Sturton le Steeple (or Streeton le Steeple or Sturton-in-the-Clay)
"Sturton Parish comprises the village of Sturton in the Clay, and the hamlet of
Fenton, and contains 637 inhabitants and 4,104 acres of land, of which, at the
enclosure in 1823, an allotment of 727a 1r 4p was awarded to the Dean and
Chapter of York, in lieu of the rectorial tithes, and 127a 3r 8p to the vicar,
in lieu of the small tithes.
Sturton in the Clay is a large village, consisting of four streets, on the
Littleborough Road, 6 miles east by north of Retford. It was anciently called
Streton, from the Roman road which passes through it to Doncaster. The church,
dedicated to St Peter, is a large structure, with nave, chancel, side aisles,
and lofty tower, having twelve handsome pinnacles, with a peal of five bells.
The benefice is a vicarage, valued in the King's books at £5 7s 3½d,
now £282.
The Bishop of Lincoln is the patron, and the Rev. Charles W. Eyre is the
incumbent. G.S. Foljambe Esq. is lord of the manor, and owner of a great
portion of the soil, as well as lessee of the Dean and Chapter land. The annual
feast is on the Sunday before October 2nd. The Wesleyans have a neat chapel,
erected in 1832, and in 1836, G.S. Foljambe Esq. erected a neat parish school,
and the vicar send four children free."
[White's "Directory of Nottinghamshire," 1853]
- The parish was in the Clarborough sub-district of the East Retford Registration District.
- The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
Census
Year |
Piece No. |
| 1861 |
R.G. 9 / 2414 |
| 1891 |
R.G. 12 / 2639 |
- The Anglican parish church was dedicated to Saint Peter (most sources say: St. Peter and St. Paul).
- No date is given for the construction, although Directories tell us it "is an ancient edifice" in the Norman and early English styles.
- The tower dates from the 14th century.
- The church was damaged by an extensive fire and was rebuilt in 1901-02.
- There is a photograph of the Churchyard,on the Red1st website, showing the impressive tower.
- The Anglican parish register dates from 1647 and is in good condition.
- Nottinghamshire Family History Society CD-ROM covering Sturton le Steeple has the following: Baptisms - No Coverage; Marriage Index - 1554-1900; Burials - 1813-1879.
- The church was in the rural deanery No. 1 of Retford.
- The Wesleyan Methodists had a chapel here by 1869.
- The parish was in the Clarborough sub-district of the East Retford Registration District.
- Civil Registration started in July, 1837.
Sturton is a village, a township and a parish within the parliamentary borough of East Retford. It lies 6.5 miles north-east of East Retford, 5.5 miles south-west of Gainsborough in Lincolnshire and 144 miles north of London. The parish covers about 4,400 acres and includes the hamlet of Fenton.
Today, there is a large power station to the north of the village. The River Trent lies not far to the west. If you are planning a visit:
- Sturton le Steeple lies between the A620 and the A156 trunk roads, southwest of Gainsborough.
- Although a railway line runs along the western edge of Sturton le Steeple, it appears the nearest passenger service is to either East Retford or Gainsborough.
- The village has a Web Site, but parts of it appear to be incomplete and there is no way to contact the site owner.
- Barbara Whiteman has a photograph collection of Sturton le Steeple on the Pictures of England web site.
- The national grid reference is SK 7884.
- 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 North Clay division of the ancient Bassetlaw Wapentake (Hundred) in the northern division of the county.
- In April, 1935, this parish gained 345 acres from the abolition of Littleborough Civil Parish.
- In 1708, Francis HOPKINSON left a charity of about £19 per year which was distributed to the poor at Christmas in the form of clothing.
- After the Poor Law Amendment Act reforms of 1834, this parish became a part of the East Retford Poor Law Union.
| Year |
Inhabitants |
| 1801 |
509 |
| 1851 |
637 |
| 1861 |
583 |
| 1871 |
593 |
| 1881 |
529 |
| 1891 |
505 |
| 1901 |
457 |
- There was a National School here before 1869.
- The National School here was completely rebuilt in 1879.
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[Last updated: 10-February-2013 - Louis R. Mills]
