Issue 19        February 2007

 

 

SPEED LIMIT ‘DISAPPOINTMENT’ ON TWO COUNTS

PROPOSALS by Notts County Council to impose 40mph and 30mph speed limit orders in Stanton on the Wolds have been welcomed by the parish council,  but they think what is being proposed is not enough.

The proposal from the County says the extent of the 40mph limit proposed for Melton Road would be from the drive to the property The Poplars in the north to near the existing village sign in the south.  The start of the restriction to the north has been so placed because the verge is too narrow to accommodate the signs immediately to the south of that point. The 30mph speed limit would be along Browns Lane from near its junction with the A606 to the boundary of No 136.

Councillor Dennis Hackett, chairman, says the parish council is disappointed with the detailed proposals and has asked for the sign on Melton Road on the north side to be located just after Laming Gap, the start of the parish boundary. For Browns Lane the parish council are seeking the 30mph limit for its entire length. For Notts County Council, Mr Jeff Burton, Senior Improvements Officer for Highways South, says the limit on Browns Lane is proposed for the section that has premises and driveways.  Outside the street lighting the road has few houses and does not lend itself to a lower speed limit.  For Melton Road he says the limit is more likely to be adhered to if the users of it can see an associated hazard, such as   driveways, premises and side roads.

ELECTION TIME IS LOOMING

IN MAY this year  elections are due to be held for local councils and the Parish Council at Stanton on the Wolds comes up for re-appointment, as do all parish and town councils in Rushcliffe.

It is hoped there will be a number of people expressing an interest in becoming a councillor and they can obtain information on how this should be approached , either from the Parish Clerk Mike Elliott or direct from the Electoral Officer at Rushcliffe Borough Council. Currently the Parish Council at Stanton on the Wolds is made up of 7 members, making it one of the ‘average’ sized councils in Rushcliffe. Nomination papers will be available from the parish clerk or direct from Rushcliffe from March 26 and these have to be returned to the Borough office by 12 noon on April 4. Election day will be on Thursday May 3 and as well as the parish council being due for election so also will the membership of Rushcliffe Borough Council .

COUNTY COUNCIL  REJECT  ‘SLOW’  SIGN  REQUEST

NOTTS County Council have rejected a request by the parish council for ‘slow’ warning signs to be painted on the road at the junction of Willow Brook and Stanton Lane.

The parish council say motorists constantly complain of the poor visibility for them at this junction and the parish council asked the County Highways department to consider positioning a ‘slow’ sign on both the approach roads. Laura Trusler, Customer Services Officer for the County, told the parish  that the ‘Slow’ sign requested was not an authorised Highways sign.  And she said the County had ruled out the painting of ‘Slow’ markings on the surface of the road as they did not feel it was appropriate use of such a warning in that actual spot.

HISTORY BOOK SALES GO UP AND UP

Sales of the recently published Stanton on the Wolds History Book have reached the 200 mark. Chairman Dennis Hackett says he is pleased at what has been achieved in  sales of the new book.

‘MIDLAND RAILWAY’ LIVES ON

The STANTON on the Wolds historic stretch of railway line that was deemed redundant by Network Rail has been saved in a £7m deal. Metronet Rail has committed  cash to take control of the 21-kilometre length of line from Edwalton to Asfordby,  Britain’s only test track,  to test the next generation of London Underground trains. At least four-kilometres of  the line near the Notts/Leicestershire border will be electrified, with a Tube-compatible third and fourth rail. The line is a recognised asset to the British railway industry and the closure of the track would mean either that trains would have had to be tested abroad or on the railway network, causing congestion and the interruption to services. The track is owned by the British Rail board and had a £25m overhaul in 1999. It was closed in 2005 following a successful testing of the 125mph Virgin Pendolino tilting trains.

The deal means a new lease of life for the track, which will be used to test the next generation of air-conditioned Tube trains, expected to be up and running in London in 2009. Metronet plans to keep the track  in its used and worn condition to maximise the endurance testing. Mark Loader, head of Metronet’s sub-surface upgrade programme, said: “The Old Dalby track will enable us to really prove the reliability of these new trains.”

 

STANTON MEETING ON TV

TV CAMERAS visited a meeting of Stanton on the Wolds Parish Council just before Christmas and filmed members as they held a meeting in the parish church. The shots shown during the programme Heart of the Country were part of a programme highlighting the work of parish clerk Mike Elliott who is also clerk to 13 other parish councils in the South Notts area. Shots shown included the councillors walking into church for the meeting and also part of the meeting itself.

‘A shocking affair’

By Alan & Val Hunt

 By and large our past villagers have been a peaceful lot and there are few if any records of their misdemeanours left to recall. Some neighbouring villages however, have more violent affairs in their history. Dr  Hunnisett in his book “Calendar of Nottinghamshire Coroners’ Inquests, 1485-1558” recounts one such violent event that is worth re-printing here, as it gives us the names of two Stanton villagers in the year 1507.

On the 22nd May 1507, Richard Parker the county coroner held an inquest into the murder two days previously of Thomas England, a husbandman of Owthorpe. Three men, William Berwik, Gentleman, Edward Garstang, Gentleman and William Steynton labourer, all from the neighbouring village of Owthorpe, were believed to have lain in wait with halberds  (a long axe with a hook on the back), staves and baselards ( a short sword) with the intent to murder Thomas England. Severe penetrating wounds to the head were inflicted by all three who subsequently fled. Alice Berwik, wife of William Berwik, Margaret Berwik and Thomisanna Garstang, wife of Edward Garstang, were accused of feloniously aiding, abetting and hiding them.

The twelve jurors selected for the inquest were selected from Stanton on the Wolds (2), Clipston (2), Cotgrave (2), Cropwell Bishop (2) and Owthorpe (4). The Stanton jurors were a Henry Ellerschaw and a Thomas Tomson. The inquest was delivered into King’s Bench in Trinity Term dated 15^th June 1507.  At the later trial, William Berwik was found not guilty, whilst both Edward Garstang and William Steynton were found guilty and were outlawed.

Documents from this age often contained spelling errors, may  be badly faded or be too badly written to read names with any degree of certainty. The unusual surname ‘Ellerschaw’ is interesting as a variation of it re-occurs in both 1557 in Keyworth and again in 1566 in Stanton. On the 19^th January 1557 Francis Eldershawe of Keyworth is named as a juror in a coroners inquest held in the royal gaol at Nottingham into the death of a prisoner held there who died of the ‘pryson syknesse’.  In January 1566/67  Alice Rowe, widow of Robert Rowe of Stanton left a bequest of 13s 4d to John Elldershaw. Within the following fifty years the surname Eldershaw occurred quite commonly in the parish records of near-bye villages with eleven people of that name in Plumtree and five in Keyworth, however there is no other record of the use of the surname of the Stanton juror Henry Ellerschaw. We suggest that his surname  was probably Henry Eldershaw.

BITS & BOBS

OOPS!  The last line of the history column in our last issue was missing and should have concluded by saying “...over 1500 of the leading figures.” Sorry about that.

NOTTS  Royal Society for the Blind are appealing in Stanton on the Wolds for volunteers to visit visually impaired people to chat to them, to read mail or go on short walks with them. Contact number is 0115 9706806.

 KEYWORTH’S Children in Distress Shoebox appeal for Christmas gifts for Romania resulted in 1165 shoeboxes being handed in, including some from Stanton on the Wolds.

 NOTTS County Councillor John Cottee says he understands Rushcliffe Borough Council intend to replace the bottle bank service in Keyworth once building work on the new Health Centre on Bunny Lane is complete.

 PUBLIC INVITED TO PLAY A PART

The parish council are anxious to encourage participation by the public in their meetings and include an item on every agenda which gives the opportunity to make comments. Clerk, Mike Elliott, says that more and more councils now make regular provision for residents to take part in the meetings and at Stanton they are pleased to echo this effort to increase interest in their work.

PARISH MEETING DATE IS FIXED

THE annual parish meeting for Stanton on the Wolds will take place on Wednesday May 9, in the parish church.  It will start at 7pm and will be followed by the annual meeting of the newly elected parish council. All residents are entitled to attend the parish meeting and to take part in it.

 

YOUR LOCAL POLICE BEAT MANAGER:

Is PC Rob Inglis. PC Inglis has taken over, at least temporarily from PC Emma Thacker who is away on maternity leave. The new Police Contact Point in the Square at Keyworth is due to open in March or April.

YOUR LOCAL CHURCHES

Stanton on the Wolds Parish Church: associate Priest-Rev Trevor Kirkman, tel 01664 822270.

Catholic Church, Willowbrook:Fr Gregory Tobin, tel 01159 814271.

Methodists: Rev Peter Green, tel 01159 212146.

Baptists: Mrs Barbara Lister tel 01159 373565.

United Reformed: Rev Chris Ford, tel 01159 375086.

CALLING ALL READERS

We would welcome an input into this newsletter from any resident in the parish. Items for inclusion can be Emailed to elliottnews@btconnect.com

THOUGHT OF THE MONTH

He who sees a need and waits to be asked for help

 is as unkind as if he has refused it.