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Wilford
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"Wilford is a delightful village and parish situated on the south bank of the Trent, 1½ miles south of Nottingham by the ferry, and three miles by the turnpike. It has several neat villas belonging to opulent families, engaged in the trade and commerce of Nottingham. It contains 570 inhabitants and 1,700 acres of land, of the rateable value of £3,400. Sir J.G.J. Clifton, Bart, is lord of the manor and owner of the soil, except the glebe, and about 70 acres belonging to Henry Smith Esq. The church is a fine old structure, occupying a situation close to the Trent, and commands a most pleasing view of Nottingham and its vicinity, and of the river which is here lined by a long row of lofty elms. It is dedicated to St Wilfrid, and the name of the village is evidently a contraction of Wilfrid's Ford, as there is both a ford and a ferry close by. The tower is low, but the nave and the two side aisles are spacious, and the chancel has a handsome altarpiece. The living is a rectory, valued in the King's books at £18 7s 6d, and received at the enclosure, in 1766, an allotment of 227 acres in lieu of tithes. The Rev. Thomas Thorpe is the incumbent, and resides at the rectory house, a neat mansion at the south-east corner of the churchyard. Sir J.G.J. Clifton, Bart, is the patron of the living. Wilford seems to have been anciently a Roman station, as many Roman coins were dug up here about 50 years ago, most of which were of the latter emperors. Wilford House, the seat of Henry Smith Esq., is a large handsome brick mansion, with extensive pleasure grounds tastefully laid out." [WHITE's "Directory of Nottinghamshire," 1853]
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The Library at Nottingham will prove useful in your research.
- The Corporation of Nottingham purchased about 60 acres on Wilford Hill to form a cemetery. This is listed in many sources as "Nottingham Southern Cemetery".
- The Cemetery boasts that two holders of the Victoria Cross are interred within.
- Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of the Wilford Hill Cemetery entry lane on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2008. The mortuary chapel is a large building at the top of the hill.
- Tim HEATON has a photograph of the New Cemetery on Geo-graph, taken in April, 2008. This cemetery is just south of the parish churchyard adjacent to the River Trent.
- The parish was in the Wilford sub-district of the Basford Registration District.
- The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
| Census Year | Piece No. |
|---|---|
| 1851 | H.O. 107 / 2128 |
| 1861 | R.G. 9 / 2446 |
| 1871 | R.G. 10 / 3498 |
| 1881 | R.G. 11 / 3339 |
| 1891 | R.G. 12 / 2680 |
- The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Wilfrid (this is the accepted spelling).
- Saint Wilfrid lived in this area from 634 to 709 AD and performed baptisms in the nearby Trent River.
- The church has its own website, where you can keep up with current events.
- The church chancel was restored in 1868.
- The church was restored and the bells recast in 1891.
- The church seats 408.
- The church was in the rural deanery of West Bingham.
- The church is Grade II listed with British Heritage.
- Tim HEATON has a photograph of St. Wilfred's Church on Geo-graph, taken in April, 2008.
- Mat FASCIONE also has a photograph of St. Wilfred's Church amongst the trees on Geo-graph, taken in July, 2015.
- John SUTTON also has a photograph of St. Wilfrid's Church on Geo-graph, taken in April, 2014.
- The Anglican parish register dates from 1657 but is imperfect.
- The church was in the rural deanery of West Bingham.
- Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of the Wilford Mormon Temple in Stanhome Square on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2008. The mortuary chapel is a large building at the top of the hill.
- The parish was in the Wilford sub-district of the Basford Registration District.
- Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
Wilford village, township and parish have been absorbed into the city of Nottingham. The old village is bounded on the north and the west by the River Trent.
It is difficult in many places to tell the western boundary of the village from West Bridgport. If you are planning a visit:
- By automobile, the A52 skirts the southern end of the village.
- Check for routine, scheduled bus service via Carlberry Company.
- Stop in at the Wilford Village Hall pictured here on Geo-graph, taken in November, 2008. Ask for a schedule of forth-coming events. You can hire the Hall for a family reunion if you'd like.
- We have an extract from White's 1853 Directory relating to this parish.
- There are a number of photograph of Historic Wilford on the This is Wilford Site.
- Ask for a calculation of the distance from Wilford to another place.
- The River Trent overflowed its banks in October, 1875, and caused great destruction here along with some loss of life.
- Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of the Ferry Inn sign on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2014. This inn is on the north edge of the village.
- See our Maps page for additional resources.
You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK567376 (Lat/Lon: 52.932817, -1.157895), Wilford which are provided by:
- OpenStreetMap
- Google Maps
- StreetMap (Current Ordnance Survey maps)
- Bing (was Multimap)
- Old Maps Online
- 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 war memorials, commemorating the men of Wilford who died in both World Wars, are on the north wall of the parish church.
- The war memorial is a marble tablet with a Latin cross in a laurel wreath positioned at top centre. It was dedicated in November 1920.
The names listed on the memorial plaque are:
- Allen, Leonard H.
- Aylett, George E., 2nd Bn. King's Royal Rifle Corps, died 25 Sept.1918, age 33.
- Cripwell, James Alfred, 1st Bn. Northamptonshire Regt., died 10 July 1917
- Glover, William H.
- Griffin, Joseph B., lance corporal, 2nd Bn. Sherwood Foresters, died 22 Oct.1914
- Jackson, Denny B.
- Reynolds, Frank L.
- Reynolds, George H.
- Silvester, Charles, private, 1st Bn., Lincolnshire Regt., died 26 Sept.1918
- The parish was in the northern division of the ancient Rushcliffe Wapentake (Hundred) in the southern division of the county.
- For governance, the parish was in the Nottinghamshire County Council area.
- In 1887 an act of Parliament split the parish into North Wilford and South Wilford. In 1894, North Wilford was incorporated into the Urban District of Nottingham (Nottingham City).
- In the 1950s Wilford changed from an agricultural community to a suburban housing estate.
- Bastardy cases would be heard in the Nottingham petty session hearings.
- After the Poor Law Amendment Act reforms of 1834, this parish became a part of the Basford Poor Law Union.
- The Dorothy Boot Homes were erected on the Main Road in 1908 by Sir Jesse BOOT for veterans of the Crimean War and the Indian Mutiny.
- John SUTTON has a photograph of the Dorothy Boot Homes as they are nowadays on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2013.
John SUTTON has a photograph of the former Infants School built in 1828 on Geo-graph, taken in July, 2012.
Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of the Roman Catholic Becket School on Geo-graph, taken in April, 2012.