South Scarle
"South Scarle is a pleasant village, 7 miles north-north-east of Newark, including within its parish the township of Besthorpe. South Scarle contains 170 inhabitants and 1,540 acres of land, of the rateable value of £1,288 11s. The church, dedicated to St Helen, is a discharge vicarage, valued in the King's books at £5 2s 6d, now £168, with Girton perpetual curacy annexed. The prebendary of South Scarle in Lincoln Cathedral is patron and appropriator, and the Rev. Francis Baron-de-Paravieloi the incumbent. The tithe was commuted in 1842, the large tithe for £214 12s 3d, and the small tithe for £80 2s 6d, and about 22 acres of glebe belongs to the vicarage, purchased with Queen Anne's Bounty. The vicarage house, a commodious residence, is in Besthorpe. A Methodist chapel was erected in 1829, and enlarged in 1839, and has a Sunday School.
The Duke of Newcastle is lord of the manor of Moreland, which is partly copyhold and comprises this parish and Girton, and is held by his Grace of the crown, for the annual rent of £23 4s 5¾d. The Hall is a neat residence, near the church, and is the property and seat of Miss Mary Edmonds. The poor have an annuity of 26s 8d out of Griffin Bridge Close, and the interest of £20, left in 1754 by Edward Ward."
[White's "Directory of Nottinghamshire," 1853]
- The parish was in the North Collingham sub-district of the Newark Registration District.
- The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
Census
Year |
Piece No. |
| 1861 |
R.G. 9 / 2476 |
- The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Helen (or Helena).
- Parts of the church fabric date from the 12th century and may include older portions.
- The western tower was rebuilt or completed in the 14th century.
- The church was thoroughly restored in 1871.
- Holy Trinity Chapel was the church in Besthorpe township, erected in 1844.
- The Anglican parish register dates from 1680 for baptisms, 1684 for burials and 1685 for marriages. It is in good condition.
- The church was in the rural deanery of Collingham.
- There was a Methodist chapel in South Scarle in 1829.
- There was a second Methodist chapel in Besthorpe before 1869.
- The Independents had chapel in Besthorpe before 1869.
- The parish was in the North Collingham sub-district of the Newark Registration District.
- Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
South Scarle is a parish and two townships: South Scarle and Besthorpe. It lies 7 miles north-east of Newark-on-Trent and 132 miles north of the city of London. The parish is bordered on the north and east sides by Lincolnshire and covers almost 1,050 acres.
If you are planning a visit:
- By automobile, take the A46 trunk road north-east out of Newark-on-Trent toward Lincoln. Turn north at the signs for Collingham and pass through that village to reach South Scarle. Besthorpe would be to the left, near the River Fleet.
- Parish farms and buildings were damaged by a severe flood of the River Trent in February, 1795.
- Besthorpe was inundated by a severe flood on 24 October, 1875.
- South Scarle Hall was restored around 1860 by its owner, Michael COTTON.
- Besthorpe Villa had been converted to a Boarding School for young gentlemen before 1869 by its owner, Richard PIGOTT.
- The national grid reference is SK 8464.
- 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 county Nottingham and became a modern Civil Parish when those were established.
- The parish was in the northern division of the ancient Newark Wapentake (Hundred) in the southern division of the county.
- Besthorpe township was split off as a separate Civil Parish in December, 1866.
- South Scarle is currently considered part of the Newark and Sherwood District.
- Griffin's Bridge Dole paid £1 6s. 8p. to the poor in two equal payments on Good Friday and St. Thomas' Day.
- Edward WARD's Charity, established in 1754, was the interest in £20, which was paid to the poor annually.
- After the Poor Law Amendment Act reforms of 1834, the parish became part of the Newark Poor Law Union.
| Year |
South Scarle |
Besthorpe |
| 1801 |
119 |
216 |
| 1851 |
170 |
340 |
| 1861 |
175 |
338 |
| 1881 |
156 |
192 |
| 1891 |
150 |
178 |
| 1901 |
130 |
159 |
- In 1869 a National School is reported in South Scarle.
- A School Board was formed in Beesthorpe in 1875 to embrace the area of South Scarle, Besthorpe, Girton and Meering.
- A Board School was built in the centre of the village in 1879.
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[Last updated: 9-July-2011 - Louis R. Mills]
