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Trowell

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"Trowell is a pleasant village at the foot of a steep declivity near the Erewash, 5¾ miles west of Nottingham. The parish has 392 inhabitants and 2,340 acres of land, rated to the poor at £2,335, all belonging to Lord Middleton except 200 acres alloted to the rector, at the enclosure in 1788. His lordship has an extensive colliery on Trowell Moor. In 1843 a new national Schoolroom was erected, and at the free school on the moor, 15 children from Wollaton, 10 from Trowell and 5 from Cossall "are educated at the expense of Lord Middleton". He is also patron of the rectory, which was in two medieties, valued in the King's books at £4 14s 4d, each now £440, and is now enjoyed by the Rev. Francis Hewgill.
The church is dedicated to St Helen, has a nave and side aisles, and the chancel window is stained glass. It has a noble tower with six bells, cast about 1790, and was repewed and repaired in 1836 by Lord Middleton. John Lowe left in 1837, to the minister of Trowell, for the time being, the sum of £100 for the use of the church Sunday School. The feast is on Whitsunday. The poor have 20s yearly, from Lord Middleton, pursuant to the will of Elizabeth Hacker in 1780, and also 20s from Handley's charity."
[WHITE's "Directory of Nottinghamshire," 1853]

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Caution: There is a Trowell in Ontario, Canada, as well.  Make sure that you are researching the correct place.

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Archives & Libraries

The Library at Nottingham will prove useful in your research.

You can also find Library help at Ilkeston Library in Derbyshire and the Library at Stapleford which has a Local History Section.

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Bibliography

  • COOK, Alan J. "A History of Trowell", publ. 1995 by the Ilkeston and District Local History Society, 64 pages, ISBN 978-0902165144.
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Census

  • The parish was in the Ilkeston sub-district of the Basford Registration District.
     
  • The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
     
Census
Year
Piece No.
1861R.G. 9 / 2437
1871R.G. 10 / 3483
1891R.G. 12 / 2667
1911R.G. 14 / 135
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Church History

  • The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Helen.
     
  • There was a church here in 801 AD.
     
  • The 1086 Domesday Book records "a priest and half a church”.
     
  • The present church was built in the 13th century.
     
  • The church tower was built in 1480 out of local sandstone.
     
  • The church was repaired in 1836.
     
  • The church was restored in 1890.
     
  • The church seats 200.
     
  • The church is Grade II listed with British Heritage.
     
  • See the History of St Helens Church for more history facts.
     
  • Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of Trowell Church tower on Geo-graph, taken in November, 2007.
     
  • David HALLAM-JONES has a photograph of St. Helen's Church on Geo-graph, taken in January, 2013.
     
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Church Records

  • The Anglican parish register dates from 1560.
     
  • The church was in the rural deanery of Mansfield.
     
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Civil Registration

  • The parish was in the Ilkeston sub-district of the Basford Registration District.
     
  • Civil Registration started in July, 1837.
     
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Description & Travel

Trowell is a village and a parish which lies only 5 miles west of Nottingham. The parish borders Derbyshire to the west and Stapleford to the south. The Erewash (or Ere Wash) River flows around the village to the south. The parish covers about 1,574 acres.

If you are planning a visit:

  • Most of the village lies between the River Erewash (Derbyshire boundary) and Nottingham Canal.
     
  • The M1 runs through Trowell village.
     
  • Take the A609 west out of Nottingham to reach Trowell village.
     
You can see pictures of Trowell which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

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History

  • The parish feast was on Whitsunday (seven weeks after Easter, typically early May).
     
  • Coal was extracted from nearby mines from the 13th century until 1928.
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Maps

  • See our Maps page for additional resources.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK484397 (Lat/Lon: 52.952503, -1.281053), Trowell which are provided by:

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Military History

  • Inside the church, the South Aisle window is a memorial to Richard Jeffreys NICHOLLS, killed in France in 1916.
     
  • Inside the church is a War Memorial brass from 1918.
     
  • Inside the church is a wooden War Memorial plaque from 1945.
     
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Military Records

There are War Memorials in the church. To see the list of names on them, visit the Southwell Church History Project site.

These are the names inscribed on the war memorial above:

  1. lance corporal John Anthony FOWLER, 17th Bn Sherwood Foresters
  2. lance corporal Frederick William HAZELGROVE, 2nd Bn Durham Light Infantry
  3. captain Richard Jeffreys NICOLLS, 11th Bn Sherwood Foresters
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Politics & Government

  • This place was an ancient parish in Nottinghamshire and became a modern Civil Parish when those were established.
     
  • This parish was in the southern division of the Broxtowe Hundred or Wapentake in the northern division of the county.
     
  • You may contact the Trowell Parish Council regarding civic or political matters, but do NOT ask them to do family history lookups for you.
     
  • Parish Council meetings and other events are held in the Parish Hall in Stapleford Road.
     
  • District governance is provided by the Broxtowe Borough Council.
     
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Poor Houses, Poor Law

  • Bastardy cases would be heard in the Nottingham petty session hearings.
     
  • The Common Lands were enclosed here in 1788.
     
  • After the Poor Law Amendment Act reforms of 1834, this parish became a part of the Basford Poor Law Union.
     
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Population

 YearPopulation
1801235
1851392
1861343
1871270
1881421
1891414
1901434
1911404
1921360
1931435
19511,536
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Schools

  • A National School was built here in 1843.