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Upton

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"Upton is a handsome village and parish, pleasantly situated on a gentle declivity, two and a half miles east of Southwell. Its parish is in the liberty of Southwell and Scrooby, and contains 640 inhabitants and 1,408 acres of land, enclosed in 1795, and exonerated from tithes by allotments to the vicar and appropriator. The Rev. J. Banks Wright is lord of the manor, and owner of about 60 acres of land. There are a few other small freeholders, but it is mostly copyhold under the Archbishop, or leasehold under the Chapter of Southwell. The latter are appropriators and patrons of the vicarage, which is valued in the King's books at £4 11s 5½d, now at £91, and is enjoyed by the Rev. Frederick William Naylor, who erected a neat Sunday School in the village, and resides at the vicarage house, a neat mansion erected a few years ago.
The church is a small gothic fabric, dedicated to St Peter, with a chancel and handsome tower, in which are four bells. There is a small Methodist chapel. Upton Hall is the delightful seat of the Dowager Lady Galway. It is a large, elegant mansion, surrounded with pleasure grounds, from which extensive and beautiful prospects are seen. It was built by the late Thomas Wright Esq., on the site of the old manor mouse. J.C. Wood of Normanton, and W. Esam of Averham Park have estates here."
[WHITE's "Directory of Nottinghamshire," 1853]

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Archives & Libraries

The Library at Newark will prove useful in your research.

The near-by Library at Southwell would be an alternative resource.

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Cemeteries

Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of the BETTISON family gravestones from the 1700s on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2020.

Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of the HOLMES family gravestones on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2020.

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Census

  • The parish was in the Southwell sub-district of the Southwell Registration District.
     
  • The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
     
Census
Year
Piece No.
1841H.O. 107 / 867
1851H.O. 107 / 2134
1861R.G. 9 / 2472
1871R.G. 10 / 3534
1881R.G. 11 / 3370
1891R.G. 12 / 2640
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Church History

  • The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Paul.
     
  • The church was built in the 13th century.
     
  • The church tower was added in the 15th century.
     
  • The church was restored in the 17th century, and again in the 1820s and 1860s.
     
  • The church seats 250.
     
  • Richard CROFT has a photograph of St. Peter's Church on Geo-graph, taken in February, 2007.
     
  • J. HANNAN-BRIGGS also has a photograph of St. Peter and St. Paul's Church on Geo-graph, taken in October, 2011 .
     
  • Richard CROFT has a photograph of the Church interior on Geo-graph, taken in February, 2007.
     
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Church Records

  • The Anglican parish registers date from 1585 for baptisms and 1586 for marriages and burials, and is in good condition.
     
  • The parish was in the rural deanery of Southwell.
     
  • The Wesleyan Methodists built a chapel here in 1831. This chapel is now disused.
     
  • Tim HEATON has a photograph of the Wesleyan Chapel on the Main Road on Geo-graph, taken in November, 2008.
     
  • Jonathan THACKER also has a photograph of the Wesleyan Chapel on Geo-graph, taken in January, 2012.
     
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Civil Registration

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

This village and parish occupy a elevated site on the high road from Southwell to Newark and are about 2 miles east of Southwell and 5 miles west of Newark. The parish covers 1,440 acres.

If you are planning a visit:

  • The village is on the A612 arterial road, just south of the A617 trunk road.
     
  • Check the Carlberry site for coach or bus service.
     
  • Brian GREEN has a photograph of the Village Sign on Geo-graph, taken in April, 2008.
     
  • Stop in at the Cross Keys Pub for a little local chatter.
     
  • Consider the Southwell Golf Club for a relaxing game.
     
  • The village is due north of the Southwell Racecourse.
     
You can see pictures of Upton which are provided by:

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Directories

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Gazetteers

John Marius WILSON's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales, (1870-72), tells us:

"UPTON, a parish, with a village, in Southwell district, Notts; 2 miles E of Southwell r. station. It has a post-office under Southwell, and contains Southwell workhouse. Acres, 1,440. Real property, £3,821. Pop., 587. Houses, 120. The property is much subdivided. U. Hall is the seat of P. R. Falkner, Esq. There are corn mills and a brick and tile kiln. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Lincoln. Value, £300. Patron, the Chapter of Southwell. The church is old, and has been recently restored. There are a Wesleyan chapel, a national school, and charities £68."
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History

  • The Great War Bulletin for November 23rd, 1914; tells us that Edward STORY, aged 62, a butcher and farmer, was killed in a collision with a motor vehicle near Kelham while on his way home from Newark. In a 1912 Directory entry, Joseph is listed as a "fruiterer" in Upton. Edward was born in Halam, NTT, circa 1852. His wife, Fanny, was born in Kneesall, NTT, circa 1854.
     
  • Graham HOGG has a photograph of the Cross Keys Pub. on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2021.
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Manors

  • Upton Hall was the property of Philip Richard FALKNER in 1881. It stood on an elevated site and had a commanding view of the countryside.
     
  • Andy STEPHENSON has a photograph of Upton Hall on Geo-graph, taken in April, 2005.
     
  • Alan MURRAY-RUST also has a photograph of Upton Hall on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2020.
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Maps

  • See our Maps page for additional resources.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK737543 (Lat/Lon: 53.080847, -0.901219), Upton which are provided by:

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Military Records

There is a First World War Memorial plaque in the church on the south wall. To see the list of names on it, see the Southwell Church History Project site. These are the names listed on that Memorial:

  1. Lieut. JOHN CEDRIC GEOFFREY WARWICK. 1/1 South Notts Hussars
  2. Pte. GEORGE CROPPER, 13TH East Yorks
  3. Pte. CHARLES ALFRED HALL, KRRR
  4. Pte. ALBERT PROCTOR, Winnipeg Rifles
  5. Pte. ARTHUR ROCKLEY, 13TH Durham Light Infantry
  6. Pte. HERBERT SHEPPARD, 1ST Sherwood Foresters
  7. Pte. WILLIAM HENRY SMITH, M.M., Sherwood Foresters
  8. Pte. CHARLES STIMSON, 1ST Sherwood Foresters
  9. Pte. PERCIVAL THOMAS WATSON WALKER, Royal Army Service Corps
  10. Pte. WILLIAM JEFFERSON WILKINSON, Royal Garrison Artillery

The parish has kept a WWI memorial previously located in Upton Methodist Chapel in the church tower. It was moved to the tower in 1968 for preservation when the Methodist Chapel closed.

  1. Lieut. JOHN CEDRIC GEOFFREY WARWICK, age 23. 1/1 South Notts Hussars
  2. Pte. GEORGE CROPPER, age 31. 13TH East Yorks
  3. Pte. CHARLES ALFRED HALL, age 26. KRRR
  4. Pte. ALBERT PROCTOR, age 24. Winnipeg Rifles
  5. Pte. ARTHUR ROCKLEY, age 39. 13TH Durham Light Infantry
  6. Pte. HERBERT SHEPPARD, age 23. 1ST Sherwood Foresters
  7. Pte. WILLIAM HENRY SMITH, M.M., age 32. Sherwood Foresters
  8. Pte. CHARLES STIMSON, age 19, 1ST Sherwood Foresters
  9. Pte. PERCIVAL THOS WATSON WALKER, age 41. Royal Army Service Corps
  10. Pte. WILLIAM JEFFERSON WILKINSON, age 35, Royal Garrison Artillery
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Politics & Government

  • This place was an ancient parish and chapelry in county Nottingham and it became a modern Civil Parish when those were established.
     
  • The parish was in the ancient Thurgarton Wapentake (Hundred) in the southern division of the county.
     
  • The parish was also in the Liberty of Southwell and Scrooby.
     
  • You may contact the Upton Parish Council regarding civic or political issues, but they will NOT assist you with family history research.
     
  • Jonathan THACKER has a photograph of the Village Hall on Geo-graph. Stop in when the Hall is open and ask for a copy of the schedule of forth-coming events. Local history is often a topic.
     
  • District governance is provided by the Newark and Sherwood District Council.
     
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Poor Houses, Poor Law

  • Bastardy cases would be heard at the Retford petty session hearings held in West Retford.
     
  • The Common Land was enclosed here in 1795.
     
  • There is a photograph of the Babthorpe almhouse built in 1785 at the Images of England website. This is a Grade II listed building with British Heritage.
     
  • As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act reforms, this parish became part of the Southwell Poor Law Union.
     
  • The Southwell Union Workhouse stood in the south-east corner of this parish. This building was erected in 1824, when only 49 parishes and townships were part of the union.
     
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Population

 YearPopulation
1801329
1831533
1841601
1851629
1861587
1881499
1901459
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Schools

  • There was a National School built here in 1827. In 1885 about 30 children attended this school.