Nottinghamshire Contents

Halam

Halam is a pleasant and well built village and parish, at the foot of a lofty range of hills, 1½ miles west by north of Southwell. It is in the liberty of Southwell and Scrooby, contains 390 inhabitants, and 1,558 acres of land, enclosed in 1778, when allotments were made in lieu of tithes. The Archbishop of York is lord of the manor, but the principal owners are William Flint Esq., John Milward gent., Rev. Edward Walker Foottit, Sir Richard Sutton, Bart., V.S. Burnell Esq., Mr David Towle, Mr Samuel Hart, Mr John Barrow and Mr John Rick, who are mostly copyholders and leaseholders. There are also about 20 small freeholds, which are generally occupied by their owners.

There was an ancient capital messuage and a good demesne, all freehold, the inheritance of Leek of Halam, of which family Adam Leek deceased 1673, son and heir of Herbert Leek, being left by his father in as much debt as this old seat was worth, and having married the heiress of Bollet de Osberton, removed thither, and sold his interest at Halam to Richard Lloyd Esq., who was high sheriff of this county in 1673. He built a large house of brick and stone, where he resided for many years. It afterwards passed to Mrs Leybourne of Dalby, near Castle Howard in the county of York, and was purchased of her representatives by the present owner, William Flint Esq., in 1848, who has made great improvements, having taken most of the remaining old thatched buildings down and rebuilt them of brick and tile. He has also erected a neat and good house in which he resides. The only part remaining of the ancient buildings are a large dovecote, and the old brick wall which encloses the orchard in front of the street. Mr Richard Bradley has extensive nursery grounds in this parish.

The church is a neat edifice, dedicated to St Michael. It has a low tower and two bells. The windows contain some paintings, one of which represents Adam digging and Eve spinning. A small organ was erected in 1838 at the expense of John Sutton Esq., The living is a perpetual curacy valued at £85, in the patronage of the Chapter of Southwell and incumbency of the Rev. Charles Taylor B.A. There is a church Sunday School in the village. The feast is on the Sunday after Old Michaelmas Day.

Mary Sturtevant bequeathed to this parish, in 1771. £230 4s 3d, three percent consols, and directed half the yearly dividends to be applied in repairing and beautifying the inside of the church, and the remainder to be given to the poor in 10s shares. Sower's Close, 2r 32p, was left by John Walters and Charles Benson, yeomen of this parish, in 1686, for the poor of Halam for ever. In 1834 it was divided into eight gardens, and let to poor labourers, who each pay 2d 6d per annum, and the amount is given to the poor at Christmas. Mr William Rogers, in 1852, left the interest of £25 to be given to the poor, as the minister and churchwardens may think proper.

White's Directory of Nottinghamshire 1853

[Last updated: Friday 19th September 1997 - Clive Henly]

© Copyright C.R.G. Henly 1997