Woodborough
"Woodborough is a large, straggling village, in a narrow vale near the Dover
Beck, 8 miles north-east by north of Nottingham. The parish comprises 852
inhabitants and 1,940 acres of land. The common was enclosed in 1798, when 252
acres were allotted to the three prebendaries of Oxton and Woodborough, 66a 1r
1p to William Taylor Esq., and 53a 3r 11p to the late John Bainbridge Storey
Esq., in lieu of the great tithes and their manorial claims, they being both
impropriators and lords of the manor, which is now in three divisions called
the Prebendal, the Copyhold, and the Freehold estates. The latter now belongs
to William Taylor Esq.
The hall was anciently the residence of the Strelleys and Bainbridges, and is
now the seat and property of Mansfield Parkyns Esq. The church is a large
structure, dedicated to St Swithin, and has some fragments of ancient armorial
glass in its windows which, when perfect, was exceedingly beautiful. It is a
curacy, and has been augmented with Queen Anne's Bounty. The Chapter of
Southwell is the patron, and the Rev. Samuel Lealand Oldacres is the incumbent.
The Baptists, Methodists and Primitive Methodists each have a chapel here."
[White's "Directory of Nottinghamshire," 1853]
- The Woodborough Cemetery was opened in 1879, but had no chapel for many years.
- The parish was in the Arnold sub-district of the Basford Registration District.
- The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Swithin (Swithen or Swithun).
- The church was built by the Normans. The tower is 13th century and the chancel is from the 14th century.
- The churchyard was closed by 1881.
- Tom COURTNEY has a photograph of St. Swithun's Church on Geo-graph, taken in 2005.
- J. THOMAS has a photograph of the other end of St. Swithun's Church on Geo-graph, taken in 2010.
- The Anglican parish registers date from 1547 for baptisms, 1573 for marriages and 1572 for burials and is in good condition.
- The parish was in the rural deanery of Southwell.
- The Baptists, Wesleyan Methodists and Primitive Methodists each had a chapel here by 1869.
- J. THOMAS has a photograph of the Methodist Church on Geo-graph, taken in 2010.
- The parish was in the Arnold sub-district of the Basford Registration District.
- Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
Woodborough is a village and a parish 7 miles north-east of Nottingham city and 141 miles north of the city of London. The parish covers over 1,900 acres.
If you are planning a visit:
- The A1 motorway used to run through the village but a modern bypass now skirts the place.
- The nearest railway stop is Newark.
- The Romans had a settlement here.
- In the 1800s many residents made their living as frame-work knitters.
- In the 1800s bricks were also made in the parish.
- In 1881 there was a large racehorse breeding and training establishment in the village, with 70 to 80 horses residing.
- Visit the Woodborough Heritage Site for more history information.
- Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of the Governors' Field (the green in the centre of the village with the Millenium Beacon) on Geo-graph, taken in 2011.
- Woodborough Hall, the seat of Mansfield PARKYNS in 1881, is a very ancient mansion at the extreme end of the village.
- In 1869, the BRODHURST family were living in Woodborough Hall.
- Woodborough Hall is currently used as a conference centre and hotel. See Woodborough Hallfor more information..
- The national grid reference is SK 6347.
- You'll want an Ordnance Survey Explorer map, which has a scale of 2.5 inches to the mile.
- See our Maps page for additional resources.
- John (from Notts) has a photograph of the War Memorial on Geo-graph, taken in 2009. From the description, it appears that he didn't realize that he'd captured the memorial in his frame.
There's a good list of names from the memorial at the Southwell Church History Project.
There's another list of names with biographies at the Woodborough Heritage site.
- This place was an ancient parish in county Nottingham.
- The parish was in the south division of the ancient Thurgarton Wapentake (Hundred) in the southern division of the county.
- The parish was also in the Southwell and Scrooby Liberty between 1836 and 1837.
- The local Parish Council meets on Mondays on Lingwood Lane. They are not staffed to provide family research assistance.
| Year |
Inhabitants |
| 1801 |
527 |
| 1811 |
611 |
| 1841 |
801 |
| 1851 |
852 |
| 1871 |
898 |
| 1881 |
889 |
| 1891 |
768 |
| 1901 |
722 |
- A Free School was founded here by Reverend Montague WOOD in 1706 (or 1736 - sources differ).
- In 1881, the School could accommodate 300 children.
- The School is now known as the Woodborough Woods Foundation CofE Primary School.
Find help, report problems, or contribute information
[Last updated: 19-February-2013 - Louis R. Mills]
