Owston Ferry

Owston Ferry

Church of St Martin, at Owston Ferry
Owston Ferry
 Owston Ferry shown within Lincolnshire
Population 1,128 (2001 Census)
OS grid referenceSE805005
   – London 135 mi (217 km)  SSE
Unitary authorityNorth Lincolnshire
Ceremonial countyLincolnshire
RegionYorkshire and the Humber
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town DONCASTER
Postcode district DN9
Dialling code 01427
Police Humberside
Fire Humberside
Ambulance East Midlands
EU Parliament Yorkshire and the Humber
List of places
UK
England
Lincolnshire

Coordinates: 53°29′43″N 0°47′08″W / 53.495228°N 0.785656°W

Owston Ferry is a village and civil parish in North Lincolnshire, England. It is situated on the west bank of the River Trent, and 9 miles (14 km) north from Gainsborough, and has a total resident population of 1,128.[1]

Sometimes referred to in short as Owston or Ferry, the village, which forms part of the Isle of Axholme, is bounded to the west by the A161 road and the village of Haxey. The River Trent is directly to the east. To the north, beyond a number of hamlets and villages, lies the River Humber. West Butterwick was originally a part of the township of Owston.

History

Further information: History of Lincolnshire

The name "Owston" is thought to derive from the Old Norse "austr+tun", meaning "east farmstead",[2] a view shared by other sources which outline that it specifically implied the "farmstead east of Haxey".[3] The name "Owston" is shared by at least two other settlements within the United Kingdom. In the 1086 Domesday Book it is listed as "Ostone",[3]

Owston Ferry Castle, also known as Kinnard's Ferry Castle, was a motte-and-bailey fortification from the 12th century. It lay on the site of an earlier, Roman castrum.[4] It was dismantled by order of Henry II of England in 1175-76 following the Revolt of 1173–1174.[5]

Owston Ferry Grade I listed Anglican parish church is dedicated to St Martin.[6] The church register dates from 1603.[7]

In 1885 Kelly's reported the existence of Wesleyan and Primitive Methodist chapels,[8] a rope-walk, boat-building yard, several corn mills, and the manufacture of sacking and sail cloth. The parish was of 5,350 acres (22 km2). Wheat, barley, potatoes, beans and grass were grown.[7]

West Kinnard's Ferry was a separate settlement. Kinnard's short for King Edward's Ferry. According to Rev. W.B. Stonehouse, " History of the Isle of Axholme." 1836. Established by Edward the Confessor when he required help from Northumbria against southern enemies.

Government

As part of the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972, Owston Ferry formed part of the Boothferry district of the county of Humberside, having previously lain within the Parts of Lindsey from the historic county boundaries of Lincolnshire. Since 1996 however, Owston Ferry has formed part of the unitary authority area of North Lincolnshire.

Assessment as Nuclear Site

In 2009, a very specific area of land in Owston Ferry was highlighted in a study [9] by W S Atkins for the department of energy on alternative sites for nuclear power plant, as representing a potentially-suitable site "worthy of further consideration" for a nuclear power plant. It had also featured in a 1970's CEGB list of possible sites for such plant, which Atkins may well have perused for ideas in its 2009 work. In any event, by 2010, the department had issued another document [10] saying that it had given the matter further consideration. It said it had concluded that, although the site nominally met its "strategic site assessment criteria" for new nuclear power sites, it was not a credible site for deployment of new nuclear by the end of 2025 - adding that, anyway, no firm had expressed any interest in building such plant there.

Geography

At 53°29′42.8″N 0°47′8.3″W / 53.495222°N 0.785639°W (53.495228°, -0.785656°), and 140 miles (225 km) north-northwest of London, Owston Ferry stands on flat ground by the River Trent, opposite the hamlet of East Ferry.

The closest motorway to Owston Ferry is the M180, whilst Robin Hood Airport is 10 miles (16 km) to the west, in South Yorkshire.

The civil parish of Owston Ferry, includes the village of Owston Ferry, as well as a number of smaller localities, including West Ferry, Gunthorpe, Heckdyke and Melwood.

Education

Owston Ferry contains one primary school, St. Martin's Church of England Primary School.

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ↑ United Kingdom Census 2001. "Owston Ferry CP (Parish)". neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. Retrieved 13 June 2007.
  2. ↑ Mills, A. D. (1991) A Dictionary of English Place-Names, Oxford University Press
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 North Lincolnshire Council. "Owston Ferry Local History Pack". Retrieved 13 June 2007.
  4. ↑ Webster, Graham (2003). Rome against Caratacus. Routledge. p. 93. ISBN 978-0-415-23987-5.
  5. ↑ Fry, Plantagenet Somerset (2005). Castles: England + Scotland + Wales + Ireland. David & Charles Publishers. p. 66. ISBN 0-7153-2212-5.
  6. ↑ Historic England. "Church of St Martin (1083261)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Kelly's Directory of Lincolnshire with the port of Hull 1885, pp. 593, 594
  8. ↑ Historic England. "Centenary Methodist Chapel (1049072)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
  9. ↑ "Owston Ferry assessed by Atkins for DECC as "worthy of further consideration" as new nuclear site" (PDF). Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  10. ↑ "After initial preferment, Owston Ferry later deprecated by government as new nuclear site due to unfamiliarity in GB with river cooling for nuclear power plant" (PDF). Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  11. ↑ ODNB: Lesley Brown, "Foot, Philippa Ruth (1920–2010)". Retrieved 7 March 2014, pay-walled.
  12. ↑  Lee, Sidney, ed. (1892). "Kilham, Alexander". Dictionary of National Biography 31. London: Smith, Elder & Co. p. 102.

External links