Blythe, Yorkshire, England. Geographical and Historical information from 1868.

BLYTHE:
Geographical and Historical information from the year 1868.

"BLYTHE, in the parish of its name, chiefly in the Hatfield division of the wapentake of Bassetlaw, in the county of Nottingham, but partly also in the wapentake of Strafforth and Tickhill, in the West Riding of the county of York, 30 miles to the N. of Nottingham, and 146 miles from London by the Great Northern railway, which crosses the parish. The Ranskill station is 2 miles from Blythe. This parish is of great extent, and contains the chapelries of Austerfield and Bawtry, which are in Yorkshire, and the townships of Barnby Moor, Ranskill, Styrrup, and Torworth, and the lordship of Hodsock, which are in Nottinghamshire. The river Ryton runs through the parish, and joins the Idle at Bawtry. Blythe is a place of great antiquity, and was the site of a Benedictine priory founded in 1088 by Roger de Builly, dedicated to the Virgin, and partly subordinate to the abbey of Rouen. Its value at the Dissolution was about £126. Roger de Builly is said to have built a castle here; but no vestiges are left of it. In the reign of John a leper's hospital was founded by the De Cressys, lords of Hodsock. The buildings have perished, but their site is still called Blythe Spital. This town had the privilege of a market, which is now disused. It is a neat and well-built place, situated in a pleasant and fertile district in a high state of cultivation. Fuller, perhaps jocosely, derives the name of the parish from the character of the people, noted, he says, for their "mirth and good fellowship." The living is a vicarage*in the diocese of York, of the value of £751, in the patronage of the Master and Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge. The church is dedicated to St. Martin. It is a spacious edifice in the Norman style, with a lofty handsome tower in the perpendicular style, and was originally part of the old conventual church. The chancel contains several ancient monuments of the Mellish family. The Wesleyan Methodists and the Quakers have places of worship in the town. There is a small endowed free school, and almshouses for eight persons, the value of the entire parochial charities being about £80 per annum. Blythe Hall was the seat of the Mellishes. Serlby Hall, situated about a mile from the town, is the seat of the Dowager Lady Galway. It contains a good collection of portraits and pictures, including works by Daniel Mytons and Vandyck. Fairs are held at Blythe on Holy Thursday and the 20th October."

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"AUSTERFIELD, a chapelry in the parish of Blythe, wapentake of Strafforth and Tickhill, in the West Riding of the county of York, 8 miles to the S.E. of Doncaster. It is situated on the North Watling Street, and had a Roman encampment. The living is a perpetual curacy annexed to the vicarage of Blythe."

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"BAWTRY, a chapelry and market town, partly in the parish of Blythe, southern division of the wapentake of Strafforth and Tickhill, in the West Riding of the county of York, and partly in the parishes of Scrooby and Harworth, wapentake of Bassetlaw, in the county of Nottingham, 14 miles to the W. of Rotherham, and 148 miles from London. It is a station on the Great Northern Railway, 10 miles to the N. of Retford. The town is seated on rising ground on the west bank of the river Idle, near the Roman road to Doncaster. The river is crossed by a stone bridge, and is navigable for small vessels as far as Gainsborough. The great north road runs through the principal street, which is broad and handsome. There is a good supply of water, and the streets are lighted with gas. The general aspect of the place is pleasant and cheerful. The carrying trade on the Idle, formerly considerable, has very much declined since the formation of the Chesterfield canal and the more recent introduction of railways. The workpeople are now chiefly employed in the pursuits of agriculture. The living is a perpetual curacy annexed to the vicarage of Blythe, in the diocese of York. The church is dedicated to St. Nicholas. It is a small edifice, in the perpendicular style, originally founded in the reign of Henry II., and rebuilt at the close of the 17th century. It is built of the beautiful cream-coloured and very compact magnesian limestone found at Roche Abbey, much prized by sculptors. The Wesleyans and Independents have chapels in the town. There is a large National school. The Archbishop of York had a seat at Scrooby near this town, the remains of which are now a farm-house. Bawtry House is the seat of R. Monckton Milnes, Esq., M.P. The market is held on Thursday, and fairs for the sale of horses and cattle on the Thursday in Whitsun week and the 22nd November."

[Transcribed from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland 1868]
by Colin Hinson ©2013