Bingham in 1835
BINGHAM, a parish and market-town in the wapentake of North Bingham, Nottinghamshire, 108 miles N.N.W. from London, and nine miles E. from Nottingham. The situation of the town is rather low, in the fertile vale of Belvoir ; but being surrounded with high grounds, all in a state of rich cultivation, the views in the vicinity are pleasant and extensive. From the foundations of buildings being frequently discovered, from its giving name to the hundred in which it stands, and from its religious establishment and collegiate church, of a date nearly as old as the Conquest, it seems that Bingham was formerly a much more important place than at present. The market is held on Thursday, and the fairs are on the 13th and 14th of February, first Thursday in May, Thursday in Whitsun week (the holiday fair), May 31st, and 8th and 9th of November. The principal are those in February, at Whitsun-tide, and in November.
The town, which consists chiefly of two parallel streets, is well paved ; the market-place is extensive, and has commodious shambles. The houses have been erected with little attention to regularity ; they are generally neat, and some of them handsome. The parish contained 372 houses in 1831; the population was 1737 persons, of whom 906 were females
The church, dedicated to All Saints, is a strong and heavy building, consisting of a nave and two side aisles, badly lighted, owing in a great measure to the upper part of the nave having been lowered, when a considerable part was taken down, and the whole repaired in 1584. The church has a curious early English tower, and a later belfry-story and spire. The cornice of the tower is curious, and there are the remains of statues which have served for pinnacles. The piers of the church, which are small, have varied foliage of excellent design and execution, some late early English, others very early decorated. The transepts and chancel are of later date than the nave; the chancel, which is lofty, spacious, and well lighted, is joined by a very fine arch to the body of the church. There are in this church both early English decorated and perpendicular windows. The church has accommodation for 800 persons ; the living is a rectory in the diocese of York worth £1503 per annum. Speed mentions a college of St. Mary in this place valued at the Dissolution at £40 and 11 shillings, but Dugdale says only £4 and 11 shillings ; it seems to have been a guild or chantry. The Primitive and Wesleyan Methodists have places of worship in the town.
Thomas Tealby, gent., who died in 1721-22, left £100 to the parish, one half of the interest of which was to be employed in placing poor children at school. With this sum and £15 additional from other bequests, the churchwardens bought lands, the proportion of the rents from which applicable to the last mentioned purpose is £7 and 10 shillings per annum, which is paid to the parish school master for instructing in reading ten poor children, boys or girls, of the parish of Bingham, who, as well as the master, are appointed by the parish authorities. The school-master usually affords gratuitous instruction to a few additional children, and he has many pay scholars. The average number of children is about forty; but there were sixty-one in the school when the commissioners were there in 1828. The above endowment has been increased by £10 per annum, being the interest of a share of £150 in the Grantham Canal Navigation, which some inhabitants of the town bought with the proceeds of several plays which they acted for the benefit of the poor in the severe winter of 1783-4. This amount was not appropriated to purposes of education until 1827.
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