Winthorpe Rectory

The earliest known Rectory was on the old road (now The Drive) through the village. Thomas Brewer's White House was the first house on the left just below our present village hall. His friend Roger Bacon, the Rector, was about halfway down the road on the left hand side, (map ref. H1778, Enclosure Map.) The earliest description of this property is in the Terrier for 1764, (Inventory of Church property).

"Parsonage House built of stone mud and plaster covered with thatch, containing four low chambers ceiled with plaster, one barn built of stone and mud and covered with thatch all in good repair with orchard, homestead and garden with one acre and three roods of land in the Marsh and seven acres, one rood and five perches of land in the Pastures and Carr at the yearly value of six pounds.

Three high closes containing thirteen acres with Quick..?... £12.

Three acres of meadow in the Rundels £3.

Tythes by Composition £38."

The next description of this property appears in 1777-8, in the Enclosure Award. William Rastall was Rector and his home was described in the following words: "all that ancient house or tenement, with mud walls. and thatch situate standing and being in Winthorpe aforesaid and containing in length forty nine feet, on width twenty six feet, in height on the south side thereof twelve feet and having walls on the west side thereof from twelve feet to two feet and a half in height and also that barn and stable in one range of buildings with mud walls and thatch situate standing and being in Winthorpe aforesaid and containing in length sixty-three feet in width twenty-seven feet and height seven feet and seven inches, and also that yard and garden thereto adjoining and belonging and containing two roods and eight perches. Lands of the said Roger Pocklington lying North and South, the Glebe Marsh west and the Old Lane East."

When Roger Pocklingtonfinally acquired this property in 1778 in exchange he gave the house how known as "The Old Rectory" (Mrs.D.Baggaley, 1986). A description of the property appears at this time.

"All that modern, bricked, tiled messuage, house or tenement standing and being in Winthorpe aforesaid containing in length thirty-eight feet and eight inches, in height nineteen feet, in width sixteen feet and six inches and in the late tenure of Mr. Hesketh - also a lean to of brick and tile to the said messuage, house or tenement belonging and containing in length sixteen feet and seven inches, in width fourteen feet and in height six feet and six inches - also all that cottage or tenement thereto adjoining with brick walls and thatch containing in length twenty six feet and six inches, in width fourteen feet and in height eight feet three inches and now in the tenure of Sarah Crow, also that large barn across the road with brick walls and thatch containing in length fifty three feet in width twenty three feet and in height on the west side thirteen feet and seven inches and on the east side thereof six feet, also that the stable there to adjoining consisting of brick and tile, containing in length twenty feet, in width eleven feet and six inches end in height eight feet also a small barn with mud walls and thatch and containing in length twenty one feat and four inches, in width twelve feet and six inches and in height seven feet and also that the yard and garden and orchard containing altogether one rood and twenty five perches."

The rector did not wish to farm, but Mr. Jonathon Batte, who was already farming the land, needed a farmhouse, so the house was never used as a rectory. William Rastall was the rector, but the house he occupied after the Exchanges of 1773 is not known. In 1006 he had permission to reside in Newark owing to the bad condition of the rectory. In 1835 the Rev. William Handley, was inducted and he lived at "'The Academy." The Rev. Edward Handley, 1886-1895 lived at the family home, Muskham Grange, and drove a carriage and pair of horses when he took Sunday services, but a curate often took these. When Clement Griffiths was appointed he lived at the "Old Rectory," Gainsborough Road, but when Gresham Gillett, a bachelor, was inducted in 1918, he lodged with Mrs. Turner in the "Dial House," and the Rectory was let to a Newark solicitor, Mr. A. J. Franks. The Rev. Gillett went into the Rectory in 1923, with Mr. & Mrs. Huddlestone and family. This Rectory continued as such until 1962, when it needed much repair work. Mr. Foster, the builder, had erected a bungalow (Mr. Bowlers, 1986) and his original home; in the Spinney was purchased for the Rector in 1962. Dillwyn Davies was the first occupant and our present Rector; Herbert Langford is still there today.

Miss K. E. Euston.

Extract from Focal Point.

  

NOTE.

Further reading can be found in  

        The Village and its Houses in Volume1.