Lincolnshire county page

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Lincolnshire Towns & Parishes

Nearby Places

Woolsthorpe (or Woolsthorpe by Belvoir)

Census

• The parish was in the Denton sub-district of the Grantham Registration District.
  
  
• In an 1890 re-organization, the parish was allocated to the new "Grantham South" sub-district of the Grantham Registration District.
  
  
• Check our Census Resource page for county-wide resources.
  
  
• The Lincolnshire Family History Society has published surname indexes on fiche or in booklet form for each of these census years under the title "Grantham". These are available by credit card from the Federation of Family History Societies Bookstore with worldwide shipping. Please note that these are SURNAME indexes only, and do not show first names, age or relationships.
  
  

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Church History

• The parish church was originally dedicated to St. Mary.
  
  
• The parish church was burned down by Parliamentary forces in 1660 during the Civil War. Services were afterward held in the chapel of St. Mary, a small building in the middle of the village. Burials still took place in the old churchyard.
  
  
• The chapel of St. Mary was taken down in 1793 (some sources say 1787) and a church of the same name erected on the site.
  
  
• The present Anglican parish church was built in 1845-7 of stone and dedicated to St. James. The tower was completed in 1893 as a memorial to the father and brother of the Duke of Rutland. The church seats about 400.
  
  
• There is a photograph of St. James's Church on the Wendy Parkinson Church Photos web site.
  
  
• Here is a photo of St. James's Church, taken by Ron Cole (who retains the copyright):
  
  

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Church Records

• The parish church was burned down by Parliamentary forces in 1660 during the Civil War. That is why there are no parish register entries prior to 1661, only the Bishop's Transcripts survive back to 1562.
  
  
• The Lincolnshire Family History Society has several indexes available for the Grantham Deanery to aid in your research.
  
  
• We have the beginning of a parish register extract in a text file. Your additions are welcome.
  
  
• The parish registers covering 1661 to 1952 and the Bishop's Transcripts from 1562 to 1837 are on file at the Lincolnshire Archives. The Family History Library (FHL) in Salt Lake City also has the parish register and the Bishop's Transcripts for these same periods on microfilm.
  
  
• Phillimore has included Woolsthorpe marriages in "Lincolnshire Parish Registers, Marriages," Vol. 11, on pages 1 - 18, covering the period of 1562 - 1837. The call number for this at the FHL is 942.53 K29L v. 11 in the British Book section.
  
  
• The Wesleyan Methodists built a small chapel here. 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 Denton sub-district of the Grantham Registration District.
  
  
• In an 1890 re-organization, the parish was allocated to the new "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.
  
  

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Description and Travel

This village and parish lie southwest of Barrowby, six miles west of Grantham and on the border of Leicestershire, overlooking Belvoir Castle. It is just west of the A1 Motorway and north of the A607 trunk road. The parish covers about 1,950 acres.

Woolsthorpe village lies on the eastern bank of the River Devon, here just a small stream flowing north to eventually join the River Trent near Newark. If you are planning a visit:

• See our touring page for visitor services.
  
  

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History

• The parish is often mistaken as the birthplace of Isaac Newton. That honour goes to Woolsthorpe hamlet in Colsterworth parish.
  
  
• The Nottingham and Grantham Canal passes through the northern part of the parish.
  
  

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Land and Property

• From at least 1842 until at least 1913, the principal landowner was the Duke of Rutland.
  
  

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Maps

• The national grid reference is SK 8333.
  
  
• 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 Records

Michael Peck provides us with: "Woolsthorpe by Belvoir War memorials have now been recorded, the names mentioned (and arms of service) are:"

WW1 memorial

1. Charles C Bullimore Pte 1/4 Lincs Regt.
2. Arthur Clare Sapper RE
3. Walter Draper Pte 7th Lincs Regt
4. Arthur Etterley L/Cpl 8th Lincs Regt
5. George Etterley Pte 8th Lincs Regt
6. Jesse Goodband Pte 1/5 Northumberland Fus
7. Reginald Goodband Pte 1/6 DLI
8. James Harper Sgt 8th Lincs Regt
9. Cecil F Kemp Pte RAMC
10. Arthur Latham Pte 2/4 Leicester's Regt
11. Ernest H Pacey Pte 1st Lincs Regt.
12. Thomas Pacey Pte 1st Lincs Regt
13. Richard Pacey CSM 7th Lincs Regt
14. William E E Pacey Pte 4th Leicester's Regt
15. John H Pacey Pte 8th Lincs Regt
16. James Pearce Pte 8th Lincs Regt
17. George E Pearce Pte 8th Lincs Regt
18. Herbert Wing L/Cpl 7th Lincs Regt
19. Thomas Wing Pte 8th South Devons Regt
20. Walter Wing L/Cpl 11th Notts & Derby Regt
21. Richard Wilcox Pte 12th S. Staffs Regt
22. Frederick Wilcox Gunner RFA
23. Cecil Worthington Cpl 68th CFA

None of us liveth to himself, and none dieth to himself

WW2 memorial

1. John E Bass 6th Bn, Royal Norfolk Regt.
2. George E Bullimore 1st Bn, Royal Leicestershire Regt.
3. Walter Draper Royal Artillery
4. Percival A King 4th Bn, Wiltshire Regt.
5. Joseph W Morrell 9th Bn, Durham Light Infantry.
6. Wm H Reedman 6th Bn, Seaforth Highlanders
7. Bertram Robinson Royal Corps of Signals

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Names, Geographical

• The village name is Wulfstansthorpe in Old English. It was rendered as Ulestanestorp in the 1086 Domesday Book. It often appears as Woolsthorp, without the final "e".
  [A. D. Mills, "A Dictionary of English Place-Names," Oxford University Press, 1991]
  
  

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Politics and Governance

• The parish was in the ancient Loveden Wapentake in the South Kesteven district in the parts of Kesteven.
  
  
• The parish is currently in the Winnibriggs & Threo Wapentake.
  
  
• For today's governance, contact the South Kesteven District Council.
  
  

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Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

• The common lands were enclosed here in 1731.
  
  
• In 1727, Edward GUY left a yearly rent-charge of 10s for the poor.
  
  
• As a result of the Poor Law Amendment Act reforms of 1834, the parish became part of the Grantham Poor Law Union.
  
  

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Population

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Schools

• The Public Elementary School was built in 1871-2 and enlarged in 1895.
  
  
• For more on researching school records, see our Schools Research page.
  
  

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