Welcome to the village
Map of Potterhanworth
Early History
Human settlement in Potterhanworth may have begun in the Neolithic period, between 4000 and 2500 BC. A Neolithic axe was found less than a mile from the village, and there are traces of possible Neolithic or Bronze Age (2500 to 800 BC) farming on the heath, west of the B1188.There are certainly Bronze Age barrows (ancient mounds covering graves) on the high ground close to the B1202 at Potterhanworth Booths. There may have been a settlement on or close to the existing village site during Roman times, but there is no definite evidence of this. In an area east of the present village, there are traces which may be the remains of an Iron Age settlement, or possibly a very early medieval settlement, but this is uncertain.
There are no written records available relating to the village prior to Domesday Book. However, the original name, Hanaworth, is old Saxon for "the settlement of Hanas' people", suggesting an early Saxon origin, and there are two place names within the parish ("Barff" and "Norman Hay") which indicate Viking settlement.
Medieval Times
The village name was somewhat latinized to "Haneworde" in Domesday Book but by the mid 13th century it had become "Hanesworth", or "Hanworth Juxta Nocton". The prefix Potter appeared in 1334 and is obviously related to the medieval pottery which existed at the time. Large quantities of medieval pottery are still to be found in the village. For several centuries the name was Potter Hanworth and remained so until at least the 1920s.
The local schoolmaster always insisted on "capital P and a capital H"; village signs and references in directories all showed the two separate words. The change to a single word was largely brought about at the instigation of the Great Northern Railway, to avoid confusion with the railway station at Potter Heigham in north Norfolk. It is only relatively recently, therefore, that the village name has evolved to Potterhanworth.
This map shows the boundaries of Potterhanworth in 1776 and specifies the various forms of land use at the time. It is an authentic late-medieval layout of the three open fields Lincoln, Dale and Stonepit which were originally divided into strips held by different individuals, plus ancient closes, meadows, pasture, wood and fen. The roads are the modernised ones of 1776, but they follow the original rough tracks of the earlier period.
Potterhanworth is unlike many other local villages with long histories in that there was never a permanently resident local Lord of the Manor with the usual "Big House", though there has been a manor house since at least 1600, and probably rather earlier. Lords of the Manor are easily traceable in the archives — the first Norman family to have the title, which was given to it by William the Conqueror was the d'Eyncourt family, whose main base was at Blankney, and by the 14th Century they had been succeeded by the Goldesburgh family, based at Goldsborough in south Yorkshire.
Blankney was too close for a large establishment to be needed in Potterhanworth, and paradoxically, Goldsborough was too far away. Both families were probably represented in the village by a reeve or bailiff. The Goldesburgh family retained the title and most of the lands until the reign of Elizabeth I, at which point there is some confusion as to ownership, and it was during her reign in 1595 that the Lordship of the Manor was granted (probably by purchase) to Dr. Richard Smith.
Dr Smith had been born at Welton, where he also became Lord of the Manor, and he had been a successful doctor in London, accumulating the wealth to acquire both manors. He bequeathed the manors in his will to found the Christ's Hospital Foundation at Lincoln and so since 1602 there has been no Lord of the Manor, rather just a disinterested corporate governing body and tenants of the Manor House and the associated farmland, though for much of the 17th century the Neville family as tenants of the manor wielded considerable influence.
Throughout the medieval and early modern periods, the most influential people in the village were the bailiff or steward, the Lord of the Manor, the rector of the church (which became a living in the gift of the Crown after 1538) and the wealthier farmers. Given that the living was held in plurality by absentee Rectors for more than a century, that the steward was one of their own, the manorial court had powers mainly over tenancy and land use, and that there was no resident justice of the peace, the villagers were largely left to their own devices.
Modern Times
From the around 1875 onward, Potterhanworth had a post office and village store. Both lasted until towards the end of the 20th century, but are now closed. Previously the village had three public houses, the Chequers, the Black Horse and the White Horse (which was also a coaching inn). Only The Chequers on Cross Street, remains. There is a village hall, a church dedicated to St. Andrew, and a nine-hole golf course nearby on the road to Potterhanworth Booths.
Potterhanworth Water Tower was built in 1903 with a tank capacity of 37,000 gallons filled with water pumped from a 150ft deep bore hole in a field south of the village. It was financed by the local Rural District Council, with the Parish Council in charge of day-to-day running. The coats of arms of families prominent in village history were added to the water tower to decorate it. They are those of the De'Eyencourt and Goldesborough families and of Doctor Richard Smith, the latter being the founder of the Christ's Hospital charity. The two rooms below the water tank were used for Parish Council meetings, the Men's Institute, and during the war, for the Home Guard platoon. The tower was declared redundant in 1978, auctioned in 1988 and converted into a private house in 1996.
St Andrew's Church has a vibrant community and holds regular services. It also provides a venue for the Church of England school assemblies and village activities. There were other Christian institutions such as the Potterhanworth Methodist Church and the Bright Hour, an interdenominational group of Christians, but they are no longer operating. The Methodist Church which closed in 2008 has now been converted into a house.
Two trusts care for the children and for the poor of the village: the Christ's Hospital Endowment and the Culfrey Trust.
Throughout its long history Potterhanworth has undergone many changes. Only 40 years ago in 1983 the following institutions and groups were active:
- Potterhanworth Play Group
- Potterhanworth over 60 club
- Carousel dancing Club
- The Forge Gallery
- Potterhanworth Women's Institute
- Youth Club
- Potterhanworth Sportsfield Committee
- Potterhanworth Lawn Tennis Club
- Potterhanworth Bowls Club
- The Plough Football Club
- Potterhanworth Cricket Club
- Chequers Angling Club
Many of these groups no longer take place in the village, either superseded by larger groups and sporting clubs operating elsewhere in neighbouring parishes or within the county. However, there are still a number of regular groups and activities held in the village: e.g. the Over 60s Club and Youth Club, a singing group, a monthly coffee morning, Victorian Teas, Christmas Market and the very popular Beer Festival and Harvest Festival Show held annually.
St Andrew's Church is situated in the middle of the village. There was already a church in pre-conquest times; during the centuries several structures were built but subsequently fell into neglect and ruin. Finally, most of the present nave was rebuilt in the 19th century and reopened in 1856; only the 14th century tower survives from medieval times survives.
For a brief period in the 20th century Potterhanworth was at the forefront of innovation in the breeding, development and production of sugar beet varieties by the Maribo Seed Company. The company developed one of the first genetical monogerm sugar beet seeds later widely used by UK farmers. Potterhanworth is the home of several famous people. Dr Philip Marshall (1921- 2005), who was the head of choir, organist and composer at Lincoln Cathedral.
Potterhanworth Water Tower was built in 1904 with a tank capacity of 37,000 gallons filled from a 150ft deep bore hole in a field around half a mile away. Originally the water was raised to the tower by a wind pump, later by a pump powered by an internal combustion engine. The coat of arms of the 16th century Lord of the Manor and philanthropist Dr. Richard Smith can be seen in the brickwork. The two rooms below the tank were used for parish council meetings, the Men's Institute and, during the war, for the Home Guard platoon. The tower was declared redundant in 1978, auctioned in 1988 and converted into a private house in 1996.
The Parish Council - a short history
Parishes perhaps first came to prominence as the area of administration for the Elizabethan poor law. This administration created public offices based on the parish overseer and parish constable. Overseers were instituted by the Poor Relief Act 1601 and were appointed from the church wardens until a further Act of 1894. Their duty was to bring relief to the poor of the parish and to levy the poor rate for that purpose. After the Parish Constables Act of 1872, every parishioner who had property rated to the value of £4 p.a. could qualify to be appointed a parish constable. Two such constables could be paid each year. In 1902 two constables were each paid five shillings for their services for the year. In the same year John Gilliatt and William Briggs were appointed 'Overseers of the Poor'. Constables were still being appointed in 1926.
The Parish Council - today
Parish Councils were first put on their current basis by the Local Government Act 1894 and their status was retained by the Local Government Act 1972. Parish Councillors (seven) are now elected every four years. There is an annual parish meeting in the spring of each year, to which every resident is always cordially invited to discuss any parish issue that anyone wishes to raise. The date of this meeting is always extensively advertised, as are the monthly parish council meetings, at which any parishioner is always welcome to attend. On the homepage of the Potterhanworth Parish Council website council business (such as the minutes of the parish council meetings) and other parish information can be accessed.
The ancient heart of the village with its modern re-development and additions