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Ratcliffe on Soar

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"Ratcliffe-upon-Soar is a small village and parish, near the junction of the Soar and the Trent navigation, 9 miles south west of Nottingham. It has 183 inhabitants, and 1,200 acres of land, belonging to Earl Howe, who is lord of the manor, impropriator, and patron of the vicarage, which is valued in the King's books at £10 11s 3d, now £71., and is now in the imcumbency of the Rev. Jno. Jas. Vaughan. It has been augmented with land at Misson, purchased with Queen Anne's bounty.
The church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, is an ancient building with nave, side aisles and tower. In the chancel are several monuments of the Sacheverell family, who had a large manor house here, but it was pulled down in 1719, except the dining room, which is now used as a barn by Mrs Hickinbotham. In 1852 a National School was created here by Lord Howe, who is also the sole supporter."
[WHITE's "Directory of Nottinghamshire," 1853]

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Archives & Libraries

The Library at Nottingham will prove useful in your research.

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Cemeteries

Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of some ot the Gravestones at Ratcliffe on Geo-graph, taken in February, 2008.

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Census

  • The parish was in the Castle Donington sub-district of the Shardlow Registration District.
     
  • The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
     
CensusPiece No.
1861R.G. 9 / 2486
1871R.G. 10 / 3549
1881R.G. 11 / 3383
1891R.G. 12 / 2719
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Church History

  • The church was built of stone in the Early English and Decorated styles. The core fabric dates from the 13th Century to the 15th Century. The tower appears to be from the 13th Century.
     
  • The Anglican parish church was originally dedicated to Saint Mary.
     
  • Between 1832 and 1840 the church was re-dedicated to The Holy Trinity.
     
  • In 1743 divine service was performed once every Sunday and Holy Communion was administered four times a year to about ten communicants (out of 50 in the parish).
     
  • The church was partially restored in 1891.
     
  • Further restoration work on the church fabric was carried out in 1915-16. Lord Belper and the Diocesan Church Extension Society funded the work.
     
  • In 1990 there was extensive pointing and repairs to the church spire at which time the weathercock was repaired and renovated and the roof timbers were treated for beetle and rot.
     
  • Bill HENERSON has a photograph of Holy Trinity Church on Geo-graph, taken in 2004.
     
  • Richard CROFT has a photograph of Holy Trinity Church on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2011.
     
  • And John SLATER also has a photograph of Holy Trinity Church on Geo-graph, taken in March, 2013.
     
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Church Records

  • the church was in the rural deanery of West Bingham.
     
  • The parish register is in good condition and dates from 1597.
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Civil Registration

  • The parish was in the Castle Donington sub-district of the Shardlow Registration District.
     
  • Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
     
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Description & Travel

This village and parish lie on the River Soar not far from the Midlands Airport, not far from the Leicestershire border. Kingston-on-Soar is just to the south. The parish covers about 1,200 acres.

If you are planning a visit:

  • By automobile, take the A453 arterial south out of Nottingham. This road passes just to the north of the village.
     
  • There is a railway near the village, but the author was unable to find scheduled passenger service.
     
  • Richard VINCE however, has a photograph of the Railway station at night on Geo-graph, taken in November, 2015.
     
  • the parish has had a shuttle service to and from the East Midlands Airport. Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of the Shuttle Bus Service on Geo-graph, taken in February, 2009.
     
You can see pictures of Ratcliffe on Soar which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

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History

Paul HARROP has a photograph of the Ratcliffe on Soar Power Station Cooling towers on Geo-graph, taken in July, 2016. These towers are a regional landmark because they can be seen for miles. The power station opened in 1968.

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Maps

  • See our Maps page for additional resources.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK494289 (Lat/Lon: 52.855336, -1.267808), Ratcliffe on Soar which are provided by:

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Military History

The War Memorial is in the parish church on the north wall of the nave. It is a Roll of Honour of all who served, with those who were killed marked by a red cross.

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Military Records

These are the men from the parish who died in WWI:

  1. pte. Gordon C CLARKE, So. Notts Hussars
  2. pte. Walter Joseph ELLIOTT, 2nd Bn. Sherwood Foresters
  3. pte. George William LAKIN, 11th Bn. Sherwood Foresters
  4. lance sgt. Wilfred J NEWSOME, 3rd Bn. Grenadier Guards
  1. pte. Frederick ORME, 6th Bn York and Lancs. Regt.
  2. trooper Herbert Edward SPURR, 19th Bn Australian Infantry
  3. pte. Arthur WILTSHIRE, 10th Bn Sherwood Foresters

These are the other names listed on the War Memorial who survived WWI:

  1. Bloodworth, C., K.O.S.L.I.
  2. Elliott, C.H.B., Leicesters.
  3. Elliott, C.D., Can: Eng:
  4. Elliott, G.T., Can: Mtd: Rfls:
  5. Garrat, A.J., R. A. F.
  6. Grundy, J.
  7. Hallam, T., Can: Rail Op. Co.
  8. Middleton, J., 7th Leicesters
  9. Moore, A.H., 15th L:Arm:C:Baty
  10. Moore, F., 52nd Bn: K.O.Y.L.I.
  11. Mott, W., 3rd Sher. For.
  12. Newsome, C., 18th K. R. Rifles
  13. Newsome, D., 8th K. R. Rifles
  14. Simon, T., R. A. F.
  15. Small, W., Army Service Corps
  16. Wilson, W., R. Garrison Art.
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Politics & Government

  • This place was an ancient parish in Nottingham county and became a modern Civil Parish when those were established.
     
  • The parish was in the ancient Rushcliffe Wapentake (Hundred) in the southern division of the county.
     
  • The citizens of this parish have elected to forgo a formal Parish Council and have instead decided to have Parish Meetings to discuss civic and political issues.
     
  • District governance is provided by the Rushcliffe Borough Council.
     
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Poor Houses, Poor Law

  • The parish had an annual charity of £12 10s for clothing for the poor.
     
  • As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, this parish became part of the Shardlow Poorlaw Union.
     
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Population

 YearPopulation
1801156
1811169
1821168
1831177
1841224
1851146
1871151
1881146
1891135
1901142
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Schools

In 1852 a National School was created here by Lord HOWE.

A School Committee was formed of six members in July, 1903.

Andrew ABBOTT has a photograph of the Old School House on Geo-graph, taken in July, 2020.