Laxton (Lexington and Lessington)
"Laxton or Lexington is a large parish which extends eastward from the loft summit of Cockin Hill, to Weston, in the Thurgarton Hundred, forming a bold amphitheatre, having its opening upon the East. It contains 3,955 acres of land, and comprises the large village of Laxton, the humble hamlet and chapelry of Moorhouse, near the eastern extremity, and 10 scattered farm houses called Brecks, Breckwong, Copthorne, Knapeney and Straw Hall, lying easterly; Brokelow, Saywood, Hartshorn and Laxton Lodge southerly; and Cockin Moor on the west, all within one mile and a half of the village, the whole containing 620 inhabitants. The soil is generally a strong clay of excellent corn land. More than two-thirds of the land belongs to Earl Manvers, who is lord of the manor and impropriator, and the remainder, except a few small freeholders, is the property of the Earl of Scarborough.
Laxton or Lexington, three miles south by west of Tuxford, and five miles east of Ollerton, is a considerable village on a pleasant declivity, celebrated for having given the title of baron to a family of its own name, and afterwards to the Suttons of Averham."
[White's "Directory of Nottinghamshire," 1853]
- The parish was in the Kneesall sub-district of the Southwell Registration District.
- The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
Census
Year |
Piece No. |
| 1861 |
R.G. 9 / 2475 |
| 1891 |
R.G. 12 / 2710 |
- The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Michael.
- The church's date of construction is unreported, but it was earlier than 1500.
- The church tower was reconstructed and the church interior restored in 1860.
- The Anglican parish registers date from 1563 for burials, 1564 for marriages and baptisms.
- The parish was in the rural deanery of Collingham.
- The Congregationalists had a chapel here by 1881.
- The parish was in the Kneesall sub-district of the Southwell Registration District.
- Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
Laxton (Lexington) is both a village and a parish 3 miles southwest of Tuxford and about the same distance due east of Ollerton. It is also 134 miles north of London by rail. The parish covers almost 3,700 acres and includes the hamlet of Moorhouse.
If you are planning a visit:
- By automobile, take the A6075 trunk road between Mansfield and Tuxford. Turn southeast just about a mile outside of Ollerton and follow the road to the village.
- Consider staying at or visiting the historic Dovecote Inn. It is described as a "lovely old pub" with a garden area in front. It is next to the Laxton Visitor Centre.
- Preview Laxton at the Towers web site.
- One can see a little local history at the May Day Dancing at Dawn web page.
- Try to find a copy of "LIFE AT LAXTON c.1880-1903 : The Childhood Memories of EDITH HICKSON," University of Nottingham, 1983, ISBN 0-902031-89-9, pp.58-60.
- Near Laxton village, on the road from Ollerton and is surrounded by pine trees, is the Holocaust Centre.
- Laxton Mediæval Field System: Laxton has the only surviving example of the mediæval strip field system still in operation. The arable land is divided into three fields (named Mill Field, South Field and West Field) of 300 acres each. These are cultivated on a three course annual rotation consisting of winter grain, spring grain and fallow, with the stubbles and the fallow field being grazed by the tenants' livestock.
Each of the two fields in cultivation at any one time is divided into strips, separated by grass paths which are used for access and for a communal hay crop. Each tenant is allocated ten strips, more or less randomly distributed across the two fields. The allocation is carried out annually by a jury, and was originally intended to ensure a fair allocation of good and poor land among the tenants. The jury is elected each year by the tenants to carry out this function and to impose fines (via the manorial court) on any transgressors against the rules. The whole system is presided over by the lord of the manor, who receives rent from the tenants for their land.
- The national grid reference is SK 7267.
- You'll want an Ordnance Survey Explorer map, which has 2.5 inches to the mile scale.
- See our Maps page for additional resources.
- The War Memorial stands to the north in the church graveyard, and there are two war memorial plaques; one for the First World War, on the north wall of the nave, and one for the Second World War, on the south wall of the nave.
- The parish was in the South Clay division of the ancient Bassetlaw Wapentake (Hundred) in the northern division of the county.
| Year |
Inhabitants |
| 1801 |
513 |
| 1851 |
621 |
| 1881 |
483 |
| 1901 |
394 |
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[Last updated: 14-February-2013 - Louis R. Mills]
