Colsterworth
Encyclopedia
Colsterworth is a village and civil parish
in the South Kesteven
district of Lincolnshire
, England. The village, together with the hamlet of Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth
, had a population of 1,508 according to the 2001 census. It lies half a mile to the west of the A1, seven miles south of Grantham
and 13 miles north of Stamford
. The name Colsterworth is from the Old English colestre + worth for "enclosure of the charcoal burners"; the name appeared as Colsteuorde in the Domesday Book
.
, the old Roman road that runs directly north to Lincoln
.
Colsterworth is raised upon a slight limestone
ridge, with the River Witham
running below on the western side and bisecting the two villages. The ancient hamlet of Twyford has been incorporated by the expansion of Colsterworth to the south but the name is preserved in the names of certain houses. At one time Colsterworth lay on the Great North Road
, but was bypassed when the was realigned and renamed in the 1920s. Colsterworth also lies one mile to the west of Twyford Wood
, which was the second world war airfield RAF North Witham
, and still retains military artefacts, including open runways and a derelict control tower. After the war the grassed part of the airfield was planted with oak and conifer trees. The grassland habitat is home to a regionally-important colony of dingy
and grizzled
skipper butterflies
.
In 1884 the Rev'd J. Mirehouse, rector of Colsterworth, was responsible for the Home Office Baby
publicity stunt
.
, standing opposite the parish church of St John the Baptist, alone now serves the population. The origins of St John the Baptist go back to Saxon
times, as indicated by the herring-bone stonework in the chancel
. The Norman
arches were preserved during Victorian
renovation, of which this church is a prime example. The surrounding churchyard has been closed for almost a century but is kept in order by the Parish Council. Inside the church, behind the organ, is a stone sundial
plate that was cut with a penknife by Sir Isaac Newton when nine years of age. The stone, which has no gnomon
, is mounted upside down below a carved wooden effigy of the scientist. Newton's mother, Hannah Ayscough
and father, also called Isaac, are both buried in the church.
Due to a lack of clergy, there is one Church of England priest for Colsterworth and another four parishes; the Colsterworth Group of Churches consists of The Holy Cross at Great Ponton
, Saint Guthlac
at Little Ponton
, St James at Skillington
and St Andrew and St Mary at North and South Stoke Rochford
with Easton
. There is also a Methodist Church in the village.
Although the oldest dwellings are of limestone
, 1920s and 1930s brick homes are interposed amongst them. During the 1970s a large estate, Woodlands Drive, was built on ground previously belonging to Colsterworth House, a mansion now completely obliterated. The land between the village and the A1 has been completely developed into a new housing estate.
and Travelodge
on the A1, and employment at the nearby Stoke Rochford Hall
, a conference and function centre. Newcomers to the village in the main tend to commute to work out of the area, some as far as London
.
The village has a post office, surgery, Co-op
store and hairdresser, with greengrocer, butcher and fishmonger mobile shops. The County Council library and travelling bank call once a week. The village is policed by a touring police constable.
Colsterworth's Church of England primary school also provides education for neighbouring villages whose children are bussed in. It has approximately 120 pupils divided into five classes.
The A1 trunk road at Colsterworth was redeveloped in 2010 with the removal of Colsterworth roundabout and an added road bridge over the A1 for local traffic, this to address safety and traffic congestion concerns.
.
, being a visitor attraction. Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth village hall was built as a result of an appeal in Newton's memory, and is named after him. Newton was christened in the church of St John the Baptist, where a copy of the entry in the register is to be seen.
The local council bars the building of new property between the villages of Colsterworth and Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth, although infilling has taken place as large gardens are split up and odd plots, overlooked for years, are utilised.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the South Kesteven
South Kesteven
South Kesteven is a local government district in Lincolnshire, England, forming part of the traditional Kesteven division of the county. It covers Grantham, Stamford, Bourne and Market Deeping.-History:...
district of Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, England. The village, together with the hamlet of Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth
Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth
Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth is a hamlet in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is probably best known as the birthplace of Sir Isaac Newton....
, had a population of 1,508 according to the 2001 census. It lies half a mile to the west of the A1, seven miles south of Grantham
Grantham
Grantham is a market town within the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It bestrides the East Coast Main Line railway , the historic A1 main north-south road, and the River Witham. Grantham is located approximately south of the city of Lincoln, and approximately east of Nottingham...
and 13 miles north of Stamford
Stamford, Lincolnshire
Stamford is a town and civil parish within the South Kesteven district of the county of Lincolnshire, England. It is approximately to the north of London, on the east side of the A1 road to York and Edinburgh and on the River Welland...
. The name Colsterworth is from the Old English colestre + worth for "enclosure of the charcoal burners"; the name appeared as Colsteuorde in the Domesday Book
Domesday 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...
.
History
The village dates from the Roman era. It is close to Ermine StreetErmine 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,...
, the old Roman road that runs directly north to 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....
.
Colsterworth is raised upon a slight limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
ridge, with the River Witham
River Witham
The River Witham is a river, almost entirely in the county of Lincolnshire, in the east of England. It rises south of Grantham close to South Witham, at SK8818, passes Lincoln at SK9771 and at Boston, TF3244, flows into The Haven, a tidal arm of The Wash, near RSPB Frampton Marsh...
running below on the western side and bisecting the two villages. The ancient hamlet of Twyford has been incorporated by the expansion of Colsterworth to the south but the name is preserved in the names of certain houses. At one time Colsterworth lay on the Great North Road
Great North Road (Great Britain)
The Great North Road was a coaching route used by mail coaches between London, York and Edinburgh. The modern A1 mainly follows the Great North Road. The inns on the road, many of which survive, were staging posts on the coach routes, providing accommodation, stabling for the horses and...
, but was bypassed when the was realigned and renamed in the 1920s. Colsterworth also lies one mile to the west of Twyford Wood
Twyford Wood
Twyford Wood, formerly known as Twyford Forest, is a commercial wood around in Lincolnshire owned by the Forestry Commission, England, an agency of the British Government and managed by its subsidiary, Forest Enterprise .-History:...
, which was the second world war airfield RAF North Witham
RAF North Witham
RAF Station North Witham is a former World War II airfield in Lincolnshire, England. The airfield is located in Twyford Wood, approximately east-southeast of Cotgrave; about north-northwest of London...
, and still retains military artefacts, including open runways and a derelict control tower. After the war the grassed part of the airfield was planted with oak and conifer trees. The grassland habitat is home to a regionally-important colony of dingy
Dingy Skipper
The Dingy Skipper, Erynnis tages, is a butterfly of the Hesperiidae family. It ranges from Europe across Asia Minor and Central Asia to the Amur region.Erynnis tages favours open grassy habitats up to 2,000 metres above sea level...
and grizzled
Grizzled Skipper
The Grizzled Skipper Pyrgus malvae is a butterfly of the Hesperiidae family.-Appearance, behaviour and distribution:With its characteristic chequered black and white pattern this butterfly is quite distinctive although old, faded individuals can be mistaken for the Dingy Skipper or the Sideridis...
skipper butterflies
Skipper (butterfly)
A skipper or skipper butterfly is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. They are named after their quick, darting flight habits. There are more than 3500 recognized species of skippers and they occur worldwide, but with the greatest diversity in the Neotropical regions of Central and South...
.
In 1884 the Rev'd J. Mirehouse, rector of Colsterworth, was responsible for the Home Office Baby
Home Office Baby
The Home Office Baby was an 1884 publicity stunt perpetrated by the Rev. J. Mirehouse, the eccentric rector of Colsterworth, Lincolnshire, England....
publicity stunt
Publicity stunt
A publicity stunt is a planned event designed to attract the public's attention to the event's organizers or their cause. Publicity stunts can be professionally organized or set up by amateurs...
.
Local architecture
The nucleus of the village lies along the High Street where, in the hey-day of the coaching trade there were numerous inns - ten at one time. The old coaching stops have been transformed into houses or business properties, such as The George House and The Sun Pottery, or demolished completely. The White Lion public housePublic house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
, standing opposite the parish church of St John the Baptist, alone now serves the population. The origins of St John the Baptist go back to Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
times, as indicated by the herring-bone stonework in the chancel
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
. The Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
arches were preserved during Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
renovation, of which this church is a prime example. The surrounding churchyard has been closed for almost a century but is kept in order by the Parish Council. Inside the church, behind the organ, is a stone sundial
Sundial
A sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. In common designs such as the horizontal sundial, the sun casts a shadow from its style onto a surface marked with lines indicating the hours of the day. The style is the time-telling edge of the gnomon, often a thin rod or a...
plate that was cut with a penknife by Sir Isaac Newton when nine years of age. The stone, which has no gnomon
Gnomon
The gnomon is the part of a sundial that casts the shadow. Gnomon is an ancient Greek word meaning "indicator", "one who discerns," or "that which reveals."It has come to be used for a variety of purposes in mathematics and other fields....
, is mounted upside down below a carved wooden effigy of the scientist. Newton's mother, Hannah Ayscough
Hannah Ayscough
Hannah Ayscough was the mother of Sir Isaac Newton.-Early life:Hannah was born in Market Overton in Rutland in 1623. Her parents were James Ayscough and his wife Margery Blythe.-Motherhood:...
and father, also called Isaac, are both buried in the church.
Due to a lack of clergy, there is one Church of England priest for Colsterworth and another four parishes; the Colsterworth Group of Churches consists of The Holy Cross at Great Ponton
Great Ponton
Great Ponton is a village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. In the 2001 census, the population of the village was 100% white ethnic origin, and 87% Christian.-Geography:...
, Saint Guthlac
Saint Guthlac
Saint Guthlac of Crowland was a Christian saint from Lincolnshire in England. He is particularly venerated in the Fens of eastern England.-Life:...
at Little Ponton
Little Ponton
Little Ponton is a small village just south of Grantham in South Kesteven. Lincolnshire.-Geography:It is part of the civil parish of Little Ponton and Stroxton. It is situated just off the B1174 ....
, St James at Skillington
Skillington
Skillington is a rural village, located to the south-west of Lincolnshire and is within three miles of the Leicestershire border. Nearby villages include Buckminster, Sproxton, Stainby, Sewstern, Colsterworth and Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth, with the latter famous as the birthplace of Sir Isaac...
and St Andrew and St Mary at North and South Stoke Rochford
Stoke Rochford
Stoke Rochford is a small village near Grantham in Lincolnshire.-Geography:For administration purposes, the parish is shared with Easton, which also has a country estate of its own. Stoke Rochford's church is in the parish of Easton, and so is the post office. The southern boundary of the parish...
with Easton
Easton, Lincolnshire
Easton is a village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies just off the A1, north of Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth and Colsterworth.-Geography:...
. There is also a Methodist Church in the village.
Although the oldest dwellings are of limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
, 1920s and 1930s brick homes are interposed amongst them. During the 1970s a large estate, Woodlands Drive, was built on ground previously belonging to Colsterworth House, a mansion now completely obliterated. The land between the village and the A1 has been completely developed into a new housing estate.
Economy and amenities
There is little employment in the village itself. During, and for some time after, the Second World War work was available at the ironstone excavations, but after operations ceased the site was filled and levelled. A tyre depot and Christian Salvesen food cold-store offer local employment. Farming, the traditional occupation that previously absorbed most of the available workforce, still provides some employment. There is part-time work at quick food restaurants Little ChefLittle Chef
Little Chef is a chain of roadside restaurants in the United Kingdom, founded in 1958 and owned by the UK private equity group RCapital. Little Chef's previous owners were The People's Restaurant Group Ltd., a company belonging to British catering entrepreneurs Simon Heath and Lawrence Wosskow,...
and Travelodge
Travelodge
Travelodge refers to several hotel chains around the world. Current operations include: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand and Australia...
on the A1, and employment at the nearby Stoke Rochford Hall
Stoke Rochford Hall
Stoke Rochford Hall is a large house built in scenic grounds, with a nearby golf course, next to the A1 in south Lincolnshire, England.-History:...
, a conference and function centre. Newcomers to the village in the main tend to commute to work out of the area, some as far as London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
The village has a post office, surgery, Co-op
The Co-operative Group
The Co-operative Group Ltd. is a United Kingdom consumer cooperative with a diverse range of business interests. It is co-operatively run and owned by its members. It is the largest organisation of this type in the world, with over 5.5 million members, who all have a say in how the business is...
store and hairdresser, with greengrocer, butcher and fishmonger mobile shops. The County Council library and travelling bank call once a week. The village is policed by a touring police constable.
Colsterworth's Church of England primary school also provides education for neighbouring villages whose children are bussed in. It has approximately 120 pupils divided into five classes.
The A1 trunk road at Colsterworth was redeveloped in 2010 with the removal of Colsterworth roundabout and an added road bridge over the A1 for local traffic, this to address safety and traffic congestion concerns.
Village Archive Group
A village archive group was founded to record memories of Colsterworth people for posterity. The group aim is to chronical local social history and changes in dialect, and publish material as a resource and educational tool in book and DVD form. It has been funded by Lincolnshire Community Champions and the Local Heritage Initiative, now under the auspices of the Heritage Lottery FundingNational Lottery (United Kingdom)
The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established by the then...
.
Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth
Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth is for administrative purposes attached to Colsterworth. It is famous as the birthplace of Sir Isaac Newton, his home, Woolsthorpe ManorWoolsthorpe Manor
Woolsthorpe Manor in Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth, near Grantham, Lincolnshire, England, was the birthplace of Sir Isaac Newton on 25 December 1642...
, being a visitor attraction. Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth village hall was built as a result of an appeal in Newton's memory, and is named after him. Newton was christened in the church of St John the Baptist, where a copy of the entry in the register is to be seen.
The local council bars the building of new property between the villages of Colsterworth and Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth, although infilling has taken place as large gardens are split up and odd plots, overlooked for years, are utilised.
External links
- "Woolsthorpe Manor", National TrustNational Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural BeautyThe National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
- "Isaac Newton", Newsreel, British Pathe
- Colsterworth and District Parish Council