A number of commercial directories exist for Grantham. The most commonly known directories are White's, Pigot's, Kelly's and the Post Office Directory. The town's entry will normally include:

1. A town history, location and current status & facilities, postal services, coaches, trains, schools, churches, etc.
2. The dates of annual fairs and the day of the week for "market day".
3. A list of Trades, and within each classification, the tradesmen.

Whites's and Pigot's directories can be found for the early 1800's. Kelly's Directories begin in the latter part of the 1800's.

• Rod Neep has reproductions of some Directories on CD, available for purchase at his Archive CD Books site. For example:
  1. 0090 - Lincolnshire 1835 Pigot's Directory
  2. 0011 - Lincolnshire 1841 Pigot's Directory
  3. 0091 - Lincolnshire 1876 Kelly's Directory (2 CD set)
  4. 0120 - Lincolnshire 1913 Kelly's Directory (2 CD set)
  5. 0033 - Nottinghamshire 1869 Morris & Co. Directory with Grantham, Chesterfield and Gainsborough.
     
• Another excellent source is the Lincolnshire Library's list of Directories.
  
  
• The Family History Library (FHL) in Salt Lake City has directories for 1846, 1869, 1897 and 1903.
  

History

Grantham was visited twice by King John, the last time in 1213.

Grantham has a connection with the wife of Edward I, Queen Eleanor. Grantham was the first place that her body rested after her death in 1290.

History credits Grantham as being the place where Cromwell first had success against the Royalists in May of 1643.

The town used to hold a number of fairs for farm animals and agricultural products up until the early 1900's. More recently, Margaret Thatcher has written about Grantham as her girlhood home.

Grantham tripled its population between 1801 and 1871, primarily because of the completion of the navigation canal to the Trent River.

Available from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City is Edmund Turnor's 200 page "Collections for the history of the town and soke of Grantham," publ. 1806, which is available on microfilm no. 990118, item #1. They also have a copy of Malcolm Knapp's "Grantham : a pictorial history," publ. 1990 by Biddles, Ltd., but only in book form. Call no. is 942.53/G5 H2.

Grantham was a center for entertainment for the surrounding communities. The Empire Theatre was one of many popular places in the late 19th century. Here's a photograph taken around 1965 of the building:

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Maps

• The national grid reference is SK 9135.
  
  
• You'll want an Ordnance Survey Explorer #247 map, which has a scale of 2.5 inches to the mile.
  
  
• See our Maps page for additional resources.
  
  

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Medical Records

• The Grantham Hospital was on Manthorpe road, about a half mile north of the town. It was built in 1874-75 and was opened by the Lady Brownlow in early 1875. A childrens' ward was added in 1888. It is unknown if any records of patient admissions or care remain.
  
  

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Military History

• In 1900, Grantham was the headquarters of the 2nd Volunteer Battalion of the Lincolnshire Regt.
  
  
• Harrowby township, in 1900, held the barracks of the Royal South Lincolnshire Militia (otherwise known as the 4th Battalion of the Lincolnshire Regt.). The first building of the barracks was erected of blue stone in 1858 and the second in 1872.
  
  

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Military Records

Compliments of Chrissie Walton:

"Local Men who are Serving King and Country"

1. Father and five sons, Robert SHERRIFF, senr. Mine-Sweeping, Will SHERRIFF, Mine-Sweeping, George Ernest SHERRIFF, R. SHERRIFF, junr. Mine-sweeping, Joe. SHERRIFF, Mine-Sweeping, Jack SHERRIFF, Mine-Sweeping.
2. Ptr. E.A. WELTON, Army Service Corp. On active service.
3. Emerton Walter
4. Hickman Frederick
5. Kisington Mark
6. Mears Laurence
7. Napping William
8. Saxelby Charles
9. Saxelby Walter
10. Waltham Horace
11. S.H. BROOKES, junr. H.M.S. Cornwallis
12. Drvr. S.S. BEE, 2nd. 1st N.M.B., R.F.A.
13. Pte. W. BROWN, 1st Leicesters
14. Sergt. J.W. IMISON 1st N.M.B.
15. - ELLIOTT, H.M.S. Iron Duke
16. John GIRLING, 5th Lincolns
17. Ptr. H. FINCH, Royal Marine L.I. died of wounds received in GALLIPOLI
18. W. ROWLEY, 1st N.M.B. R.F.A. On active service
19. G. ROWLEY 5th Lincolns, on active service
20. C. ROWLEY, Wireless telegraphist, H.M.S. Roxburgh
21. N. BALL, Mine-sweeping
22. WILLIAM FOLEY, R.N.
23. JACK FOLEY, R.N.
24. George FOLEY, R.N.
25. Driver SMITH R.F.A. (of Immingham)
26. S.H. BROOKES, senr. Mine-Sweeping
27. Drvr. J. DIMBLEBY, R.F.A.
28. Ptr. F.W. MOWFORTH., Army Service Corps
29. W. ROBERTS, R.F.A. On active service
30. Wilfred LAMIE, Mine-Sweeping (married Elsie IMISON)
31. W.C. JAY, 1st Class Stoker, H.M.S. Princess Royal
32. J. AKID, H.M.S. Achilles
33. Gnr. ALLINGTON, R.F.A.

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Names, Geographical

• The origin of the name is uncertain, probably Old English Granta+ham for "Granta's village", and appeared in the 1086 Domesday Book in its present form of Grantham.
  A. D. Mills, "A Dictionary of English Place-Names," Oxford University Press, 1991
  
  

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Officials & Employees:

Mr. Arthur HUTCHINSON was Mayor in 1902.

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Politics and Governance

• The parish was in the ancient Loveden Wapentake in the Soke of Grantham in the South Kesteven division of the county, in the parts of Kesteven.
  
  
• The Soke of Grantham was a separate liberty under the borough magistrates until 1826.
  
  
• For today's governance, visit the South Kesteven District Council.
  
  
• The parish is divided into five townships: Grantham, Harrowby Within, Manthorpe (with Little Gonerby), New Somerby and Spittlegate Within. Spittlegate is in the Winnibrigs and Threo Wapentake.
  
  

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Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

• As a result of the Poor Law Amendment Act reforms of 1834, the parish became the heart of the Grantham Poor Law Union.
  
  

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Population

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Schools

• For more on researching school records, see our Schools Research page.
  
  

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