Balderton

The Library at Newark will prove useful in your research.

David Dixon has a photograph of the Public Library in Balderton on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2013.

For more information on Balderton Library, like hours of operation, etc., see the Nottingham County Council site.

Henry HEELEY, Station of Nations - The History of RAF Balderton, 298 pgs, ISBN 978-1-9996353-0-5.

• The Parish Council's Cemetery has a Garden of Remembrance and is known as Mount Road Cemetery. It has two entrances.
   
• There is, on an acre of land next to the Cemetery, somewhat incongruously, the Newark & Sherwood Primary Care Health Centre.
   
• The Cemetery was enlarged in 2009, but the new area has not been needed for burials as of 2014.
   
• Jonathan THACKER has a photograph of Balderton Cemetery on Geo-graph, taken in January, 2020.
   

• The parish was in the Balderton sub-district of the Newark Registration District.
   
• The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
   

• There were reports that a Saxon church stood here in 1000 AD, but no traces remain of that structure.
   
• The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Giles.
   
• The existing church was built around 1154 AD.
   
• The tower was added in the 13th century.
   
• The church was enlarged in the 13th and 14th centuries.
   
• The church was restored in 1881-82.
   
• The church seats 400.
   
• The church is a Grade I listed building with British Heritage.
   
• David DIXON has a photograph of St. Giles Church on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2013.
   
• You can visit the St. Giles website to see what is going on at the church these days.
   

• The Anglican parish registers date from 1538 and are in good condition.
   
• The Bishop's Transcripts of those registers dates from 1600 through 1848 and are available on microfilm from the Family History Library.
   
• The parish was in the deanery #2 of Newark.
   
• The Wesleyan Methodists and Primitive Methodists each had a chapel here in 1813.
   
• The Wesleyan Methodists built a new chapel here in 1908.
   
• Jonathan THACKER has a photograph of the Methodist Church on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2010.
   

• The parish was in the Balderton sub-district of the Newark Registration District.
   
• Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
   

Balderton is a village and a parish only 1.75 miles south-east of Newark, 20 miles from Nottingham city and 118 miles north of the city of London. The parish borders on Lincolnshire and covers 3,707 acres.

Balderton village is one of the largest villages in Nottingham and is considered by many to be a suburb of Newark on Trent. 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.
   
• Balderton Lake provides a place to relax and hosts a local fishing club.
   
• Richard CROFT provides a photograph of Balderton Lake on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2008.
   
• The Grove Leisure Centre contains two swimming pools.
   

• Geograph
• Flickr

• We have an extract from White's 1853 Directory relating to this parish.
   

• Ask for a calculation of the distance from Balderton to another place.

Leonard George STEEL was born on 15th September 1894 in Balderton and was the son of Carey a grocer and baker and Elizabeth STEEL nee OSBORN of “Holmeleigh”, Balderton, Newark. Carey was born in Balderton in 1863 , his wife Elizabeth was born in 1867 in St James, London, they were married in Newark in June 1892. They had a further son Charles Osborn b1893 also in Balderton. Leonard died on 22 Jul 1918.

"El LOCO" has a photograph of a plaque honoring Sir Donald WOLFIT on Geo-graph, taken in May, 2021. He is a brother to one of the men listed on the St. Giles War Memorial plaque. WOLFIT was born at New Balderton on 20 April 1902. He died on 17 February 1968, at the age of 65 in Hammersmith, London.

You can see the administrative areas in which Balderton has been placed at times in the past. Select one to see a link to a map of that particular area.

The Saxon countess Godiva, the wife of Earl Leofric, had property in the Manor of Newark nearby.

This was a wine-grape growing region. In 1578 there were accusations of vines being cut down.

Geoff DUNN has a photograph of the Turks Head Inn on Geo-graph, taken in February, 2006.

Christine JOHNSTONE has a photograph of The Grove P. H. on Geo-graph, taken in January, 2014.

• See our Maps page for additional resources.
   

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK815515 (Lat/Lon: 53.054552, -0.785511), Balderton which are provided by:

• OpenStreetMap
• Google Maps
• StreetMap (Current Ordnance Survey maps)
• Bing (was Multimap)
• OldMaps (Old Ordnance Survey maps.)
• Old Maps Online (Other old maps.)
• National Library of Scotland (Old Ordnance Survey maps)
• Vision of Britain (Click "Historical units & statistics" for administrative areas.)
• English Jurisdictions in 1851 (Unfortunately the LDS have removed the facility to enable us to specify a starting location, you will need to search yourself on their map.)
• Magic (Geographic information) (Click + on map if it doesn't show)
• GeoHack (Links to on-line maps and location specific services.)

• All places within the same township/parish shown on an Openstreetmap map.
• Nearby townships/parishes shown on an Openstreetmap map.
• Nearby places shown on an Openstreetmap map.

• The Newark Municipal Isolation Hospital was erected here in 1906 on Barnby Road just north of the village.
   
• A new block was added in 1912 with room for 16 more patients.
   
• Hospitals were not required to archive patient records, but the Archives should hold administrative, accounting and photographic records. Patient records are protected under Closure regulations.
   
• Some of the hospital land and the nurses quarters were sold off in 1953.
   
• The Hospital closed, now sits unused and is called "The Hollies" by locals.
   
• Jonathan THACKER has a photograph of Newark Isolation Hospital on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2010.
   

• At the beginning of World War One, the Directors of the James SIMPSON & Co. Ltd. Engine Works in Balderton agreed that for married staff with dependents, called to service, the company would make up their service pay to two thirds of their previous salary. For married men without dependents, to half their previous salary. The company made sea mine firing mechanisms at the Grosvenor Road Works in London. The Company was a controlled firm under the Munitions of War Act. In 1917 the name of the Company was changed to Worthington Simpson Ltd. In 1918 the total number of Worthington Simpson employees was 800 of which 130 were female, most of the latter having been recruited for the war effort.
   
• David DIXON has a photograph of the War Memorial outside the Methodist Church on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2013.
   
• During World War II. the RAF operated out of Balderton starting in 1941. The airfield was closed in 1957. The area is now used as farmland.
   
• Sir Frank WHITTLE, inventor of the jet engine, worked on his jet engine designs in Balderton Hall.
   

There has been a project to record the names on the joint Newark and Balderton War Memorial. Most are from Newark.

• For a photograph and the list of 44 names on the War Memorial plaque in St Giles Church see the Nottinghamshire County Council site.
   
• The Great War Bulletin for November 16th, 1914; tells us that the following men were selected as Special Constables for Balderton for the duration of the war: John CULLEN, nurseryman; George PARKIN, foreman fitter; Robert ATTER, farmer; Slade SADLER, draughtsman; William HOLMES, assistant overseer of the poor and collector of taxes.
   
• The Great War Bulletin for January 1st, 1915; tells us who volunteered to fight in the Great War (not all may have been accepted).
   
• The Great War Bulletin for February 8th, 1915; tells us that Harry HEALED died on 2 January 1915 in France. Harry's family was in Redmile, NTT, at this time.
   
• The Newark Great War Bulletin for October 4th, 1915; tells us that private Arthur GRAVES, age 21, was badly wounded and recovering in the Carrington Military Hospital in Nottingham with a bullet close to his spine. His friend, Ernest ALLISON, age 21, was killed in the fighing.
   
• The Newark Great War Bulletin for December 6th, 1915; tells us that private Harold TURNER, age 21, had succumbed to head wounds received at Gallipoli. He was a sapper in the Royal Engineers.
   
• The same edition of the Newark Great War Bulletin tells us that private Walter Gilbert MOORE, age 22, a lance corporal in the 8th Btln. Sherwood Foresters had been recommended for a bravery award. His family lived on Farndon Road. Walter had been born in Burma in 1893 where his father was serving in the Army. Walter would die in June, 1916, while serving at the front.
   
• The 44 men who are listed on the St. Giles Monument tablet are:

1. George William BARKS
2. Henry BOND
3. George E BROMPTON
4. Walter BULMAN
5. Christopher Collins BURGIN
6. Jesse CHAPMAN
7. George Thomas Harold COULBY
8. Francis Mark CRAGG
9. Charles CRAMPTON
10. Richard Pearson ELSON
11. Arthur EWIN
12. Arthur FELL
13. Henry GARROD
14. John Harry GIBSON
15. Matthew William GRANDORGE
16. William Edward HOLLIS
17. George Henry Joseph HUNT
18. Walter HUNT
19. John William HYDE
20. Henry John JAMES
21. Eric JOHNSON
22. Albert James KITCHEN
23. John William KNOTT
24. Benjamin MARSDEN
25. Albert MAWSON
26. Walter MAWSON
27. David MURDEN
28. Frederick John OLPHERT
29. George Henry PILGRIM
30. Alfred Algarnon Horace RANSLEY
31. William ROBINSON
32. John Robert ROE
33. Robert SANDERS
34. Leonard George STEEL (see Genealogy topic.)
35. Robert Jackson TAYLOR
36. Arthur Ernest Gerald TILLIN
37. Harold TURNER
38. Albert Percy WALKER
39. Arthur WALSHAM
40. John Henry WHITEHEAD
41. Arthur WILSON
42. Samuel WITHERS
43. Albert Edward WOOD
44. Philip WOOLFITT (brother to Sir Donald WOLFIT)

• The village appears to be of Anglo-Saxon origin and is mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book as Baldretune.
   
• Locals pronounce the name as "Bollerton".
   
• Locals call the A1 road out of the village towards Grantham the "ramper".
   

• This place was an ancient parish and chapelry in county Nottingham.
   
• The parish was in the southern division of the ancient Newark Wapentake (Hundred) in the eastern division of the county.
   
• In April, 1935, this Civil Parish gave up 82 acres to Newark-on-Trent Civil Parish.
   
• The parish council meets in the Village Centre on Coronation Street.
   
• You may contact the local Balderton Parish Council regarding civic or political issues, but they are NOT staffed to help with family history research.
   
• District governance is provided by the Newark and Sherwood District Council.
   

• Bastardy cases would be heard in the Newark petty session hearings.
   
• The Common Land was enclosed here in 1766.
   
• After the Poor Law Amendment Act reforms of 1834, the parish became part of the Newark Poor Law Union.
   
• The parish became the center of a sub-district for the Newark Poorlaw Union.
   
• Some Poorlaw records and Bastardy Bonds for this parish are available on microfilm at the Family History Library.
   
• In 1892, Miss Alice BAKEWELL founded six almshouses to accommodate two couple and 4 individuals in need.
   
• Jpnathan THACKER has a photograph of the Almshouses on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2010.

Year	Inhabitants
1801	636
1811	659
1831	830
1841	899
1851	1,048
1871	1,009
1881	1,075
1891	1,404
1901	2,203
1911	2,824

• A local School Board was formed 1871.
   
• A National School was built here in 1846, but had been founded in 1726 by WIlliam ALVEY.
   
• Around 1900 a senior school was opened on Main Street and a primary school on London Road opened in 1903.
   
• Chuter Ede is a primary school which opened in 1964 on main Street and moved to Wolfit Avenue in 1967.
   
• Roger TEMPLEMAN has a photograph of the Entrance to The Chuter Ede School on Geo-graph, taken in October, 2016.
   
• A private preparatory school, Highfields, is on the border with Newark.
   
• Trevor RICKARD has a photograph of the Entrance to Highfields School on Geo-graph, taken in January, 2012.
   
• The Grove School provides secondary education to eleven to eighteen year-olds as a science college. This became the Newark Academy after merging with the High School in 2012.
   
• Geoff DUNN has a photograph of the Grove Comprehensive School on Geo-graph, taken in February, 2006.
   
• Jonathan THACKER has a photograph of Thomas Magnus School on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2011. The school's proper name is "The Magnus Church of England Academy" on Earp Avenue in Newark. The school was formed from the amalgamation of two schools: the Magdalene High School, which was named after Newark’s Parish Church, St. Mary Magdalene, and The Thomas Magnus School (founded in 1531).