r 12p
to the church, which now lets for £12 5s 8d a year. Lord Rancliffe's heirs own
about 180 acres, and are lords of the manor and patrons of the rectory, but the next
presentation is sold to the Rev. Thomas Dodson of Wimeswold. Here are several
estates belonging to Mr Attenborow, Mr W. Flinders, Mr Hemsley, Mr Bebb and others.
The church, dedicated to St Mary Magdalen, has a curious tower, surmounted by an
octagonal spire. The Rev. I.H. Hall is the incumbent, and the Rev. L.P.B. Dykes is the
curate. The poor's land, 4a 1r 12p, is let off in half rood sections to the resident poor
of the parish. The interest of £10, left by an unknown donor, is paid to four poor
widows at Whitsuntide. The Independents have a chapel here, built in 1768, and the
Primitive Methodists erected one in 1828. An annual feast is held on Whit Monday."
[White's "Directory of Nottinghamshire," 1853]
- The parish was in the Ratcliffe-upon-Trent sub-district of the Bingham Registration District until November, 1883.
- In November, 1883 the parish was reassigned to the Bingham sub-district of the Bingham Registration District.
- The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
Census
Year |
Piece No. |
| 1861 |
R.G. 9 / 2486 |
| 1891 |
R.G. 12 / 2718 |
- The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Mary Magdalen.
- The church was built in the 14th and 15th centuries.
- The church was restored in 1874.
- Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of St. Mary Magdalen Church on Geo-graph, taken in 2011.
- There is a photograph or two of St. Mary Magdalen Church at the Images of England website.
- The Anglican parish register dates from 1653.
- The church was in the rural deanery #1 of Bingham.
- The Primitive Methodists built a chapel here in 1828.
- The Independents built a chapel here in 1868.
- The village currently also has a Baptist Church, a Catholic church and a United Reformed Church.
- Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of the United Reformed Church on Geo-graph, taken in 2011.
- Civil Registration started in July, 1837.
- The parish was in the Ratcliffe-upon-Trent sub-district of the Bingham Registration District until November, 1883.
- In November, 1883, the parish was reassigned to the Bingham sub-district of the Bingham Registration District.
Keyworth is a village and a parish on a hilltop on the west bank of the River Soar about 117 miles north of London, 8.5 miles south-south-east of Nottingham, 6 miles north-north-west of Loughborough in Leicestershire. The parish covers 1,530 acres.
If you are planning a visit:
- By automobile, take the A453 trunk road south-east out of Nottingham. When you merge with the M1 motorway, Keyworth will be just to east (left).
- Alternatively, take the A6 trunk road north out of Loughborough. The A6 passes through the center of Keyworth village.
- Or you can take the bus. Click on Route 63 to get the Notting bus schedule.
- Rail service came to the village shortly after 1900, but was terminated around 1967.
- Watch for the Sign!, photographed here by Alan MURRAY-RUST in 2007.
- Archaeological finds have turned up Roman artifacts in the parish outskirts suggesting human inhabitation of the area as early as 800 AD.
- Keyworth is first mention in the 1086 Domesday Book.
- In the 1800s may workers in the village were framework knitters.
- The village logo is a windmill, but the last windmill was demolished in the 1950s.
- For more on the village/parish history, see the Keyworth History page.
- The national grid reference is SK 6130.
- 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 Rushcliffe Wapentake (Hundred) in the southern division of the county.
- The Common Land was enclosed here in 1798 by an Act of Parliament.
- After the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, this parish became part of the Bingham Poor Law Union.
Keyworth was developed in the 1950s through 1970s period and the village is now a commuter town for workers in Nottingham city.
A boundary change in 1984 brought a large part of Normanton into Keyworth parish and increased its population by 2,000 overnight.
| Year |
Population |
| 1801 |
325 |
| 1811 |
401 |
| 1821 |
454 |
| 1831 |
552 |
| 1841 |
576 |
| 1851 |
667 |
| 1871 |
794 |
| 1881 |
893 |
| 1891 |
771 |
| 1901 |
789 |
| 1911 |
787 |
| 1921 |
836 |
- A National School was built here around 1862. This school building is now the Parish Hall.
- A non-demonational Board School was built here in 1872. This school was demolished in 1985.
- Keyworth & District Local History Society
- Keyworth County Council Library
- Church Drive
- Keyworth
- Nottingham
- NG12 5FF
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[Last updated: 4-February-2013 - Louis R. Mills]
