Wootton is a small village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

North Lincolnshire North Lincolnshire is a unitary authority area in Lincolnshire, England, with a population of 167,446 in the 2011 census. The borough includes the towns of Scunthorpe, Brigg, Haxey, Crowle, Epworth, Bottesford, Kirton in Lindsey and Bar ...

, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 475. It is situated south-east from

Barton-upon-Humber Barton-upon-Humber () or Barton is a town and civil parish in North Lincolnshire, England. The population at the 2011 census was 11,066. It is situated on the south bank of the Humber Estuary at the southern end of the Humber Bridge. It is ...

, north-east from

Brigg Brigg ( /'brɪg/) is a market town in North Lincolnshire, England, with a population of 5,076 in the 2001 UK census, the population increased to 5,626 at the 2011 census. The town lies at the junction of the River Ancholme and east–west tra ...

and north from

Humberside Airport Humberside Airport is an international airport at Kirmington in the Borough of North Lincolnshire, England, from three large settlements: Grimsby (east), Hull (north) and Scunthorpe (west), on the A18, the latter two places reached by lon ...

History

A large mound, locally known as ''Galley Hill'', has been designated a

Scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

as it is believed to be a

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

Round barrow dating from 2600 to 700 B.C. A unique Romano-British linchpin, in the form of an upright thumb, was found by an agricultural worker in the 1980s. It was purchased by the

North Lincolnshire Museum North Lincolnshire Museum (formerly known as Scunthorpe Museum) is a local museum in the town of Scunthorpe, north Lincolnshire, England. Overview The museum is on Oswald Road, near the Scunthorpe railway station. It is run by North Linco ...

. Wootton is an Anglo-Saxon settlement and is recorded in the ''

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manus ...

'' as "Udetune". Inhabited by 8 villagers, 7 smallholders and 71 freemen, in over 40 households, it was considered 'very large'. The lordship of the manor was jointly held by Odo of Bayeux, a half-brother of

William the Conqueror William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first House of Normandy, Norman List of English monarchs#House of Norman ...

and

Ralph de Mortimer Ranulph or Ralph de Mortimer (before 1198 to 6 August 1246) was the second son of Roger de Mortimer and Isabel de Ferrers of Wigmore Castle in Herefordshire. He succeeded his elder brother before 23 November 1227 and built Cefnllys and Knuc ...

, with Mortimer the

tenant-in-chief In medieval and early modern Europe, the term ''tenant-in-chief'' (or ''vassal-in-chief'') denoted a person who held his lands under various forms of feudal land tenure directly from the king or territorial prince to whom he did homage, as opp ...

. The Anglo-Saxon church of St Andrew is constructed of stone in Early English style, and was restored in 1851. To the North of the village is the Grade II* listed Wootton Hall which was built in 1796 for John Uppleby. Surrounding structures including a house (formerly one of a pair), a barn, the hall gates, and stables and other outbuildings, are also Grade II listed with

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

. There was a village

windmill A windmill is a structure that converts wind power into rotational energy using vanes called sails or blades, specifically to mill grain (gristmills), but the term is also extended to windpumps, wind turbines, and other applications, in some ...

on Green Lane, but it was demolished in the mid-20th century.

Community

The 2001 Census recorded 492 residents in the parish of Wootton, inhabiting 216 properties. The village is surrounded by arable land and has retained its character as a result of its designation as a "limited growth settlement" by North Lincolnshire Council. It is known locally for its large pond, which lies at the eastern end of the village. Whilst there is no longer a village shop or

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional ser ...

, there is a village hall, a small primary school, and a

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...

– the Nags Head. The village water pump was renovated in 2009 and is located on High Street. Wootton came second in the

Campaign to Protect Rural England CPRE, The Countryside Charity, formerly known by names such as the ''Council for the Preservation of Rural England'' and the ''Council for the Protection of Rural England'', is a charity in England with over 40,000 members and supporters. Forme ...

's 2009 Best Kept Village competition.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Villages in the Borough of North Lincolnshire Civil parishes in Lincolnshire