Bawtry
Encyclopedia
Bawtry is a small market town and civil parish which lies at the point where the Great North Road crosses the River Idle
in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster
in South Yorkshire
, England
. Nearby towns include Gainsborough
to the east, Retford
south southeast, Worksop
to the southwest and Doncaster
to the northwest. It has a population of 3,204.
, and is situated between Bircotes
and Misson
at the conjunction of the A614
, A631
and A638
roads. The county boundary with Nottinghamshire
runs just to the south of the town and for this reason the southern most house on the Great North Road is named 'Number One Yorkshire'.
Bawtry's geographical location is 53° 25' 40" North, 1° 1' West, at an elevation of around 20 metres above sea level
.
The town is located just south of Robin Hood Airport, formerly RAF Finningley
, and was home to the RAF's No.1 Group Bomber Command Headquarters at Bawtry Hall (see RAF Bawtry
). Since 1989 Bawtry Hall has operated as a Christian conference centre and a base for several Christian organisations.
, but was recorded as Baltry in 1199. and as Bautre on a 1677 map.
settlement located on Ermine Street
between Doncaster
and Lincoln
.
In 616 AD, the Anglo-Saxon King Aethelfrith
met his end in battle against Raedwald King of East Anglia, at Bawtry on the River Idle
. The site lies close to the present borders of Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire; in Aethelfrith's time this area lay on the southern reaches of Northumbria, a dangerous marshy region close to the border with Lindsey and easily accessible from the East Anglian kingdom.
A small settlement developed around a wharf
in the Viking
era, and evidence suggests that St Nicholas' church was first erected in this period. While the village originally lay in Nottinghamshire
, boundary changes before the Norman Conquest moved it just inside the West Riding of Yorkshire
.
Around 1200, a new town was developed adjacent to the older village, by either John de Busli or Robert de Vipont. In 1213, de Vipont received a Royal Charter
declaring an annual four-day fair at Pentecost
, and a market
was first recorded in 1247. The town grew as a river port, and also as a local commercial centre and a stopping point between Doncaster
and Retford
. By the mid-fourteenth century, the port was exporting wool
and other items overseas, and the Hospital of St Mary Magdalene was founded, which survived until the eighteenth century.
Trade declined, and by the 1540s, John Leland recorded it as being "very bare and pore", but it grew again in the Elizabethan period around the export of millstone
s.
Bawtry has a school called Bawtry Mayflower named after the ship Mayflower
, which took William Bradford
, leader of the Pilgrims, to the Americas, settling the first Plymouth Colony
. Bradford lived at Scrooby
, close to Bawtry.
The White Hart on Swan Street is the oldest pub in Bawtry dating back to 1689.
River Idle
The River Idle is a river in Nottinghamshire, England. Its source is the confluence of the River Maun and River Meden, near Markham Moor. From there, it flows north through Retford and Bawtry before entering the River Trent at Stockwith near Misterton...
in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster
Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster
The Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster is a metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire in Yorkshire and the Humber Region of England.In addition to the town of Doncaster, the borough covers Mexborough, Conisbrough, Thorne and Finningley....
in South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Nearby towns include Gainsborough
Gainsborough, Lincolnshire
Gainsborough is a town 15 miles north-west of Lincoln on the River Trent within the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. At one time it served as an important port with trade downstream to Hull, and was the most inland in England, being more than 55 miles from the North...
to the east, Retford
Retford
Retford is a market town in Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands of England, located 31 miles from the city of Nottingham, and 23 miles west of Lincoln, in the district of Bassetlaw. The town is situated in a valley with the River Idle and the Chesterfield Canal running through the centre of the...
south southeast, Worksop
Worksop
Worksop is the largest town in the Bassetlaw district of Nottinghamshire, England on the River Ryton at the northern edge of Sherwood Forest. It is about east-south-east of the City of Sheffield and its population is estimated to be 39,800...
to the southwest and Doncaster
Doncaster
Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
to the northwest. It has a population of 3,204.
Location
Bawtry is located in the metropolitan borough of Doncaster on the border with NottinghamshireNottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, and is situated between Bircotes
Bircotes
Bircotes is a mining town in the Bassetlaw district of Nottinghamshire, on the border with the metropolitan borough of Doncaster . It is located at , and forms the civil parish of Harworth and Bircotes with its neighbour Harworth. The parish has a population of around 8,000 people. The nearest...
and Misson
Misson, Nottinghamshire
Misson is a village in Nottinghamshire, England. It is located 12 miles north of Retford, and not directly accessible from the rest of Nottinghamshire. Misson Springs, which lie north of the village itself, is the northenmost place within the county...
at the conjunction of the A614
A614 road
The A614 is a main road in England running through the counties of Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire.Beginning at Redhill, near Calverton in Nottinghamshire at a roundabout with the A60, the road meets the A6097 at a junction which looks like a roundabout but...
, A631
A631 road
The A631 is a road running from Sheffield, South Yorkshire to Louth, Lincolnshire in England. It passes through the counties of South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. The road has many towns on its route including Rotherham, Maltby, Gainsborough and Market Rasen. It is mostly single...
and A638
A638 road
The A638 is a main road in England that runs between the A1 at Markham Moor in Nottinghamshire and Chain Bar Junction 26 of the M62 motorway south of Bradford in West Yorkshire....
roads. The county boundary with Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
runs just to the south of the town and for this reason the southern most house on the Great North Road is named 'Number One Yorkshire'.
Bawtry's geographical location is 53° 25' 40" North, 1° 1' West, at an elevation of around 20 metres above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
.
The town is located just south of Robin Hood Airport, formerly RAF Finningley
RAF Finningley
RAF Finningley is a former Royal Air Force station at Finningley, South Yorkshire, partly within the traditional county boundaries of Nottinghamshire and partly in the West Riding of Yorkshire, now wholly within the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster....
, and was home to the RAF's No.1 Group Bomber Command Headquarters at Bawtry Hall (see RAF Bawtry
RAF Bawtry
RAF Bawtry was a Royal Air Force station located at Bawtry Hall in Bawtry and was No. 1 Group RAF Bomber Command headquarters and administration unit during and following WWII.- History :...
). Since 1989 Bawtry Hall has operated as a Christian conference centre and a base for several Christian organisations.
Toponymy
The origin of the name "Bawtry" is not known for certain. However it is thought to be composed of the Old English words ball ("ball") and trēow ("tree"), thus meaning "(place at) the ball-shaped tree". Bawtry was not mentioned in the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
, but was recorded as Baltry in 1199. and as Bautre on a 1677 map.
History
Bawtry was originally a RomanRoman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
settlement located on Ermine Street
Ermine Street
Ermine Street is the name of a major Roman road in England that ran from London to Lincoln and York . The Old English name was 'Earninga Straete' , named after a tribe called the Earningas, who inhabited a district later known as Armingford Hundred, around Arrington, Cambridgeshire and Royston,...
between Doncaster
Doncaster
Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
and Lincoln
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....
.
In 616 AD, the Anglo-Saxon King Aethelfrith
Æthelfrith of Northumbria
Æthelfrith was King of Bernicia from c. 593 until c. 616; he was also, beginning c. 604, the first Bernician king to also rule Deira, to the south of Bernicia. Since Deira and Bernicia were the two basic components of what would later be defined as Northumbria, Æthelfrith can be considered, in...
met his end in battle against Raedwald King of East Anglia, at Bawtry on the River Idle
River Idle
The River Idle is a river in Nottinghamshire, England. Its source is the confluence of the River Maun and River Meden, near Markham Moor. From there, it flows north through Retford and Bawtry before entering the River Trent at Stockwith near Misterton...
. The site lies close to the present borders of Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire; in Aethelfrith's time this area lay on the southern reaches of Northumbria, a dangerous marshy region close to the border with Lindsey and easily accessible from the East Anglian kingdom.
A small settlement developed around a wharf
Wharf
A wharf or quay is a structure on the shore of a harbor where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers.Such a structure includes one or more berths , and may also include piers, warehouses, or other facilities necessary for handling the ships.A wharf commonly comprises a fixed...
in the Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
era, and evidence suggests that St Nicholas' church was first erected in this period. While the village originally lay in Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, boundary changes before the Norman Conquest moved it just inside the West Riding of Yorkshire
West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county, County of York, West Riding , was based closely on the historic boundaries...
.
Around 1200, a new town was developed adjacent to the older village, by either John de Busli or Robert de Vipont. In 1213, de Vipont received a Royal Charter
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
declaring an annual four-day fair at Pentecost
Pentecost
Pentecost is a prominent feast in the calendar of Ancient Israel celebrating the giving of the Law on Sinai, and also later in the Christian liturgical year commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ after the Resurrection of Jesus...
, and a market
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
was first recorded in 1247. The town grew as a river port, and also as a local commercial centre and a stopping point between Doncaster
Doncaster
Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
and Retford
Retford
Retford is a market town in Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands of England, located 31 miles from the city of Nottingham, and 23 miles west of Lincoln, in the district of Bassetlaw. The town is situated in a valley with the River Idle and the Chesterfield Canal running through the centre of the...
. By the mid-fourteenth century, the port was exporting wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
and other items overseas, and the Hospital of St Mary Magdalene was founded, which survived until the eighteenth century.
Trade declined, and by the 1540s, John Leland recorded it as being "very bare and pore", but it grew again in the Elizabethan period around the export of millstone
Millstone
Millstones or mill stones are used in windmills and watermills, including tide mills, for grinding wheat or other grains.The type of stone most suitable for making millstones is a siliceous rock called burrstone , an open-textured, porous but tough, fine-grained sandstone, or a silicified,...
s.
Bawtry has a school called Bawtry Mayflower named after the ship Mayflower
Mayflower
The Mayflower was the ship that transported the English Separatists, better known as the Pilgrims, from a site near the Mayflower Steps in Plymouth, England, to Plymouth, Massachusetts, , in 1620...
, which took William Bradford
William Bradford (1590-1657)
William Bradford was an English leader of the settlers of the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts, and served as governor for over 30 years after John Carver died. His journal was published as Of Plymouth Plantation...
, leader of the Pilgrims, to the Americas, settling the first Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony was an English colonial venture in North America from 1620 to 1691. The first settlement of the Plymouth Colony was at New Plymouth, a location previously surveyed and named by Captain John Smith. The settlement, which served as the capital of the colony, is today the modern town...
. Bradford lived at Scrooby
Scrooby
Scrooby is a small village, on the River Ryton and near Bawtry, in the northern part of the English county of Nottinghamshire. At the time of the 2001 census it had a population of 329. Until 1766, it was on the Great North Road so became a stopping-off point for numerous important figures...
, close to Bawtry.
The White Hart on Swan Street is the oldest pub in Bawtry dating back to 1689.