Isle of Axholme
Encyclopedia
The Isle of Axholme is part of North Lincolnshire
, England
. It is the only part of Lincolnshire
west of the River Trent
. It is between the three towns of Doncaster
, Scunthorpe
and Gainsborough
.
, each town or village formerly lay on areas of dry, raised ground in the surrounding marshland. The River Don used to flow to the north and west (it has since been diverted), dividing the Isle from Yorkshire
, the River Idle
separates the Isle from Nottinghamshire
and the River Trent
separates the Isle from the rest of the county. There are three small towns: Epworth – birthplace of John Wesley
and his brother Charles
– Crowle and Haxey
.
Other settlements on the isle include Garthorpe
, Luddington
, Eastoft
, Belton
, Sandtoft
– home to Europe's largest Trolleybus museum
– Westwoodside
, Wroot
and Owston Ferry
.
Much of the northern part of the Isle has flat topography, with rich farmland used mainly to grow wheat and sugar beet. The land is particularly fertile due to its history of annual flooding from the Trent and peat soil which was created by dense ancient woodland which covered much of the Isle. Even today, in many parts of the northern Isle, petrified wood can be found at about 6ft below ground which is a relic from this woodland, locally called "Bog oaks".
A long-distance walking route, the "Peatlands Way" traverses the Isle.
", from the town name + Old Norse holmr "island". The name was recorded as Hakirhomle in 1196. (The Old English suffix "ey" in "Haxey" also indicates an island).
who initiated the realignment of several of the highland carriers flowing through the district allowing increased agricultural production. This early agricultural activity has left a legacy in the unique strip farming which is still in existence around Epworth. The watercourses of the Isle and the surrounding area are managed by the Isle of Axholme Internal Drainage Board
who maintain 302km of watercourse and 18 pumping stations. The Internal Drainage Board also provide water level management to the adjacent Thorne Moors and the Hatfield Moors, both environmentally sensitive areas.
now crosses the north of the area.
There was an Isle of Axholme Rural District
from 1894 to 1974, which covered the entire Isle after 1936. This became part of the Boothferry district of Humberside
in 1974, and since 1996 has been in the North Lincolnshire
unitary authority.
North Lincolnshire
North Lincolnshire is a unitary authority area in the region of Yorkshire and the Humber in England. For ceremonial purposes it is part of Lincolnshire....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is the only part of Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
west of the River Trent
River Trent
The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent...
. It is between the three towns of Doncaster
Doncaster
Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
, Scunthorpe
Scunthorpe
Scunthorpe is a town within North Lincolnshire, England. It is the administrative centre of the North Lincolnshire unitary authority, and had an estimated total resident population of 72,514 in 2010. A predominantly industrial town, Scunthorpe, the United Kingdom's largest steel processing centre,...
and Gainsborough
Gainsborough, Lincolnshire
Gainsborough is a town 15 miles north-west of Lincoln on the River Trent within the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. At one time it served as an important port with trade downstream to Hull, and was the most inland in England, being more than 55 miles from the North...
.
Description
The name Isle is given to the area since, prior to the area being drained by the Dutchman Cornelius VermuydenCornelius Vermuyden
Sir Cornelius Wasterdyk Vermuyden was a Dutch engineer who introduced Dutch reclamation methods to Britain, and made the first important attempts to drain The Fens of East Anglia.-Life:...
, each town or village formerly lay on areas of dry, raised ground in the surrounding marshland. The River Don used to flow to the north and west (it has since been diverted), dividing the Isle from Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, the River Idle
River Idle
The River Idle is a river in Nottinghamshire, England. Its source is the confluence of the River Maun and River Meden, near Markham Moor. From there, it flows north through Retford and Bawtry before entering the River Trent at Stockwith near Misterton...
separates the Isle from Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
and the River Trent
River Trent
The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent...
separates the Isle from the rest of the county. There are three small towns: Epworth – birthplace of John Wesley
John Wesley
John Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
and his brother Charles
Charles Wesley
Charles Wesley was an English leader of the Methodist movement, son of Anglican clergyman and poet Samuel Wesley, the younger brother of Anglican clergyman John Wesley and Anglican clergyman Samuel Wesley , and father of musician Samuel Wesley, and grandfather of musician Samuel Sebastian Wesley...
– Crowle and Haxey
Haxey
Haxey is a village and civil parish within North Lincolnshire, England. It is situated to the northwest of the city of Lincoln and in 2001 had a total resident population of 4,359....
.
Other settlements on the isle include Garthorpe
Garthorpe, North Lincolnshire
Garthorpe is a village located in the Isle of Axholme, in North Lincolnshire, England. Together with Fockerby, which is contiguous with the village, Garthorpe forms a civil parish of about 500 inhabitants.- History :...
, Luddington
Luddington
- Places :*Luddington, North Lincolnshire*Luddington-in-the-Brook, Northamptonshire*Luddington, Warwickshire-People:*Sir Donald Luddington , British colonial government official and civil servant...
, Eastoft
Eastoft
Eastoft is a village and civil parish in North Lincolnshire, England. It lies within the Isle of Axholme, north-east of Crowle on the A161.The 2001 census recorded a parish population of 378.-History:...
, Belton
Belton, North Lincolnshire
Belton is a village and civil parish in the Isle of Axholme area of North Lincolnshire, England, that lies on the A161 road six miles east from Scunthorpe. To the north of Belton is the town of Crowle; to the south, the village of Epworth....
, Sandtoft
Sandtoft, Lincolnshire
Sandtoft is a hamlet in the civil parish of Belton, Lincolnshire, England. For administrative purposes it is part of the North Lincolnshire Council area....
– home to Europe's largest Trolleybus museum
The Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft
The Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft is a transport museum which specialises in the preservation of trolleybuses. It is located by the village of Sandtoft, near Belton on the Isle of Axholme in the English county of Lincolnshire.-Description:...
– Westwoodside
Westwoodside
Westwoodside is a small village at the western end of the village and civil parish of Haxey, in the North East Lincolnshire district of Lincolnshire, England.The village has a primary school....
, Wroot
Wroot
Wroot is a linear village and civil parish in the north of the English county of Lincolnshire.Wroot is located south of the River Torne on the Isle of Axholme very close to the boundary with South Yorkshire. Administratively it forms part of North Lincolnshire. The name is derived from wrot, Old...
and Owston Ferry
Owston Ferry
Owston Ferry is a village and civil parish in North Lincolnshire, England. It lies on the west bank of the River Trent, north of Gainsborough, and has a total resident population of 1,128....
.
Much of the northern part of the Isle has flat topography, with rich farmland used mainly to grow wheat and sugar beet. The land is particularly fertile due to its history of annual flooding from the Trent and peat soil which was created by dense ancient woodland which covered much of the Isle. Even today, in many parts of the northern Isle, petrified wood can be found at about 6ft below ground which is a relic from this woodland, locally called "Bog oaks".
A long-distance walking route, the "Peatlands Way" traverses the Isle.
Etymology
Axholme means "island by HaxeyHaxey
Haxey is a village and civil parish within North Lincolnshire, England. It is situated to the northwest of the city of Lincoln and in 2001 had a total resident population of 4,359....
", from the town name + Old Norse holmr "island". The name was recorded as Hakirhomle in 1196. (The Old English suffix "ey" in "Haxey" also indicates an island).
1833 description
Land drainage history
The Isle is known for the early influences of the Dutchman, Cornelius VermuydenCornelius Vermuyden
Sir Cornelius Wasterdyk Vermuyden was a Dutch engineer who introduced Dutch reclamation methods to Britain, and made the first important attempts to drain The Fens of East Anglia.-Life:...
who initiated the realignment of several of the highland carriers flowing through the district allowing increased agricultural production. This early agricultural activity has left a legacy in the unique strip farming which is still in existence around Epworth. The watercourses of the Isle and the surrounding area are managed by the Isle of Axholme Internal Drainage Board
Internal Drainage Board
An internal drainage board is a type of operating authority which is established in areas of special drainage need in England and Wales with permissive powers to undertake work to secure clean water drainage and water level management within drainage districts...
who maintain 302km of watercourse and 18 pumping stations. The Internal Drainage Board also provide water level management to the adjacent Thorne Moors and the Hatfield Moors, both environmentally sensitive areas.
Road and railway
The Axholme Joint Railway traversed the area, but the line has now been abandoned. The M180 motorwayM180 motorway
The M180 motorway is a short but major motorway in England from junction 5 on the M18 motorway in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster to a point close to Humberside Airport some from the ports of Immingham and Grimsby and the east coast and provides access for major routes to Cleethorpes,...
now crosses the north of the area.
There was an Isle of Axholme Rural District
Isle of Axholme Rural District
Isle of Axholme was a rural district in Lincolnshire, Parts of Lindsey from 1894 to 1974. It was formed under the Local Government Act 1894 based on the Lincolnshire parts of the Thorne rural sanitary district and two parishes of the Goole RSD .After the abolition of Crowle Urban District and...
from 1894 to 1974, which covered the entire Isle after 1936. This became part of the Boothferry district of Humberside
Humberside
Humberside was a non-metropolitan and ceremonial county in Northern England from 1 April 1974 until 1 April 1996. It was composed of land from either side of the Humber Estuary, created from portions of the East and West ridings of Yorkshire and parts of Lindsey, Lincolnshire...
in 1974, and since 1996 has been in the North Lincolnshire
North Lincolnshire
North Lincolnshire is a unitary authority area in the region of Yorkshire and the Humber in England. For ceremonial purposes it is part of Lincolnshire....
unitary authority.