White's Directory of Nottinghamshire, 1853

East Stoke

East Stoke is a pleasant village on the south bank of the Trent, and on the Roman Fosseway, four miles south-west of Newark. It contains 408 inhabitants and 1,580 acres of land, exclusive of Newark castle liberty, which forms a part of its township, and contains 104 acres. Its Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction includes Elston Chapel, and the parochial chapelries of Coddington and Syerston.

Stoke Hall is a large handsome mansion, overlooking the vale of the Trent, with extensive pleasure grounds and picturesque scenery. It is the seat of Sir Robert Howe Bromley, Bart., who is the principal owner and lord of the manor. The church stands on an eminence near the Hall, and is dedicated to St Oswald, and has a prebendal stall in Lincoln Cathedral, occupied by the chancellor of that church, who has the appropriation of the rectorial tithes and patronage of the vicarage, and the Rev. Henry Dale M.A. is the incumbent; the living is valued in the king's books at £8 13s, now £372; the tithes were commuted at the enclosure for about 250 acres of land. The church is a neat edifice with nave, chancel, and tower with four bells; and the vicarage is a neat house, a little south of the village. There was anciently an hospital dedicated to St Leonard, for a master, chaplain, brethren and sick persons. A day school was established in 1847 by Sir Robert and Lady Bromley, and is chiefly supported by them, but the children of the labouring classes pay 2d, those of farmers and tradespeople 3d, and children requiring a more extended education 6d per week. John Lightfoot D.D., a celebrated Hebrician, was born here in 1602 and died in 1675.

Note: Sue CRAWFORD advises that John LIGHTFOOT, noted above, was actually born in Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire. Louis MILLS notes that his death in 1675 would have been in Ely, Cambridgshire, according to Wikipedia.

Stokefield, one mile south-east of the village, is a neat house and good estate, the residence and property of John Brockton Esq., and is noted as being the scene of the battle between Henry VII and the army under the Earl of Lincoln, who had espoused the cause of the imposter, Lambert Simnel, the pretended Earl of Warwick, and claimant for the Crown. This bloody conflict occurred in June 1487, and after three hours hard fighting, the whole rebel line was broken, and all the chieftains slain. The total slaughter of both armies amounted to 7,000 men. Several historians say that Lord Lovel, one of the insurgents, was drowned in attempting to cross the Trent, but Bacon says ,"another report leaves him not there, but that he lived long after in a cave or vault". Gough, in his additions to Cambden says that, in pulling down the house of Minster Lovel, in Oxfordshire, which belonged to Lord Lovel, there was found in a vault the body of a man in rich clothes, seated in a chair, with a table and mass book before him. The body when found was entire, but upon the admission of air it soon fell into dust. From this, Mr Gough concludes, that after the battle of Stokefield, Lord Lovel retired to this vault where he perished, either through treachery, or some accident which befell his servant, or those entrusted with the secret of his retreat. It is extremely probable, from the coincidence of name and other circumstances, that this event formed the groundwork of Miss Clara Reeve's elegant romance of the "Old English Baron".

Stoke feast is on the first Monday in June. The poor have £2 10s yearly out of land belonging to the Hall family, left by an unknown donor.

[Transcribed by Clive Henly]