Woodborough’s Heritage

Woodborough, a Sherwood Forest Village, recorded in Domesday

Thoroton’s Transaction between 1911 & 1939

The Certificates of the Chantry Commissioners for the College of Southwell in 1546 and 1548 (relevant to Woodborough)

Year 1911

1. Page 71 - Of the seven prebendaries who may have been the original canons, the two prebendaries of Oxton divided the great tithes of Oxton, Cropwell Bishop, Blidworth, Calverton, and Woodborough, (they presented to the vicarages of the appropriated churches in turn. See Bacon, Thesaurus, 1786, pp. 1186-8).
2. At the time when our surveys were made, by far the richest prebend was Norwell Overhall, with a net income which rose from £46 in 1546 to £50 in 1548. Woodborough was eleventh place (£10 to £11).

Page 110 - (q) Woodborough prebend.

A. The prebend of wodburghe in the parisshe of Wodburghe, belonginge to the said Collegiate churche of Sowthewell aforesaid.

B.  Nil, for asmuche as the same is not [etc., as above]. (Gross value, £14; net, £9 17s 91/2d; tenth, 19s 91/2d. (Val.Eccl.v.193).

The prebendary in 1534-5 was George Dudley (see 1548 certificate). He may have been George Dudley, vicar of Westbury, Wilts. He was also in 1534-5 prebendary of Fittleworth in Chichester and rector of St Nicholas ad Macella in the City of London. [List of Woodborough prebends state that George Dudley, curate in charge, dated 1507].

C.  xli xxjd qu. clere; besidis iiijli for the wagis of oon of the vicars choriall at Sowthewell.

Page 128 - (d) Woodborough prebend

B.  The Prebende of Wodeboroughe.

C.  Founded by the sayd king Edgar as parcelled of the said College, mayntayne Devyne Seruyce (there for ever.) Ys worthe yerely in landis, Tenementis and other possessions lying and being in diuers placis within the said countye of  Nottingham as by the Survey therof made particulerly it appereth.

F.  Remayneth Clere unto George Dudley, Prebendarye there, (admitted 18 Jan. 1507-8. See also 1546 certificate and notes thereon). Of the age of .... (blank in original) yeres.

Year 1914

Page 136 - Woodborough. A light.

The parishe churche of Wodeboroughe (not previously certificated) Ys Worthe in A certaine Rent going out of a Tofte there in the tenure of William Bell, graunted for the mayntaining of a light ther for euer.

Year 1916

Page 122 Church windows

Woodborough. — Winged seraph in tracery of east window, and fragments in side windows of chancel.

The jamb-stones of church windows, on the south side of the church, are sometimes found to be scored with vertical grooves — a reminder of the days when archery was practised on the south side of the church on Sundays, and holy days, after divine service [Archaeologia Cantianna XL, 153]. The soft sandstone of the walling was used by the village yeomen for pointing their arrow tips.

Not infrequently a scratch-dial may also be noticed — an incised circle, or square, with radiating lines marked with numerals to correspond with the hours, and a hole in the centre which originally held an iron gnomon. By inserting a stick in the hole to serve as a temporary gnomon, the shadow cast upon the radiating lines will indicate approximately the time of day. There are two dials on the south side at North Collingham. [There are several examples of vertical grooves and scratch-dials on the south wall of Woodborough church].

Year 1917

Page 28 Church Porches and Doorways

A little earlier in date is the beak-head, which occurs in the doorways of Southwell, Balderton, and Winkburn; and the double-cone, at Southwell, Woodborough and Cuckney; while the earliest of all the enrichments, the billet, which appears to have been confined to hood-mouldings, is found at Southwell, Balderton and Rolleston.

Page 29

Norman doorways remain to the following churches: Southwell — c. 1150. Woodborough:— c. 1150. A doorway, once the main entrance to the church, is now out of use and built into the north wall, three jamb shafts, three orders of arch-moulding enriched with chevron, double-cone and beaded cable.

Year 1919

Page 28

When the clerestory was completed, the western gable was carried up to correspond with it and finished with a new gable coping crowned at the apex with a fine cross which carries a crucifix—perhaps the only original one remaining in situ in the county. One at Woodborough, on the chancel gable, has been restored.

Year 1939

Page 2

Some unrecorded earthworks in Notts.

Classified list of earthworks — Iron Age — camps: Woodborough — hill top contour camp, with multiple ditches; occupied in Roman period.

Page 15

Woodborough [33.s.e.15,16]. The camp at Foxwood is noted in the Victoria County History, but there is an extension of the earthworks to the east, which is not shown. Here, on ploughed land, the writer has found Iron Age and 3rd century Roman pottery. On the ridge to the west, 400 yards away, are two curious circular hollows of slight depth. (See elsewhere on this website).

Page 61

An early account of Nottinghamshire.

North east from Lambley is Woodburgh wherein is the house of Christopher Strelly esq., who was alive in 1612, whose auncestrs have possessed it long ever since before the time of King Edward III, whether by mariadge or purchase I certainly know not, but as I thinke by mariadge wth Woodburghes heire.

Acknowledgement:

• The Thoroton Society

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