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Grantham in Lincoln County England History and GeographyGRANTHAM, a parish comprising the borough and market town of Grantham, and the township of Manthorp with Little Gonerby, in the soke of GRANTHAM, and the townships of Harrowby and Spittlegate, in the wapentake of WINNIBRIGGS and THREO, parts of KESTEVEN, county of LINCOLN, and containing 6077 inhabitants, of which number, 4148 are in the town of Grantham, 24 miles (S. by W.) from Lincoln, and 111 (N. by W.) from London, on the great road to York. This place being situated on the Ermin-street, which now forms part of the turnpike-road, is supposed to have been a Roman station, but there is no evidence of its having been occupied by that people; and of the origin of a castle to the east of the church, near the river Witham, of which the foundations are said to have been dug up, nothing satisfactory is recorded. The manor was held by Editha, Queen of Edward the Confessor, and continued in the crown till the reign of Henry III. A house of Franciscan, or Grey friars, was established here in 1290, the remains of which have been converted into a place of public entertainment, and the relics of a preceptory of the Knights Hospitallers, formerly existing here, now form part of the Angel Inn. During the parliamentary war Grantham was an object of interest with the contending parties, and the scene of the first advantage gained by Cromwell over the royalists. The town is pleasantly situated on the river Witham, near the vale of Belvoir, and consists principally of four spacious streets, paved, and lighted with oil; the houses are in general of respectable appearance, and in the several approaches to the town many substantial and handsome houses have been recently crected: the inhabitants are well supplied with water. The theatre, a neat brick building, is occasionally opened, and assemblies are held at the guildhall. The environs are pleasant, being adorned with several seats and villas. There is no manufacture of importance: the trade is principally in malt, corn, and coal, of which large supplies are sent to the chief towns in the adjoining counties. By act of parliament in 1793, a navigable canal, commencing within a quarter of a mile of the town, has been constructed, which joins the Trent at Nottingham. The market is on Saturday, and is extensively supplied with corn; and in every alternate week there is a large mart for live stock: the fairs are on the first Monday in Lent, Holy Thursday, July 10th, October 26th, and December 17th, for horses and cattle. The government, by charter of incorporation granted by Edward IV., is vested in an alderman, recorder, twelve burgesses, and twelve common council-men, assisted by a town clerk, coroner, escheator, and subordinate officers: the alderman and burgesses are justices of the peace within the borough and liberties, which constitute the soke of Grantham, comprising the parish of Grantham (with the exception of the townships of Harrowby and Spittlegate), and the parishes of Barkston, Belton, Braceby, Colsterworth, Denton, Great Gonerby, Hartaxton, Londonthorpe, Great Ponton, Sapperton, and South Stoke, which are exempt from the jurisdiction of the sheriff for the county, and subject to the bailiff of the liberties appointed by the corporation, who acts as sheriff. The freedom of the borough is inherited by birth, and acquired by servitude, gift of the corporation, or by purchase; in the last mode a nonresident pays twice as much as an inhabitant. The corporation hold quarterly courts of session for offences arising within the soke; and a court of record every Monday, under the charter of James I., for the recovery of debts not exceeding £40, at which the alderman and the recorder preside. The guildhall, a neat and commodious edifice, was rebuilt in 1787, and, in addition to the courts, contains a spacious assembly-room. The common gaol and house of correction is adapted to the classification of prisoners, and comprises six wards, six dayrooms, and six airing-yards, with a tread-wheel: it has fourteen separate cells, and is capable of receiving forty prisoners. The borough first received the elective franchise in the 7th of Edward IV., since which time it has returned two members to parliament: the right of election is vested in the freemen not receiving alms, whether resident or not, the number of whom is up wards of eight hundred: the alderman is the returning officer. The living comprises the united vicarages of North and South Grantham, in the archdeaconry and diocese of Lincoln; the former, with the vicarages of Great Gonerby and Londonthorpe, is rated in the king's books at £19. 4. 7., and the latter, with the vicarages of Braceby and Little Gonerby, at £17. 15. 7½.: they are in the alternate patronage of the Prebendaries of North and South Grantham in the Cathedral Church of Salisbury. The church, dedicated to St. Wulfran, is a magnificent structure, partly in the early, and partly in the decorated, style of English architecture, with a very lofty tower, surmounted by an elegant spire richly crocketed: the tower communicates with the nave and aisles by three finely pointed arches, and the interior displays much variety in the piers and arches which support the roof; the chancel has a range of small clerestory windows, and a stone screen of exquisite design: under the eastern part of the church is a crypt. Among the numerous monuments, those of the greatest beauty are to the memory of Sir Thomas Bury, Chief Baron of the Exchequer in the reign of George I.; Sir Dudley Ryder, Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench; and Captain Cust, R. N., who fell in the action at Port Louis, in 1747. The vestry-room contains a valuable library, presented to the parish by Dr. Newcome. There are places of worship for Huntingtonians, Independents, and Wesleyan Methodists. The free grammar school was founded in 1528, by Richard Fox, Bishop of Winchester, who endowed it with the revenue of two chantries, which, prior to the dissolution, belonged to the church of St. Peter, the endowment having been subsequently augmented by Edward VI.: the annual income exceeds £700, the surplus of which, after payment of the salaries to the masters, is appropriated to the establishment of exhibitions to Oxford and Cambridge, to which all scholars who have been two years in the school are eligible. Sir Isaac Newton, who was born at Coltersworth, about eight miles from Grantham, received the rudiments of his education in this school. A charity school for girls was founded by Mr. Hirst; and a Lancasterian school for boys, and another for girls, are supported by subscription. There are some almshouses, and various charitable bequests for the relief of the poor. Near the town is a chalybeate spring, but the water is not much used. This town was the native place of Bishop Fox, founder of the grammar school; and of Dr. John Still, who held the see of Bath and Wells in the reign of Elizabeth, and who is supposed to have been the author of 'Gammer Gurton's Needle,' the earliest comedy extant in the English language. Grantham gives the title of baron to the family of Robinson. From Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of England 1831, courtesy of Databases 4 Sale |
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