| Epworth | |
|---|---|
     From the top, Epworth Market Place, Wesley Memorial Church,John Wesley Statue, St Andrew's Church and Market Cross | |
  Epworth Location withinLincolnshire | |
| Population | 4,363 2021 Census |
| OS grid reference | SE780039 |
| • London | 150 mi (240 km) SSE |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Areas of the town | |
| Post town | DONCASTER |
| Postcode district | DN9 |
| Dialling code | 01427 |
| Police | Humberside |
| Fire | Humberside |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | www |
| |
Epworth is amarket town andcivil parish on theIsle of Axholme, in theNorth Lincolnshire unitary authority ofLincolnshire, England.[1] The town lies on theA161, about halfway betweenGoole andGainsborough. As the birthplace ofJohn Wesley andCharles Wesley, it has given its name to many institutions associated withMethodism. Their father,Samuel Wesley, was therector from 1695 to 1735.
Epworth is in theIsle of Axholme. The Isle is so called because, until it wasdrained by the Dutch engineerSir Cornelius Vermuyden in 1627–1629, it was an inland island, surrounded by rivers, streams, bogs and meres.
TheDomesday Book in 1086 recorded:
"Manor In Epeuerde, Ledwin had eightcarucates of land to be taxed. Land to twelve ploughs. Geoffrey de Wirce has there two ploughs, and eightsokemen, with two carucates and fiveoxgangs of this land; and thirteenvillanes and ninebordars with six ploughs, and eleven fisheries of five shillings, and sixteen acres [6.5 hectares] of meadow. Wood pasture one mile [1.5 km] long and one mile [1.5 km] broad.. Value inKing Edword's time £8 now £5.Tallaged at twenty shillings.[2]
A grant of thecommon land to thefreeholders and other tenants, made bydeed in 1360 byJohn de Mowbray,Lord of the Manor, gave privileges and freedoms over the use of common land, reed gathering, rights over fish and fowl and such wildlife as could be taken by the commoners for food. The deed caused repercussions in the reign ofKing Charles I (1625–1649) when Vermuyden was granted the task of draining the Isle and he and his Dutch partners came under regular attack in their stockade atSandtoft. The draining of the land saw the ancient rights of the commoners encroached upon: as the land dried up they lost their supply of wildfowl for food, foraging rights and employment asmere men, swanniers, and ferry operators in addition to their grazing rights. A whole way of life that had seen annual otter hunts on theTrent, not to mention abundant salmon, was lost along with many livelihoods. The resentment felt by the Isle of Axholme towards the king doubtless explains their siding withParliament in theEnglish Civil War (1642–1651).[3] Nevertheless, Vermuyden's work, an outstanding piece ofirrigation engineering, turned thousands of acres of marsh and bog, which had been impassable except in high summer or hard frost, into the rich arable farmland that the Isle benefits from today.
The Isle of Axholme was originally the eight parishes ofAlthorpe,Belton,Crowle, Epworth,Haxey,Luddington,Owston andWroot.[4]
Lord Nathan Francis Young was born here in 1654 and is commonly referred to as a 'founding farmer' of the original town. He is recorded as the first to monopolise the local land between the farmers spread throughout the area. There is a plaque dedicated to him in the town centre as well as a small museum that now stands near the site of his original home.
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TheOld Rectory, a Queen Anne style building, rebuilt after the fire of 1709, has been completely restored and is now the property of the World Methodist Council. It is maintained as a museum. It is also the site of supposedparanormal events that occurred there in 1716, while the Wesley family was living in the house.[5][6]
TheChurch of England parish church ofSaint Andrew is on a hill overlooking the town. Its architecture suggests[according to whom?] that its oldest part may have been built in the late 12th century with later additions in the 14th and 15th centuries. The Rev.Samuel Wesley, father of John and Charles Wesley, was Rector here (and is buried in the churchyard).
Epworth is described as the 'Home of Methodism' and there is a Methodist church in the centre of the town. This was built in 1888 (opened for worship in 1889) and continues to be a busy hub in the centre of the community. The church (along with the town as a whole) attracts hundreds of visitors from around the world each year tracing the history of the Methodist movement. There is a trail[7] around the town linking the sites which were significant for the Wesley family.
Epworth had a population of 4,363 at the 2021 Census. The ethnic makeup of the town was recorded at 97.9%White British andEthnic Minorities were recorded at 1,1% of the population.Christianity has the highest religious following at 59.7% of the local population, followed byirreligious at 38.6% andIslam at 0.7%. Other religious and faiths were less than 0.5%.[8]
Epworth is served by buses provided byIsle Coaches,Stagecoach Buses andFirst South Yorkshire which give the town services to towns such asDoncaster,Scunthorpe andHaxey.[9]The town was served bya station on theAxholme Joint Railway which ran fromGoole toLincoln via a connecting spur to theDoncaster to Lincoln Line. The station closed to passengers in 1933 and the line closing to freight and excursion services in 1956. The site has been redeveloped and is now occupied by a farm store.Another station was opened on the Doncaster to Lincoln Line in the town ofHaxey. However, this station closed in 1964 lasting longer than the previous station of the same name. The nearest mainline station is now in the nearby town ofCrowle.
Television signals are received from either theEmley Moor orBelmont TV transmitters. The town is served by bothBBC Radio Humberside andBBC Radio Sheffield. Other radio stations areGreatest Hits Radio Yorkshire,Hits Radio East Yorkshire & North Lincolnshire,Hits Radio Lincolnshire andTMCR 95.3, a community based radio station which broadcast from its studios inThorne.[10] Local newspaper is served by theDoncaster Free Press (formerlyThe Epworth Bells).[11]
The Epworth Show has been held for over 60 years, and takes place on theAugust Bank Holiday Monday.
The show was first held before the Second World War on Battle Green, later moving to Scawcett Lane. Today it is held at Wroot Road – the site has been enlarged and extra facilities added – where a number of other community events are held.[citation needed]
Originally the show catered only for the local area. Over the years it has grown, and whilst still having an agricultural aspect – with cattle, sheep, goats,shire horses and vintagetractors – it provides entertainment and activities includingshow jumping,mountain & moorland ponies, trade stands,vintage vehicles, a beer tent, children's entertainment and adog show.[citation needed]
Epworth Show has links with the three Epworth churches which come together for a prior Sunday evening service, and on show day share an information tent.
The Show is run by the Epworth and District Agricultural Society, acharitable organisation. Its committee comprises community and honorary members, and patrons. Other activities run by the society between May and September include four horse & pony events, and an August Bank Holiday weekend Beer Festival with live bands.[citation needed]
Epworth has hosted the EpworthFestival of the Plough agricultural fair for a number of years.
Beside John and Charles Wesley, other notable people associated with Epworth are:
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