Morton and Hanthorpe
Encyclopedia
Morton and Hanthorpe is a civil parish
, formerly known as Morton by Bourne in the South Kesteven
district of Lincolnshire
, England. There are other villages and hamlets in the county
with the name of Morton. There are 921 households in Morton and 74 in Hanthorpe.
Morton Grade I listed Anglican parish church is dedicated to St John the Baptist. The ecclesiastical parish is Morton (Bourne), part of the Ringstone and Aveland group of the deanery
of Beltisloe
, Diocese of Lincoln
. The incumbent is The Revd David Creasey.
on three sorts of land, the upland, the fen edge and the fen. The parish
was laid out in an elongated form so as to provide access to each of these. At the highest edge, in the west, the geology
is chalky till
(boulder clay) but most of the upland is Jurassic
, including a little Oxford Clay
but mostly Kellaways Sand
and some Cornbrash
and Kellaways Clay
. The fen edge consists of First Terrace Gravel with a little Glacial Gravel. The landward part of the fen was black soil
, composed largely of peat. Over the two and half centuries since the land was drained, this has largely oxidized away leaving the underlying First Terrace gravel and the mainly clay
s of the Barroway Drove Beds. These beds form the central part of the fen as well, as they do at the eastern end of the parish. However, there, there is a broad ridge of the Terrington Beds, the remains of a huge marine creek
which was not laid down until the Bronze Age
and was still active when the Roman
s diverted Bourne Eau
into it by means of what is called by archaeologists 'the Bourne-Morton Canal
'. Our medieval
ancestors knew it as the Old Ea.
settlers found in the fen in around the year 500. The name therefore indicates that the fen
was to a significant extent better called the bog
in modern terminology. They were Germanic speakers so they called it a moor. Hanthorpe is a name indicating a subsidiary settlement established in the period of the Danish settlements, probably in the tenth century.
The church and the later signs of the manorial centre are in Morton. The church is built in the Early English and Perpendicular styles, and was restored in 1860 and 1951. A baptist chapel was built in 1875, and closed around a hundred years later.
In the late 19th century Morton Road railway station
opened in 1872 and finally closed in 1964.
A gazetteer of the 19th century said:
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
, formerly known as Morton by Bourne in the South Kesteven
South Kesteven
South Kesteven is a local government district in Lincolnshire, England, forming part of the traditional Kesteven division of the county. It covers Grantham, Stamford, Bourne and Market Deeping.-History:...
district 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...
, England. There are other villages and hamlets in the county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
with the name of Morton. There are 921 households in Morton and 74 in Hanthorpe.
Morton Grade I listed Anglican parish church is dedicated to St John the Baptist. The ecclesiastical parish is Morton (Bourne), part of the Ringstone and Aveland group of the deanery
Deanery
A Deanery is an ecclesiastical entity in both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of a Dean.- Catholic usage :...
of Beltisloe
Beltisloe
Beltisloe is a Deanery of the Diocese of Lincoln England, and a former Wapentake.The Wapentake of Beltisloe, was an old administrative division of the English county of Lincolnshire. In England a wapentake was the division of a shire for administrative, military and judicial purposes under the...
, Diocese of Lincoln
Diocese of Lincoln
The Diocese of Lincoln forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. The present diocese covers the ceremonial county of Lincolnshire.- History :...
. The incumbent is The Revd David Creasey.
Geography
Morton lies on the western margin of The FensThe Fens
The Fens, also known as the , are a naturally marshy region in eastern England. Most of the fens were drained several centuries ago, resulting in a flat, damp, low-lying agricultural region....
on three sorts of land, the upland, the fen edge and the fen. The parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
was laid out in an elongated form so as to provide access to each of these. At the highest edge, in the west, the geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
is chalky till
Till
thumb|right|Closeup of glacial till. Note that the larger grains in the till are completely surrounded by the matrix of finer material , and this characteristic, known as matrix support, is diagnostic of till....
(boulder clay) but most of the upland is Jurassic
Jurassic
The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
, including a little Oxford Clay
Oxford Clay
The Oxford Clay Formation is a Jurassic marine sedimentary rock formation underlying much of southeast England, from as far west as Dorset and as far north as Yorkshire. The Oxford Clay is of middle Callovian to lower Oxfordian age and comprises 2 main facies. The lower facies comprises the...
but mostly Kellaways Sand
Kellaways Formation
The Kellaways Formation is a geological formation of the Callovian Series from the Jurassic. It is found in the British Isles, immediately above the Great Oolite Series: below the Oxford Clay Formation and above the Cornbrash...
and some Cornbrash
Cornbrash
In geology, Cornbrash was the name applied to the uppermost member of the Bathonian stage of the Jurassic formation in England. It is an old English agricultural name applied in Wiltshire to a variety of loose rubble or brash which, in that part of the country, forms a good soil for growing corn...
and Kellaways Clay
Kellaways Formation
The Kellaways Formation is a geological formation of the Callovian Series from the Jurassic. It is found in the British Isles, immediately above the Great Oolite Series: below the Oxford Clay Formation and above the Cornbrash...
. The fen edge consists of First Terrace Gravel with a little Glacial Gravel. The landward part of the fen was black soil
Muck (soil)
Muck is a soil made up primarily of humus from drained swampland. It is known as black soil in The Fens of eastern England, where it was originally mainly fen and bog. It is used there, as in the United States, for growing specialty crops such as onions, carrots, celery, and potatoes...
, composed largely of peat. Over the two and half centuries since the land was drained, this has largely oxidized away leaving the underlying First Terrace gravel and the mainly clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
s of the Barroway Drove Beds. These beds form the central part of the fen as well, as they do at the eastern end of the parish. However, there, there is a broad ridge of the Terrington Beds, the remains of a huge marine creek
Creek (tidal)
A tidal creek, tidal channel, or estuary is the portion of a stream that is affected by ebb and flow of ocean tides, in the case that the subject stream discharges to an ocean, sea or strait. Thus this portion of the stream has variable salinity and electrical conductivity over the tidal cycle...
which was not laid down until the Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
and was still active when the Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
s diverted Bourne Eau
Bourne Eau
Bourne Eau is a short river which rises in the town of Bourne in Lincolnshire, England, and flows in an easterly direction to join the River Glen at Tongue End. It is an embanked river, as its normal level is higher than that of the surrounding Fens...
into it by means of what is called by archaeologists 'the Bourne-Morton Canal
Bourne-Morton Canal
The Bourne–Morton Canal is an archaeological feature to the north east of Bourne in Lincolnshire, England. In old maps and documents it is known as the Old Ea. It was a 6.5 km artificial waterway linking the dry ground at Bourne to the ancient edge of the sea near Pinchbeck, or perhaps to a...
'. Our medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
ancestors knew it as the Old Ea.
History
The village is in two parts, one each side of the fen-edge road, the A15. To the fenward side is Morton and to the upland side is Hanthorpe. The earlier name is that of Morton which will come from the acid peat land which the AnglianAnglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
settlers found in the fen in around the year 500. The name therefore indicates that the fen
Fen
A fen is a type of wetland fed by mineral-rich surface water or groundwater. Fens are characterised by their water chemistry, which is neutral or alkaline, with relatively high dissolved mineral levels but few other plant nutrients...
was to a significant extent better called the bog
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
in modern terminology. They were Germanic speakers so they called it a moor. Hanthorpe is a name indicating a subsidiary settlement established in the period of the Danish settlements, probably in the tenth century.
The church and the later signs of the manorial centre are in Morton. The church is built in the Early English and Perpendicular styles, and was restored in 1860 and 1951. A baptist chapel was built in 1875, and closed around a hundred years later.
In the late 19th century Morton Road railway station
Morton Road railway station
Morton Road railway station was a station serving the village of Morton, Lincolnshire on the Great Northern Railway Bourne and Sleaford railway. It opened in 1872 and closed to passengers in 1930. The section from Bourne through Morton to Billingborough remained open for goods until 1964.Following...
opened in 1872 and finally closed in 1964.
A gazetteer of the 19th century said: