WHATTON PARISH
lncludes the two townships of Whatton and Aslacton, which keep their poor separately, and contain together 677 inhabitants, and about 3400 acres of land, in the vale of the Smite, where that river is augmented bv the Wipling.
WHATTON village and township is on the south side of the Smite, and on the Grantham roAd, 3 miles E. by S. of Bingham. It was anciently called Watone, from its watery situation, the flood water lying longer here than in many other places. It contains 1800 acres, and was enclosed in tho year 1790, when 36A. IR. 18r. were allotted to the ,Vicar, and 120A. 3R. 1r. to he impropriator, G. S. Foljambe, Esq., in lien of tithes. The latter sold his allotment to Thos. Hall, Esq. of Nottingham, who now owns 800 acres here, having purchased several farms of the lord of tbe manor, the Earl ot Chesterfield, who still holds 320 acres, and the remainder belongs to several smaller freeholders. After the Conquest, this manor was of the fee of Gilbert de Gand. It was long held by the Whattons, Newmarches, and Gascoignes, the latter of whom sold it to the father of the first Earl of Chesterfield; but some of the lands were successively held by the Whalleys, Gelsthorps, and others. The church, whlch Adelina de Whatton gave to Welbeck abbey, is dedicated to St. John of Beverley, has a handsome tower and spire with five bells,and contains many ancient monuments of the Whatton, Newmarch, Cranmer, and other families. The whole was repaired and new pewed in 1807, at the cost of £ 1700, except the chancel, which is in a very decaved state, and the duty of repairing which belongs to the owner of tbe impropriate lands. The vicarage is valued in the King’s books at £5. 6s. 8d., and has now 92 acres of glebe, including its allotments at the enclosure of Whatton and Aslacton. G. S. Foljambe, Esq. is the patron, and the Rev. H. N. Bousfield, B. A. is the incumbent. A Methodist chapel was built here in 1825. The charities consist of the Poor’s close, (one acre,) the tenant of which distributes three tons of coals yearly; and £12 left by John Clayter, in 1738, and now in the bank at 21/2 per cent.
ASLACTON is a pleasant village and township on the N. side of the Smite, one mile N. by W. of Whatton, and 2 miles E. of Bingham. It contains 289 inhabitants, and 1600 acres of land,
most of which is occupied by the owners, except the Abbey farm, (200 acres,) which belongs to King’s Cliffe school, in Northammptonshire, and the following allotments made at the
enclosure in 1780, viz:, 65 acres to Alex. Heaton and William Bilbie, Esq. in lieu of the impropriated tithes, and 44 acres to the vicar of Whatton, in lieu of the vicarial tithes. It consists of as many manors as it has owners, and was formerly a chapelry, but its chapel was in ruins many years ago, and a writer
in 62d vol. of the Gentleman’s Magazine, says, “part of the walls still remain; these are visible under a modern built house of brick and tile, and the chapel itself is now a common
alehouse.” The inhabitants now use Whatton church, and pay one-third of the church rate. After the Conquest, Aslacton was of the fees of Walter D’Agincourt, llbert De Lacy, and
Gilbert de Gand, and a .portion of it was long held by a family of its own name, and from them passed to the Cranmers, of whom was ARCHBISHOP CRANMER, the great church reformer
and martyr, who was horn here in 1489, and became in 1532, the first Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury. The life of this emine prelate is the subject of a volume, therefore a brief notice of hissufferings, under the persecution ol Queen Mary, must here suffice. “After condemnation, he was induced to sign a recantation; but having nobly denied his error, and withdrawn that confession, he was condemned to thestake, at which he suffered on the 21st of March, l556. To this he was brought without any official notice, though he had reason
to expect it; and when tied to it was obliged to listen to all the charges and aspersions of Dr. Cole; but Cranmer boldly replied,’1 bcelieve every word and sentence taught by our Saviour Christ, his apostles, and the prophets of the Old and New Testament; but as to the pope, I refuse him as Christ’s enemy, or Antichrist, with all his false doctrines.’ So great was his sorrow for his recantation, and so determined was his spirit at the last hour, that he calmly held his right hand in the flames tillit dropt off, saying, ‘this hand has offendted ;’ and this he was enabled to, as his executioners had taken care to keep up a
slow fire, in order that he should suffer the utmost pain of his punishment, as a proof of their regard for Christian mercies. It has been stated that after his whole body had been reduced to ashes, his heart was found entire, and untouched by the fire, which by Rome of the bystanders was considered a an aurgument in favour of his hearty love of the truth; whilst others looked upon it as a proof of the heretical abduracy of that vital part, which would not yeld even to the warm itrgument of a blazing Catholic fire!”
The site of the manor house, which was the seat of Archbishop Cranmer and many of his ancestors, is now occupied by the farm-house of Mr. Wm. Green. Near it may still be distinctly traced several moats, islands, and other remains of the pleasure grounds, and at a short distance is a raised walk which leads to Orston, and is yot called Cranmer’s Walk. At the west end, on crossing a moat. the visitor may ascend a square mount of consideruble elevation and from thence have an extensive prospect. Here are also two other mounts, said to have been raised by the archbishop, but they have been greatly reduce by some of the former owners ot the estate. On one of them, traditionn says the archbishop “was wont to sit and survcy the surrounding country, and listen to the tunable bells of Whatton.In 1816 John Marriott left 2Os. yearly out of his farm at Aslactnn, to be distributed in bread at Christmas.
WHATTON
Blyton James, shoemaker.
Bousfield Rev. H. Newlham, B.A.
Caunt William, saddler
Dove A lice. vict. & shopkpr
GreasEley John, gardener
Heathcote Mrs. Ann
Hooper William. butcher
Mason William, blacksmith
Oliver Thomas, gardener
Parnham Thomas, victualler and gamekeeper
Parnham William, tailor
Pell William, joiner, and beerhouse
Riddish John, baker a flour dealer
Sharrack Robert, shoemaker
Talbott Fras. veterinary surgeon
Tyler William, joiner
Upton John, corn miller
Farmers and Yeomen.
Bower Wm.
Mann Thos.
Carpendale G.
Mason W1m.
Clay Eliz.
Morley Joseph
Foster Richard
Smith John
Gelsthorpe J.
Walker Henry
Hooper Wm.
Watson Robert
Innocent Geo.
Wheatley Thos.
Carriers
George Moss, Carrier to Nottingham, Wed. & Sat.;
William Tutbury, to Newark, Wed., and to Nottingham, Sat., 5 morn.
ASLACTON,
Bates James, bricklayer & shopkeeper
Dawn John, tailor
Franks Thomas, shoemaker
Freeman Thomas, land and bldg.surveyor
Freeman William, painter and shopkeeper
Hand John, blacksmith
Key1vortb, Robert, maltster
Marriott John, schoolmaster
Morley George, tailor
Morley William, baker
Olive: William, corn miller
Payling Robert, butcher
Pepper John, shoemaker and beerhouse
Porter Mr. William
Smith Richard, shoemaker
Thornton Thomas, vic:Grey Hound
Wilson Richard, wheelwright.
Farmers and Yeomen.
Chettle J. Grim
Keyworth John
Edge Marriott Mary
Clifton Edward,
Oliver John Lane Ends
Porter Henry
Grant Richard
Upton Thomas
Green William
Walker