VCH Nottinghamshire: Texts in Progress: Rempstone
VCH Nottinghamshire
On-line Texts in Progress
This version: September 2014
Author: Sheila leeds
REMPSTONE
ECONOMIC HISTORY
FARMING
Before the Conquest there were 12 bovates and a part of 13 bovates assessed to the geld in
Rempstone. In 1086 land for six oxen was held by William Peverel, on which five villans had one
plough, and there were 15 a. of meadow. Ralph Buron held land for six oxen as well as 10 a. of
meadow and some waste. Part of Roger de Bully’s holding in Costock included land in Rempstone.1
In 1714 there were three fields in Rempstone, known as Long Dale, Church and Grange
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fields. In 1769 these fields together with meadow ground and commonable lands, totaling 1,355 a.,
were enclosed.3
In 1870 there were 21 holdings in Rempstone. There were five over 100 a. but six were less
than 5 a., six between 5 and 20 a. and four between 20 and 50 a. The corn crops were wheat (275
a.), barley (161 a.) and oats (44 a.). Beans accounted for 59 a. and peas 16 a.). The main root crop
was turnips (126 a.) with 25 a. of mangolds and 4 a. of potatoes. The only green crops were 3 a.
producing cabbages and 6 a. of vetches. There were 13 a. of bare fallow. In the current year 10 a. of
clovers and grasses and 146 a. of permanent grassland produced hay crops for the current year.
There was an additional 483 a. of meadow and pasture. Livestock consisted of 294 cows and other
cattle, 1017 sheep and lambs and 93 pigs. There were 54 working horses.4
By 1900 there were only 17 holdings. All 1,474 a. of farmland in the parish was rented. The
corn crops were less than a generation earlier, with 137 a. of wheat, 106 a. of barley, 89 a. of oats
and 15 a. of rye. There were 24 a. of beans and 18 a. of peas. The root crops had changed, with half
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VCH Notts. I, 265, 272, 278.
Notts. Archives, DR 1/3/2/1/148/1.
Tate, Enclosures, 39-40.
TNA, MAF 68/254.
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VCH Nottinghamshire: Texts in Progress: Rempstone
the acerage of turnips grown but more mangolds and potatoes. There was still a small amount of
cabbage. There was considerably more grassland, with 267 a. mown and 660 a. used for grazing.
There were 68 horses in use. The livestock consisted of 354 cattle, 702 sheep and 54 pigs. There was
also 4 a. of orchard.5
In 1925 there were 11 holdings with 26 men and one woman full-time and five men and one
woman working part-time. Two holdings were between 20 and 50 a., three were up to 100 a., two
had 100 to 150 a. and four were between 150 and 300 a. Less wheat (98 a.)
and oats (50 a.) were
grown but more barley (134 a.). There were also fewer beans and peas. There were 20 a. of
potatoes, 50 a. of mangolds but only 25 a. of turnips. A new crop was 2 a. of sugar beet. The
grassland had 226 a. which was mown and 649 a. which was grazed. There were 409 orchard trees.
There were still 51 horses in use. The livestock comprised 387 cattle, 559 sheep and 111 pigs.6
In 1960 there were 12 holdings of which five were less than 20 a. Two were between 150
and 300 a. and two more were between 300 and 500 a. There were 23 men and one woman
working full-time, four men and one woman part-time and seven men who were seasonal workers.
The corn crop included 217 a. of wheat, 94 a. of barley, 135 a. of oats and 44 a. of mixed corn. There
were no beans or peas. There was a further change in the root crops, with more potatoes (35 a.) and
sugar beet (21 a.) but far fewer turnips (2 a.) and mangolds (10 a.) There was also more kale (22 a.)
and a few acres of vegetables. The grassland which was mown was 326 a, and that for grazing 571 a.
The livestock consisted of 607 cattle, 102 pigs, 515 sheep and 4,364 fowls.7
Although many of the 18 th- and 19 th- century farmhouses still exist as residential
properties, the number of working farms has decreased. In 2014 the main farms were Dales farm on
Wysall Road and Lings farm on Ashby Road.
CORN MILLING
A windmill stood on the Wysall Road from at least the 17th century, as the miller, Noah
Smith, died in 1692.8 A later miller, Thomas Morris died in 1785. His widow then married John
Wadkin who also took over the mill.9 He left the mill to his nephew, John, then to his son, another
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TNA, MAF 68/1850.
TNA, MAF 68/3254.
TNA, MAF 68/4693.
Notts. Archives, will.
Rempstone monumental inscription.
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VCH Nottinghamshire: Texts in Progress: Rempstone
John, and finally to another nephew, James Wadkin Pritchard, who was still the miller in 1911.10 The
mill ceased to operate a few years later and was later demolished. In 2014 only a mound in a fenced
area of field and an old millstone in a local garden remained.
TEXTILES
In 1841 there were 13 framework knitters in Rempstone
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but by 1871 there were only
six,12 and by 1891 only one.13 A three-storey building on Main Street, reputedly originally a village
workhouse, was later used for framework knitting.14
SERVICES
STEAM ENGINE HIRE
In the 1870s a steam engine business was started at Villa farm. In 1906 it was bought by the
Beeby brothers. They eventually had eleven teams of engines which were used for ploughing,
harrowing, mole-draining and cultivation. Later threshing was added. The firm ceased trading in
1994 and most of the old engines were scrapped. Since 1956 a Rempstone Steam Engine Rally has
been held annually, at first in Rempstone but more recently at Wymeswold (Leics.).15
Rempstone was large enough during the 19th century to have a range of craftsmen, including
a blacksmith, shoemakers, joiners, tailor and saddler. There were also butchers and bakers and a
village shop. The first sub post-office opened c. 1846. In 1853 William Bonser was the
sub-postmaster, and was also described as schoolmaster, parish clerk, assistant overseer and
collector of taxes.16 By the 1860s Benjamin Sawbridge was sub-postmaster and later William Lowe
combined that job with being the village carrier. The post office closed c. 1982.17
In 1675 one licensed house was recorded18
and in the early 19th century the Ship Inn is
mentioned.19 Later in the 19th century there were two public houses, the Ship Inn and the White
Lion. The Ship closed c. 1912 but the White Lion continued to trade in 2014.20
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Family inf.
TNA, HO 107/863/21/5-13.
TNA, RG 10/3259/9-16.
TNA, RG 12/2518/51-55.
P. Twobley, Rempstone 2000, A Pictorial History (2000), (not paginated).
W. Buchanan, ‘Steam Cultivation at Rempstone’, Leake Historian, No. 8 (2004), 44-52.
White’s Dir. Notts. (1853), 412.
D. Humphreys, ‘Rempstone Post Office’, Leake Historian, No. 11 (2009), 33-34.
County Records I, 48.
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VCH Nottinghamshire: Texts in Progress: Rempstone
In 1832 a carrier went from Rempstone to Nottingham on Saturday and to Loughborough on
Thursday. The ‘Loughborough Van’ passed through to Nottingham on Monday, Wednesday and
Saturday at 9 a.m., returning at 6.30 p.m.21 In 1877 there was a carrier to Loughborough on four
days a week and one to Nottingham twice a week.22 By 1928 there was a daily bus service to
Loughborough and later services to Nottingham as well.23 In 2014 a service between Nottingham
and Loughborough called at Rempstone.
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Notts. Archives, C/QD/LV/6/6/15.
Dirs. passim.
White’s Dir. Notts. (1832), 653.
Morris’ Dir. Notts. (1877), 402.
Kelly’s Dir. Notts. (1928), 683.
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