Coddington

The Library at Newark-on-Trent will prove useful in your research.

• Peter WOOD has a photograph of the churchyard on the south side of All Saints Church on Geo-graph, taken in July, 2015.
   
• Julian GUFFROG has a photograph of the Grave of Constance Penswick SMITH on Geo-graph, taken in March, 2016. She was the founder of the movement for the revival of the observance of Mothering Sunday.  Her real name was Constance Adelaide SMITH, but she was known as C. Penswick Smith in her published works (to honour her father).

• The parish was in the Bassingham sub-district of the Newark Registration District.
   
• By 1911, the parish was in the Balderton sub-district of the Newark Registration District.
   
• The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
   

• The Anglican parish church was dedicated to All Saints.
   
• The church was reconstructed (except for the tower) on the same site in 1865.
   
• The church seats about 200.
   
• Bob DANYLEC has a photograph of All Saints Church on Geo-graph, taken in November, 2005.
   
• Roger TEMPLEMAN also has a photograph of All Saints Church tower on Geo-graph, taken in October, 2016.
   

• The Anglican parish register dates from 1701.
   
• Bishop's Transcripts cover 1602 - 1844.
   
• The church was in the rural deanery of Newark.
   
• The Wesleyan Methodists had a chapel here by 1881.
   
• Jonathan THACKER has a photograph of the former Methodist church on Geo-graph, taken in December, 2016. The chapel was converted to a residence in the late 1970s.
   
• Below is an extract from the parish register book provided by John Mellors:
   

Made December 16th 1836 in compliance with a request from Lord John RUSSELL. (signed) H. J. STEVENSON MA Curate.

• The parish was in the Bassingham sub-district of the Newark Registration District.
   
• By 1911, the parish was re-assigned to the Balderton sub-district of the Newark Registration District.
   
• Civil Registration started in July, 1837.
   

Coddington is a village and a parish only 2.5 miles east of Newark and 122 miles north of London. The River Trent forms the eastern border of the parish. The parish covers 1,830 acres.

Coddington village is mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book as "Cotta's/Codda's Farm". The next historical reference is in 1320. If you are planning a visit:

• From the A1 motorway, west of Newark-on-Trent, there is a roundabout leading to Coddington.
   
• David LALLY provides a photograph of the Village Sign on Geo-graph, taken in March, 2013.
   

• Geograph
• Flickr

• We have an extract from White's 1853 Directory relating to this parish.

• Ask for a calculation of the distance from Coddington to another place.

• In the winter months, many of the residents engaged in malting.
   
• Richard CROFT provides a photograph of The Plough Inn on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2011.
   
• Jonathan THACKER also has a photograph of the Plough Inn on Geo-graph, taken in January, 2020.
   
• Robert HARVEY has a photograph of The Inn on the Green on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2017.
   

• See our Maps page for additional resources.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK835545 (Lat/Lon: 53.081205, -0.754903), Coddington which are provided by:

• OpenStreetMap
• Google Maps
• StreetMap (Current Ordnance Survey maps)
• Bing (was Multimap)
• Old Maps Online
• National Library of Scotland (Old Ordnance Survey maps)
• Vision of Britain (Click "Historical units & statistics" for administrative areas.)
• English Jurisdictions in 1851 (Unfortunately the LDS have removed the facility to enable us to specify a starting location, you will need to search yourself on their map.)
• Magic (Geographic information) (Click + on map if it doesn't show)
• GeoHack (Links to on-line maps and location specific services.)

• All places within the same township/parish shown on an Openstreetmap map.
• Nearby townships/parishes shown on an Openstreetmap map.
• Nearby places shown on an Openstreetmap map.

• James THORPE of Coddington joined the Sherwood Rangers around 1849 and was made a Lieutenant Colonel in 1881. He was a prominent local malster, corn merchant and miller. James died here in July, 1902.
   
• The Great War Bulletin for January 11th, 1915 tells us that Major John THORPE of Coddington Hall was called up to rejoin his old regiment, the Scots Guards. He would later die during the Battle of the Somme on 15 September, 1916.
   
• The Great War Bulletin for May 3rd, 1915 tells us that Major John THORPE of Coddington Hall was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). In addition, Lance Corporal Charles Henry DADY, age 27, was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM).
   
• Around the end of 1914, the Royal Engineers commandered Coddington Hall as the HQ for an Engineering Training Centre or ETC.  The first 400 Royal Engineers arrived on 25 September 1914.  The R.E. found the River Trent a sufficient challenge to ford using pontoon bridges. In early 1915, eight men were killed in a pontoon bridge training incident. In addition to training, the centre also served as a mustering point for men going overseas. There was even a cadet company for future officers. [Thank you, Terry Reeves]
   
• The RE Depot stayed here until 1919.
   
• The Parish Council has published a booklet by Mike BACHE. "The Great War – Coddington Remembers”. Copies should be in the local libraries.
   
• The RAF operated out of Coddington in the late 1940s. The airfield was closed in 1976. All the buildings were destroyed between 1999 and 2000.
   

The Great War Bulletin for November 23rd, 1914 tells us that: Septimus G. BACKHOUSE - aged 30 - was killed the prior week on his first night in the trenches with the 1st Btln. Sherwood Foresters during the Battle of La Bassee. Septimus was born in 1884 to coachman John and Margaret BACKHOUSE of Newark road in Coddington.

In All Saints Church there is a wall memorial to the men from this parish who were killed in the Great War 1914-1918. One name has been added from World War II.

There is also a plaque to John Somerled THORPE who died in World War I.

These are the men listed on memorials for WWI:

1. sergeant Alfred BRYAN, 1st Bn Lincolnshire Regt., died 21 Mar 1918
2. private Walter Leonard BRYAN, 2nd Bn Durham Light Infantry, died 22 Apr 1918
3. srgt.-major Charles William CANT, 2nd Bn Yorkshire Regt., died 01 Jul 1916
4. petty officer George Henry CLARICOATES, HMS Good Hope, died 01 Nov 1914
5. private Alfred HENTON, 22nd Bn Northumberland Fusiliers, died 11 Apr 1918
6. major John Somerled THORPE, 2nd Bn Scots Guards, died 15 Sep 1916
7. private George Richard YOUNG, 2/7th Bn Sherwood Foresters, died 26 Sep 1917
8. lance corporal Charles William YOUNG, Nottinghamshire Yeomanry, died 28 Nov 1917
9. corporal Charles J YOUNG, 2/8th Bn Sherwood Foresters, died 31 Oct 1917

The two BRYAN boys were brothers, sons of Joshua and Matilda BRYAN,

• This place was an ancient Chapelry in county Nottingham.
   
• This place was incorporated as a separate modern Civil Parish shortly after those were established.
   
• The parish was in the southern division of the ancient Newark Wapentake (Hundred) in the eastern (or southern) division of the county.
   
• You may contact the Coddington Parish Council regarding civic or political matters, but they are NOT tasked with doing family history lookups for you.
   
• District governance is provided by the Newark and Sherwood District Council.
   

• Bastardy cases would be heard in the Newark petty session hearings every other Wednesday.
   
• After the Poor Law Amendment Act reforms of 1834, the parish became part of the Newark Poor Law Union.
   

Year	Inhabitants
1801	326
1811	366
1841	436
1851	577
1871	541
1881	521
1891	553
1901	477

• The Church of England National School was built in 1846. This facility was replaced with a new building in 1866.
   
• Jonathan THACKER has a photograph of the former National School on Geo-graph, taken in December, 2016.
   
• A Wesleyan school was built here in 1865.
   
• A new school was built here between 1956 and 1964.
   
• The CofE School has a website, but there is no history of the school or its past students.
   

You should explore the Coddington History Group website.