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Hough on the Hill

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Archives & Libraries

The Library at Grantham will prove useful in your research.

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Cemeteries

Michael GARLICK has a photograph of the Churchyard on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2016.

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Census

  • The parish was in the Grantham 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.
1841H.O. 107 / 619
1861R.G. 9 / 2353
1871R.G. 10 / 3363
1881R.G. 11 / 3234
1891R.G. 12 / 2586
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Church History

  • The existing Anglican parish church is dedicated to All Saints.
     
  • Some parts of the Church of All Saints, particularly the base of the tower, have been dated to Saxon times.
     
  • The church is famous for its Tower with an external stair turret. The church is a Grade I listed structure.
     
  • Richard CROFT has a photograph of the Tower and Turret on Geo-graph, taken in April, 2015.
     
  • Lady Godiva (the Saxon third wife of Siward, Earl of Northumbria, not the Norman one of Coventry) gave the church here to St. Peter of Peterborough around 1050.
     
  • A small priory of Augustine canons was founded here in 1164. It was later seized by Richard II.
     
  • The priory was restored to Cherburgh in Normandy in 1399, but after the suppression of the monasteries, it was granted to Lord RUSSELL in 1541.
     
  • The Church of All Saints contains a coffin-shaped slab preserved from the 14th century with a richly carved foliated cross.
     
  • The church was restored in 1845.
     
  • The church contains monuments to the PAYNE family.
     
  • The church seats about 300.
     
  • A photograph of All Saints is at the Wendy Parkinson English Church Photographs site.
     
  • And there is a photograph of All Saints at the ChurchMouse site.
     
  • For more on the church history, see the Hough Parish web site.
     
  • Here are two photos of All Saints Church, taken by Ron COLE (who retains the copyright):
     
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  • There was a chapel of ease at Brandon.
     
  • There is a photograph of the church at Brandon on the Wendy PARKINSON Church Photos web site.
     
  • Here are two photos of the chapel at Brandon, taken by Ron COLE (who retains the copyright):
     
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Church Records

  • The Anglican parish register dates from 1562.
     
  • The Lincolnshire FHS has a Loan Library service which has the parish registers on microfiche for Baptisms from 1657 to 1812 and Marriages from 1657 to 1812.
     
  • Boyd's Marriage Index holds parish marriages from 1566 to 1837.
     
  • The Society of Genealogists have the parish registers on file for 1562-1836.
     
  • The hamlet of Brandon had a small chapel of ease, originally built in Norman times, restored in 1872 by the Earl BROWNLOW. Register entries should be found under All Saints.
     
  • The LFHS has published several indexes for the Loveden Deanery to make your search easier.
     
  • The hamlet of Gelston had a Wesleyan Methodist chapel. And Brandon Grange was the site of a meeting house for the Society of Friends. 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.
     
  • Check our Civil Registration page for sources and background on Civil Registration which began in July, 1837.
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Description & Travel

This village and parish lies just seven miles due north of Grantham and about nine miles west of Sleaford. Caythorpe parish is just to the northeast, with Normanton parish to the east and Hougham parish to the southwest. The parish covers about 4,000 acres.

The village of Hough on the Hill sits appropriately on a commanding rise. The hamlets of Brandon (two miles north-west of the village) and Gelston (one mile south-west) are part of the parish. Brandon is between two branches of the River Brant (hence its name). On Castle Hill, near the church, are several springs, often cited as the source of the River Brant. If you are planning a visit:

  • Hough le Hill is west of the A607 north out of Grantham.
     
  • Visitors may wish to stay at the Brownlow Arms on Frieston Road.
     
  • Martin DAWES has a photograph of the Brownlow Arms on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2013.
     
  • Richard CROFT has a photograph of the Village Sign on Geo-graph, taken in July, 2009.
     
  • Michael GARLICK also has a photograph of the Village Sign on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2016.
     
  • Visit our touring page for more sources.
You can see pictures of Hough on the Hill which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

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History

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Land & Property

  • In 1871, the Earl BROWNLOW was the principal landowner, holding three quarters of the land. Other parcels were owned by the VERE, FELLOWS, MUSSON and GROWN families.
     
  • In 1913, the Earl BROWNLOW was still the principal landowners.
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Maps

  • See our Maps page for additional resources.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK924465 (Lat/Lon: 53.008018, -0.624161), Hough on the Hill which are provided by:

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Military Records

  • The War Memorial at Hough on the Hill has been recorded by Mike PECK. The first list is World War One:
SurnameGiven namesNotes
AYTOWilliam 
ARMSTRONGThomas 
BAKERErnest 
DEACONGeorge 
FOXHerbert 
CLEAVERGeorge 
PALMERWilliam 
ANDERSONSidney 
CARTERGeorge 
HAYWARDClaude 
ADAMSONIsaac 
NORTHOVERNeville 
  • This list is World War Two:
SurnameGiven namesNotes
McCREARYA. WilfrdCaptain, The Loyals
BAMFORDFrank E.Driver, RHA
BAMFORDJ. ArchieL/Cpl
LAMBT. WilliamDriver, RE
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Names, Geographical

  • The name Hough is Old English haga, or "enclosure". The name has also appeared as Hach. The parish is listed in the 1086 Domesday Book as Hag. It is not clear when the "le Hill" or "on the Hill" suffix was added, but it was apparently done to differentiate the village from similarly named places on railway time tables.
    [A. D. MILLS, "A Dictionary of English Place-Names," Oxford University Press, 1991]
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Names, Personal

  • Here's a list of surnames from White's 1871 Directory: ANDREWS, BELL, CHAPMAN, COLLIN, CROW, CUCKSEY, DOLBY, FOOTIT, FREESTON, HARE, KINNY, LILLEY, LORD, MINNITT, MINTA, MITTON, OATES, PRATT, ROBINSON, ROSS, ROWE, SHELBOURN, SIMPSON, SQUIRES, STUFFINGS, SUMMER, TOULSON and WRIGHT.
     
  • Kelley's 1913 Directory lists these surnames: BARNETT, BRATLEY, BURTT, CODD, COLLIN, CRAGG, CROFTS, DOUBLEDAY, FARNSWORTH, GREENSTREET, HARE, HICKSON, HILL, HUNT, LOCK, LORD, PARTRIDGE, PECK, PERKINS, PULLEN, RAWLINSON, SQUIRES, THEAKER, TOULSON, TYLER, WELLS, WHALEY and WHITE.
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Politics & Government

  • 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.
     
  • You may contact the local Hough on the Hill Parish Council regarding civic or politcal issues, but they are NOT staffed to help with family history lookups.
     
  • For today's district governance, contact the South Kesteven District Council.
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Poor Houses, Poor Law

  • Bastardy cases would be heard in the Spittlegate (Grantham) petty session hearings.
     
  • After the fields were enclosed here, 17 acres were set aside to produce revenue for the poor, most of which was distributed as coal.
     
  • As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act reforms, the parish became part of the Grantham Poor Law Union.
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Population

YearInhabitants
1801385
1841582
1851605
1861655
1871640
1891509
1911496
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Schools

  • A school was first built here in 1845 by the then Earl BROWNLOW. A new school was erected in 1867 as the Public Elementary School.
     
  • Richard CROFT has a photograph of the 1867 Schoolhouse at the edge of the churchyard on Geo-graph, taken in July, 2009.
     
  • For more on researching school records, see our Schools Research page.