Great Ponton (Ponton Magna)
- The parish was in the Denton sub-district of the Grantham Registration District.
- In an 1891 redistricting, the parish was put in the Grantham South 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:
Census
Year |
Piece No. |
| 1871 |
R.G. 10 / 3357 |
- The local Anglican church is dedicated to Holy Cross and is said to have been erected in 1519 by Anthony ELLIS. The church structure contains, however, some 14th century work. The tower was designed by Christopher WREN.
- The church seats about 200 people.
- At the enclosure of common lands in 1772, about 531 acres were set aside to generate income for the church.
- The church was re-roofed and restored in 1871.
- Here is a photo of Holy Cross Church, taken by (and copyright of) Ron Cole.
- The Anglican parish register dates from 1622.
- The Lincolnshire FHS has published several marriage and burial indexes for the Beltisloe Deanery to make your search easier.
- Around 1880, due to the growth of Grantham, the church was moved to the new South Grantham Deanery. Most family records will be found in the Beltisloe Deanery indexes (see above).
- The Wesleyan Methodists built a small chapel here prior to 1842. The Primitive Methodists had one by 1871. For information and assistance in researching these chapels, see our non-conformist religions page.
- Check our Church Records page for county-wide resources.
- The parish was in the Denton sub-district of the Grantham Registration District.
- In an 1891 redistricting, the parish was put in the Grantham South sub-district of the Grantham Registration District.
- Check our Civil Registration page for sources and background on Civil Registration which began in July, 1837.
Great Ponton is both a parish and a small village about 3 miles south of Grantham and 4 miles north of Colsterworth, as well as just over 100 miles north of London. The parish itself is bounded on the north by Stroxton and Little Ponton parishes and to the west by Wyville parish. The parish covered about 2,700 acres in 1842, increased to 2,900 acres by 1881. In 1913, the parish boundaries allowed 2,744 acres.
Great Ponton village is just west of the Witham River. If you are planning a visit:
- The town can be accessed off of the A1 motorway south of Grantham. The A1 passes through the western edge of the village. Ermine Street, formerly the Great Northern Road and now the B6403 trunk road, passes a mile east of the village.
- Visit our touring page for more sources.
- The village was occupied by the Romans, at least based on the number of Roman coins, urns, bricks, mosaic pavements, arches, etc. found in the parish. It was reportedly the "Ad Pontem" of the Romans.
- When the railways came in the second half of the 1800s, it bypassed Great Ponton itself. A train station for the Great Northern railway was established just across the River Witham, a mile east of the village, and given the parish name. John BRICE was the station master in 1871 and George FARR in 1881.
- A Miss Ann AYSCOUGH, who died here in 1633, was reportedly 114 years old.
- Prior to 1842, part of the ancient Great Ponton Hall remained. It had been the seat and property of the ELLYS and ARCHER families, but had been sold to the Earl Dysart in 1793. It was a farmhouse in 1871.
- The national grid reference is SK 9230.
- You'll want an Ordnance Survey Explorer #247 map, which has 2.5 inches to the mile scale.
- See our Maps page for additional resources.
- The name Ponton presumably comes from the Latin for "bridge," which was "Pontus".
- The village name is often found spelled as Paunton, or the Latin form was used, "Paunton Magna".
- The Common Lands were enclosed here in 1772.
- As a result of the Poor Law Amendment Act reforms of 1834, the parish became part of the Grantham Poor Law Union.
- Bastardy cases would be heard in the Spittlegate petty sessional hearings.
| Year |
Inhabitants |
| 1801 |
411 |
| 1841 |
466 |
| 1851 |
680 |
| 1861 |
561 |
| 1871 |
500 |
| 1881 |
477 |
| 1901 |
475 |
| 1911 |
426 |
- A Free School was founded here in 1717 by William ARCHER, who endowed it with two cottages and 39 acres of land. Four more acres were added in 1773. New school rooms were built in 1874. It was formally called "Archer's Endowed Church of England School."
- For more on researching school records, see our Schools Research page.
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[Last updated: 9-May-2009 - Louis R. Mills]
