Syston

Note: There is a Syston in Liecestershire, also.

Description and Travel

Syston is both a village and a parish 3 miles north of Grantham and 109 miles north of London. Marston parish lies to the west, Barkston parish to the north. The parish covers about 1,600 acres in an east-west orientation.

The River Witham runs past the western side of the village, heading north to Barkston. If you are planning a visit:

• Take the A607 trunk road, which passes along the eastern edge of the village, north out of Grantham.
  
  
• Visit our touring page for more sources.
  
  

Census

• The parish was in the Claypole sub-district of the Newark Registration District.
  
  
• Check our Census Resource page for county-wide resources.
  
  
• The table below shows census piece numbers, where known:
  
  

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Church History

• The Anglican church is dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin and is built in the Anglo-Norman style. It underwent extensive repairs in 1861-2.
  
  
• The church seats about 120.
  
  
• the church contains monuments to the THOROLD family.
  
  
• Here is a photo of St. Mary's Church, taken by Ron Cole (who retains the copyright):
  
  

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Church Records

• The parish register dates from 1562, although the register of marriages dates only from 1775.
  
  
• Boyd's Marriage Index holds parish marriages from 1562 to 1837.
  
  
• The LFHS has published several marriage indexes for the Loveden Deanery to make your search easier. In the early 1900s, as the region grew in population, the church was placed in the North Grantham deanery.
  
  
• The Lincolnshire FHS has a Loan Library service which has the parish registers on microfiche for Baptisms from 1730 to 1783 and Marriages from 1730 to 1812.
  
  
• Check our Church Records page for county-wide resources.
  
  

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Civil Registration

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

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History

• The THOROLD family claims to have been in Syston prior to the Conquest (cited in Arthur Mee's 1949 "The Kings England - Lincolnshire". Others claim that they did not enter the parish until 1614. For more on this family, see Marston.
  
  
• The Jericho Woods, adjoining the Gonerby hills, together with the church and village of Syston, are believed by experts to be described under the name of "Willingham" in Sir Walter Scott's novel, the "Heart of Mid-Lothian." One source lists the name "Jericho" spelled as "Jerico".
  
  

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Land and Property

• In 1871, all the land in the parish was owned by the Lord of the Manor, Sir John Henry THOROLD, baronet. He was still the sole landowner in 1913.
  
  

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Manors

• Syston Hall sat a mile east of the village in a well-wooded park with a small lake. It was the seat of the THOROLD family. It was built to replace the previous mansion which had been near the parish church in the valley below. At one time it had a large and very valuable collection of rare books.
  
  
• Syston Hall was torn down in 1923. [J. Williams]
  
  

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Maps

• The national grid reference is SK 9240.
  
  
• 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.
  
  

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Military Records

Michael Peck provides us with: "The Syston War Memorial has now been recorded. All named fell in WW1 1914 - 1918, there is no reference to WW2:"

WW1 memorial

1. J.H. Searson Pte 1st Somerset Light Infantry
2. Herbert Rylett Pte 7th South Staffs
3. Walter Saxelby Pte 1st Lincolns
4. Geo Bateman Pte 6th Lincolns
5. Chas Headworth Pte 7th Lincolns
6. John Mortlock Pte Royal Army Service Corp MT

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Names, Geographical

• The name Syston is Old English sid+stan, for "broad stone". It appeared in the 1086 Domesday Book as Sidestan.
  [A. D. Mills, "A Dictionary of English Place-Names," Oxford University Press, 1991]
  
  

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Names, Personal

• Here's a list of surnames found in White's 1871 Directory: ATKIN, AUBREY, BROOKE, CARTER, HARDY, HARDWICK, NEAL, THOROLD, WADDS, WARDLE and WELBOURNE.
  
  
• Kelley's 1913 Directory lists these surnames: ASHBY, CHATTERTON, GRIGGS, NORTHING, NUSSEY, RIDLEY, STANHOPE and THOROLD.
  
  

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Politics and Government

• The parish was in the ancient Loveden Wapentake in the South Kesteven division of the county, in the parts of Kesteven.
  
  
• It has sometimes been in the Wapentake of Winnibriggs and Threo.
  
  
• For today's local governance, contact the South Kesteven District Council.
  
  

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Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

• Thomas LOWREY left the interest on £35 to purchase bread for the poor, distributed each year on December 14th.
  
  
• Dame Margery THOROLD established a charity to provided funds for both the school and the poor, who received £10 yearly.
  
  
• After the Poor Law Amendment Act reforms of 1834, the parish became part of the Newark Poor Law Union.
  
  

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Population

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Schools

• A school was founded here in 1717, but it was rebuilt as a Public Elementary School in 1846 to hold 50 children. Average attendance in 1912 was 23.
  
  
• For more on researching school records, see our Schools Research page.
  
  

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