Beckingham

Note: There is a Beckingham parish in Nottinghamshire as well.

Description and Travel

Beckingham is both a parish and a village approximately 5 miles east of Newark on Trent and 14 miles SW of Lincoln. Nottinghamshire forms the western border, Stapleford parish borders on the north and Fenton parish to the south. The parish covers about 2,000 acres and includes the hamlet of Sutton, about one mile south of the village of Beckingham.

The village of Beckingham lies on the east bank of the River Withern, with some houses on the west bank. If you are planning a visit:

• Take a virtual tour at the Beckingham village website.
  
  
• Take the A17 trunk road east out of Newark or west from Sleaford.
  
  
• Visit our touring page for more sources.
  
  

Census

• The parish is in the Bassingham sub-district of the Newark Registration District.
  
  
• The North Lincolnshire Library holds copies of the census returns for 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891 and 1901.
  
  
• Check our Census Resource page for county-wide resources.
  
  
• The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
  
  

Top

Church History

• The Anglican parish church is dedicated to All Saints.
  
  
• The church is of the Gothic style.
  
  
• The church was restored in 1857, then again in 1888 and 1900.
  
  
• A new clock, to replace the old one, was presented by the Rev. A. F. SUTTON in 1899.
  
  
• The church seats about 360 persons.
  
  
• Here is a photo of the church, taken by (and copyright of) Wendy Parkinson.
  
  

• Here is a photo of the church, taken by Ron Cole (who retains the copyright):
  
  

Top

Church Records

• The parish register dates from 1558 (some sources give 1573) and the Bishop's transcripts start in 1561.
  
  
• The Lincolnshire FHS has a Loan Library service which has the parish registers on microfiche for Baptisms from 1554 to 1812 and Marriages from 1586 to 1812.
  
  
• The LFHS has published several marriage indexes for the Loveden Deanery to make your search easier.
  
  
• The Wesleyan Methodists built a small chapel here. For information and assistance in researching this chapel, see our non-conformist religions page.
  
  
• Check our Church Records page for county-wide resources.
  
  

Top

Civil Registration

• The parish was in the Bassingham sub-district of the Newark Registration District.
  
  
• Check our Civil Registration page for sources and background on Civil Registration which began in July, 1837.
  
  

Top

History

• The STRAPPS family were millers in the mill to the north of the town in the late 1700s/early 1800s.
  
  

Top

Land and Property

• The principal landowners in 1871 were the Rev. George MARSLAND and the trustees of the late C. G. MILNES. Freeholders included the families JOHNSON and HANDLEY. About 155 acres belonged to Corpus Christi College, Oxford.
  
  

Top

Manors

• Beckingham Hall sat near the church but has been unoccupied for decades.
  
  

Top

Maps

• The national grid reference is SK 8753.
  
  
• You'll want an Ordnance Survey Explorer map, which has a scale of 2.5 inches to the mile.
  
  
• See our Maps page for additional resources.
  
  

Top

Names, Geographical

• The name Beckingham is from the Old English Becca+inga+ham, or "homestead of the family or followers of Bassa". In 1177, the village is given as Bekingeham.
  [A. D. Mills, "A Dictionary of English Place-Names," Oxford University Press, 1991]
  
  

Top

Names, Personal

Here's a partial list of surnames found in Beckingham in 1871:

ANDREW, CARTLEDGE, CROSBY, GIBSON, HUNT, JOHNSON, MARSLAND, PAKES, POGSON, RIMINGTON, ROBINSON, ROCKLEY, ROSSINGTON, SEWARDS, SMITH, TEBB and TORRY.

Top

Politics and Government

• The parish was in the ancient Loveden Wapentake in the North Kesteven division of the county, in the parts of Kesteven.
  
  
• Kelly's "1913 Directory of Lincolnshire" places this parish, perhaps erroneously, in the South Kesteven division of the county.
  
  
• For today's governance, see the North Kesteven District Council.
  
  

Top

Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

• Care of the poor dates back to at least 1691 when Randolph PATTINSON left to the poor the fourth part of an oxgang of land, later exchanged into gardens.
  
  
• The Common Land was enclosed here in 1770.
  
  
• After the Poor Law Amendment Act reforms of 1834, the parish became part of the Newark Poor Law Union.
  
  
• Bastardy cases would be heard in the Spittlegate petty sessional hearings.
  
  
• In 1878, Mrs. Dorothy B. BROWNE, of the MILNES family, left £500 with the church for poor and educational purposes.
  
  

Top

Population

Top

Schools

• A small National School was built in 1840 by the Rev. George MARSLAND for 85 students. The building was renovated in 1886. Average attendance was 55.
  
  
• For more on researching school records, see our Schools Research page.
  
  

Top

Return to the Alphabetical Index

© 2002 EnglandGenWeb Project