Lincolnshire county page

Contents

Lincolnshire Towns & Parishes

Nearby Places

Grantham

"Grantham is a market town and borough, both corporate and parliamentary, in the parish and soke of its name, parts of Kesteven - 110 miles N by W from London, 24 SSW from Lincoln, 21 NW from Stamford, and 14 SW from Sleaford. It is situate on the River Witham, and on the ancient Roman road called Ermine Street; and the great north road from London to York passes through it. Grantham, during the parliamentary war, was an object of interest with the contending parites, and the scene of the first advantage gained by Cromwell over the royalists. The town consists of three distinct sections, the Borough, Spittlegate and Little Gonerby, each having its own regulations, but so united as to form one compact well-built town, the aspect of which is busy and respectable, and its environs exceedingly pleasant: within the last five or six years the number of buildings and inhabitants has increased very considerably."
["Directory of Lincolnshire," Pigot & Co., 1841]

Cemeteries

• A cemetery for Grantham, Spittlegate, Houghton, Walton and Manthorpe opened in New Somerby township in 1857. It covered 9 acres by 1900.
  
  
• Details about Grantham Cemetery are available at South Kesteven District Council. [Pam Downes]
  
  
• The Grantham Cemetery Burial Registers (1857-1900) are now available from the Lincolnshire Family History Society on 4 microfiche.
  
  
• The Grantham Cemetery Burial Registers (1901-1950) are now available from the Lincolnshire Family History Society on 3 microfiche.
  
  

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Census

• The parish was in the Grantham sub-district of the Grantham Registration District.
  
  
• In 1891, the district was re-organized and the parish was assigned to the Grantham North sub-district of the Grantham Registration District.
  
  
• Check our Census Resource page for county-wide resources.
  
  
• The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
  
  

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Church History

• The parish church is dedicated to St. Wulfram. (There are many variations on the spelling in the old records.)
  
  
• Here is a photo of Saint Wulfram's Church, taken by Ron Cole (who retains the copyrights).
  
  

• The Anglican church in New Somerby township was dedicated to St. Anne. It was erected as a mission church in 1884 and built from iron. It seated about 350.
  
  
• A Mission Church, dedicated to St. Saviour, was built from brick in Little Gonerby township in 1884. It seated about 150.
  
  
• St. John the Evangelist Church was built from stone in Spittlegate township in 1840-41. It seated about 1,100.
  
  

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Church Records

• Grantham has been in the Lovenden Wapentake and is currently in the Soke of Grantham. It lies in the Grantham Deanery for which the Lincolnshire Family History Society has some indexes available to aid in your search.
  
  
• Registers exist from 1562. The parish church is dedicated to St. Wulfram. The Family History Library in Salt Lake City has the parish register on microfilm covering 1562 - 1990, as well as register copies for the Wesleyan Methodist chapel and others, all on microfilm.
  
  
• Registers For St. John the Evangelist Church exist from 1842.
  
  
• We have a handful of entries for the ANDREWS family in our parish register extract.
  
  
• There was a Catholic Church, dedicated to St. Mary, erected in 1832 in Little Gonerby township. For information and assistance in researching these chapels, see our non-conformist religions page.
  
  
• Check our Church Records page for county-wide resources.
  
  

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Civil Registration

• The parish was in the Grantham sub-district of the Grantham Registration District.
  
  
• In 1891, the district was re-organized and the parish was assigned to the Grantham North sub-district of the Grantham Registration District.
  
  
• Check our Civil Registration page for sources and background on Civil Registration which began in July, 1837.
  
  

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Correctional Institutions

• The old Gaol here was closed in 1878 in accordance with the "Prisons Act" of 1877. The prisoners were transferred to Lindsey County prison in Lincoln.
  
  

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Description and Travel

A large town in the west of the county, 24 miles southwest of Lincoln and 110 miles north of London on the old Great North Road. The parish covers about 5,000 acres.

The River Witham flows through the town in a northerly direction. If you are planning a visit:

• Grantham is at the junction of the A1 trunk road and the A52.
  
  
• Visit our touring page for more sources.
  
  

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Directories

A number of commercial directories exist for Grantham. The most commonly known directories are White's, Pigot's, Kelly's and the Post Office Directory. The town's entry will normally include:

1. A town history, location and current status & facilities, postal services, coaches, trains, schools, churches, etc.
2. The dates of annual fairs and the day of the week for "market day".
3. A list of Trades, and within each classification, the tradesmen.

Whites's and Pigot's directories can be found for the early 1800's. Kelly's Directories begin in the latter part of the 1800's.

• Rod Neep has reproductions of some Directories on CD, available for purchase at his Archived CD Books site. For example:
  1. 0090 - Lincolnshire 1835 Pigot's Directory
  2. 0011 - Lincolnshire 1841 Pigot's Directory
  3. 0091 - Lincolnshire 1876 Kelly's Directory (2 CD set)
  4. 0120 - Lincolnshire 1913 Kelly's Directory (2 CD set)
  5. 0033 - Nottinghamshire 1869 Morris & Co. Directory with Grantham, Chesterfield and Gainsborough.
     
• Another excellent source is the Lincolnshire Library's list of Directories.
  
  
• The Family History Library (FHL) in Salt Lake City has directories for 1846, 1869, 1897 and 1903.
  

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History

Grantham was visited twice by King John, the last time in 1213.

Grantham has a connection with the wife of Edward I, Queen Eleanor. Grantham was the first place that her body rested after her death in 1290.

History credits Grantham as being the place where Cromwell first had success against the Royalists in May of 1643.

The town used to hold a number of fairs for farm animals and agricultural products up until the early 1900's. More recently, Margaret Thatcher has written about Grantham as her girlhood home.

Available from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City is Edmund Turnor's 200 page "Collections for the history of the town and soke of Grantham," publ. 1806, which is available on microfilm no. 990118, item #1. They also have a copy of Malcolm Knapp's "Grantham : a pictorial history," publ. 1990 by Biddles, Ltd., but only in book form. Call no. is 942.53/G5 H2.

Grantham was a center for entertainment for the surrounding communities. The Empire Theatre was one of many popular places in the late 19th century. Here's a photograph taken around 1965 of the building:

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Maps

• The national grid reference is SK 9135.
  
  
• You'll want an Ordnance Survey Explorer #247 map, which has a scale of 2.5 inches to the mile.
  
  
• See our Maps page for additional resources.
  
  

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Military History

• In 1900, Grantham was the headquarters of the 2nd Volunteer Battalion of the Lincolnshire Regt.
  
  
• Harrowby township, in 1900, held the barracks of the Royal South Lincolnshire Militia (otherwise known as the 4th Battalion of the Lincolnshire Regt.). The first building of the barracks was erected of blue stone in 1858 and the second in 1872.
  
  

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Military Records

Compliments of Chrissie Walton:

"Local Men who are Serving King and Country"

1. Father and five sons, Robert SHERRIFF, senr. Mine-Sweeping, Will SHERRIFF, Mine-Sweeping, George Ernest SHERRIFF, R. SHERRIFF, junr. Mine-sweeping, Joe. SHERRIFF, Mine-Sweeping, Jack SHERRIFF, Mine-Sweeping.
2. Ptr. E.A. WELTON, Army Service Corp. On active service.
3. Emerton Walter
4. Hickman Frederick
5. Kisington Mark
6. Mears Laurence
7. Napping William
8. Saxelby Charles
9. Saxelby Walter
10. Waltham Horace
11. S.H. BROOKES, junr. H.M.S. Cornwallis
12. Drvr. S.S. BEE, 2nd. 1st N.M.B., R.F.A.
13. Pte. W. BROWN, 1st Leicesters
14. Sergt. J.W. IMISON 1st N.M.B.
15. - ELLIOTT, H.M.S. Iron Duke
16. John GIRLING, 5th Lincolns
17. Ptr. H. FINCH, Royal Marine L.I. died of wounds received in GALLIPOLI
18. W. ROWLEY, 1st N.M.B. R.F.A. On active service
19. G. ROWLEY 5th Lincolns, on active service
20. C. ROWLEY, Wireless telegraphist, H.M.S. Roxburgh
21. N. BALL, Mine-sweeping
22. WILLIAM FOLEY, R.N.
23. JACK FOLEY, R.N.
24. George FOLEY, R.N.
25. Driver SMITH R.F.A. (of Immingham)
26. S.H. BROOKES, senr. Mine-Sweeping
27. Drvr. J. DIMBLEBY, R.F.A.
28. Ptr. F.W. MOWFORTH., Army Service Corps
29. W. ROBERTS, R.F.A. On active service
30. Wilfred LAMIE, Mine-Sweeping (married Elsie IMISON)
31. W.C. JAY, 1st Class Stoker, H.M.S. Princess Royal
32. J. AKID, H.M.S. Achilles
33. Gnr. ALLINGTON, R.F.A.

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Names, Geographical

• The origin of the name is uncertain, probably Old English Granta+ham for "Granta's village", and appeared in the 1086 Domesday Book in its present form of Grantham.
  [A. D. Mills, "A Dictionary of English Place-Names," Oxford University Press, 1991]
  
  

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Officials & Employees

Mr. Arthur HUTCHINSON was Mayor in 1902.

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Politics and Governance

• The parish was in the ancient Loveden Wapentake in the Soke of Grantham in the South Kesteven division of the county, in the parts of Kesteven.
  
  
• The Soke of Grantham was a separate liberty under the borough magistrates until 1826.
  
  
• For today's governance, visit the South Kesteven District Council.
  
  
• The parish is divided into five townships: Grantham, Harrowby Within, Manthorpe (with Little Gonerby), New Somerby and Spittlegate Within. Spittlegate is in the Winnibrigs and Threo Wapentake.
  
  

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Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

• As a result of the Poor Law Reform Act of 1834, the parish became part of the Grantham Poor Law Union.
  
  

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Population

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Schools

• For more on researching school records, see our Schools Research page.
  
  

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