Location

It is surrounded by the following local areas:

• Darlton and Fledborough to the north
• Normanton-on-Trent to the south
• South Clifton to the east
• Tuxford to the west.

The parish is approximately 4 miles in width, by 2 miles.

Settlements

The parish consists of:

• Low Marnham
• High Marnham
• Skegby

Landscape

Predominantly, many of the parish residents are clustered around the three villages. Outside of this is a light scattering of farms, farmhouses, auxiliary buildings and cottages amongst a wider mainly farmland setting. There are open fields to the west and north, and river floodplain areas (Ferry Holme, Marnham Holme, Marnham Meadow) to the east alongside the river.

Toponymy

The name "Marnham" means 'Mearna's homestead/village' who was an Anglo Saxon local, although little knowledge on this owner exists.^[8]

Medieval history

Roger de Busli at the time of the Domesday (1086) was the key landowner of the Marnham manor as well as beyond. From this, William de Kewles became lord of these manors, and from this they passed to the Chaworths. Elizabeth, the daughter and heiress of Sir George Chaworth, carried the holdings through marriage to Sir William Cope. By 1853 Earl Brownlow was the principal owner and Lord of the Manor of Marnham.^[9]

Church of England protestants

Low Marnham has a notable connection to the early 17th century Protestant movement and the ‘Mayflower Trail’ which usually tracks the development of Puritanism from Babworth to Scrooby and Austerfield. The ‘Mayflower’ route particularly begins here, because it is where the spiritual leader of the Scrooby separatists, Richard Clyfton started in his first capacity as vicar briefly in 1586, before taking up the post at Babworth only a few months after.^[10][11] It is also where John Smyth, the first Baptist, was involved in a riot, possibly to help gain control of the chapel from Puritans, and taken to court in 1604.^[12]

Marnham Hall

Marnham Hall comprised a large manor house, Grade II listed, set within large grounds and located close to the River Trent at High Marnham. The oldest part of the hall dates to the 16th century, with remodelling and re-facing in the early 18th century. it was the home of the Cartwright family who had 'made good' through a family connection to Thomas Cranmer. For 250 years they were the dominant family here and their memorials carpet the sanctuary floor in the Low Marnham church.^[13]

They are most famous for the 'golden generation' born in the mid-1700s where three brothers became quite notable. There was the explorer 'Labrador' George Cartwright who brought a small group of Inuit to stay at Marnham although most died of smallpox soon after. He and his brother John Cartwright or 'Jack' explored in Newfoundland alongside George and have a town (Cartwright) bearing their name - and a memorial. George ran out of money and the Hall had to be bought back from the mortgage by the younger brother John. He further tried to help out his brother Edmund, a clergyman who invented the power loom in 1784 but who then got into difficulties trying to run a textiles business. The 'Revolution Mill' they set up in Retford was not a success.^[14] Edmund lived in Low Marnham until the end of the 18th century, and later built Ossington Hall.^[15]

Edmund was also the father of the famous 'Mrs Markham', children's writer Elizabeth Penrose. He created other inventions such as the wool-combing machine, and was also vicar of Marnham in the 1770s. Jack sold Marnham to the Brownlows and moved to Lincolnshire, after which there was refurbishment involving part of the hall being demolished and rebuilt around 1789–1793.^[16] The Brownlows seat was Belton House in Lincolnshire, and so Marnham was let to tenant farmers. The estate remained in the Brownlow/Cust family until the death of the 3rd Earl in 1921, although there were sales of portions of the Marnham area from 1920.^[17]

Later history

Earl Brownlow built a schoolhouse opposite the church at Low Marnham in 1823. This was latterly used as a church, before becoming a village hall.^[18]

Skegby Manor was a 285-acre farm. It was held by Charles Francis Wade in the mid-1800s. Their son Richard Wade became a partner in the Sharpe & Wade solicitor firm based in Market Deeping for many years, and run by several generations of the Wade family.^[19] He was also Lord of the Manor in Skegby in 1927, with the manor let out to tenant farmers.^[20]

In 1835, White's Directory reported 3 farm houses and three cottages in Skegby.^[21]

Until 1866, Grassthorpe was a township within Marnham parish.^[22]

By the late 19th century the Marnham villages carried alternative names - Ferry or Upper (High) Marnham, and Church or Lower (Low) Marnham ^[23][24]

The ferry service, in place for many centuries between Marnham and South Clifton was in use until the early 20th century.^[25]

Part of Marnham parish was transferred to South Clifton on 25 March 1885 and on 1 April 1935. 137 acres was transferred from Normanton on Trent to Marnham, the transferred area had a population of 2 in 1931.^[26]

High Marnham power station

High Marnham power station in 2003

This former power station was located 1⁄2 mile (750 m) north of High Marnham. The plant was commissioned in 1958, officially opened in October 1962, and closed in 2003 after 45 years of operation. An electrical substation remains in operation on site.

Listed buildings

There are 7 listed buildings, including:^[5]

• St Wilfrid's Church at Low Marnham, Grade I
• Marnham Hall at High Marnham, Grade II, portions of which date from the 16th century, but substantially from the 18th century.^[16]
• Village hall at Low Marnham, Grade II. This was first a school before becoming a parish church.
• Skegby Manor, Grade II, dates from the 18th century, possibly as early as 1720.^[28]