NEWTON was Here

 

Sondra HALLIDAY emailed me at Ifor@familyroots.org.uk asking for information on a windmill at Colsterworth. In 1772, when Samuel PICCAVER died, his will mentions the fact that he is the owner of the village mill. Is there any evidence of this mill today? Arthur MEE's Lincolnshire doesn't mention any mill but if you take a look at old-maps.co.uk you will find evidence of three mills in the vicinity two of which are quite near Woolsthorpe manor. In the church at Colsterworth there is a memorial to Sir Isaac NEWTON who was the lord of the manor of nearby Woolsthorpe and baptised in Colsterworth church. This is also the burial place of the NEWTON ancestors. One item of interest that was at the church in 1919 was the sundial that NEWTON made when 9 years old and the penknife he used for whittling wood. In an article I found on NEWTON there is mention of a windmill being built near his school. He watched day by day with great interest the workmen engaged in constructing a windmill in the neighbourhood of the school, the result of which was that the boy made a working model of the windmill and of its machinery, which seems to have been much admired, as indicating his aptitude for mechanics. Could this have been the building of the mill later owned by Samuel? By 1919 however the miller is listed as being Ralph Henry NETHERCLIFT – miller (steam) so it looks as though the village has kept pace with modernity and the windmill was no more. HALLIDAY the surname comes from the fact that at one time this would be given to those born on a Holy Day such as Easter or Christmas. NEW-TON however is from one who lived in a New Town of which there were many and this also applies to NEW-PORT and NEW-CASTLE.

The surname CRAMPTON, which is the one that Sheila FROST is interested in, is not very common around Lincoln and is concentrated more towards Nottinghamshire. William CRAMPTON can be found on the 1841 census and he was born in 1817 in the parish of Washingborough but where did he come from? One of the best aids to research you can get is the series of indexes on microfiche that are produced by the Lincolnshire Family History Society. These cover just about everything in the marriage line from 1700 and work is going on to complete baptisms and burials for the county. There are few entries for CRAMPTON but one that might fit the bill is that of John who marries Ann TALKS in 1807 at Canwick the next door parish. The origin of CRAMPTON is unsure. With the –TON ending one must assume that it derives from a place name. This would be OK except that there is no place listed. The same can be said for CROMPTON as this is a variation. If one adds in the accent then there could be a candidate in CRUMPTON and then the explanation is from the Old English crump. Have you heard of the musical instrument - a crumphorn? There is also the rhyme which mentions the cow with the crumpled horn. This is named so because the meaning of crump is something which is bent or crooked. A town with a bend or corner in the middle.

Did you pick up on the item in Bits and Bobs last week? Was the item put into the original newspaper as a hoax? If you don't know what I mean just try writing out the inscription that was found on the bowl and then alter the spacing a slightly.

Bits and Bobs

Friday 21^st April 1809 – On Tuesday the 11^th inst. as William BOROUGHS of Marston near Grantham, was passing through the Churchyard there, he was struck to the ground by lightning, and it was a considerable time before he recovered his senses. His clothes were much scorched, but he was not personally injured.

Lincolnshire Family History Society Journal February 07