Belton Old Photo's
All Saints Church
At the time of the Mowbray’s they kept the lands round Belton for their own demesne, and they seem to have been enclosed as a park and called the Belgraves with a large house or lodge on it. In the Doomsday book Geoffrey de Wirce is stated as having the manor, with Ulf and Alnod having five carucates of land to be taxed and land to five ploughs, Geoffrey had one plough and seventeen sokemen with twenty villanes and six bordars having four ploughs and six oxen, there were eleven fisheries of seven shillings. There was stated as being various woods and pastures, two miles long and two miles broad. In Beltoft Gilbert de Gand claimed half a carucate of land which belonged to Ulfenisc and a further four carucates of land and six oxgangs which belonged to Geoffrey de Wirce. It can be seen that the parish of Belton has always been extensively farmed.
The name itself seems partly derived from the Druid “Bel”, which the shortened form Belinus, which was a name under which the druids worshipped the sun, as the giver of fertility to the soil and the Anglo Saxon “ton” meaning settlement, also the name is said to have connections with the worship of the son god Bel, as in Beltane.
Churchtown
The parish of Belton, along with others in the Isle was given, by Roger de Mowbray to the Abbey of Newburgh in 1145, it was then transferred to the Priory of Alta Prisa (Haltemprise), which was founded at Cottingham in or about 1324, Roger de Mowbray gave the 'cowpasture' at Belwode to the Preceptory of Knight Templars, as a base, after the dissolution Henry VIII (1509 — 1547) sold the rectory of the parish, along with others to the City of Lincoln There were several charities for the poor of the parish dating from 1677, the churchwardens used to issue the charities, from rent charges on Good Friday. At the turn of the century these charities were still being issued, in 1897 Lightfoots charity awarded tickets for clothing and flour, to the value of 2s 6d, 84 poor people of the parish received tickets. On St Thomas Day (21st December), the annual fair was held, there was also a fair on the 25th September, when flax, the main product offered for sale. The church is probably of 13thC origin and is dedicated to All Saints, in the church there is the 14thC tomb of Richard of Belwood, one of eleven freeholders mentioned in Mowbrays deed. The body of Sir John Ferné the l7thC antiquary is also buried here
All Saints from the graveyard
The parish of Belton lies to the north east of Epworth. The large straggling village lies on both sides of the A161 for nearly a mile, with side roads leading to Beltoft, Sandtoft and through Churchtown toBelshaw Lane. Belton comprises the hamlets of Westgate, Grey Green, Bracon (Braycon), Woodhouse and Churchtown
Doomsday gives the manor as belonging to Geoffrey de Wirce. It was enclosed as a park by the Mowbray family who had a lodge 'Belgrave' on it. In 1145 the manor along with that of Haxey, Owston and Epworth belonged to the Abbey of Newburgh and went to the Priory of Alta-Prisa (Haltemprice), in 1324 together with land at Beltoft. Henry VII sold it to the Corporation of Lincoln. The church of All Saints contains the altar tomb of Richard of Belwood. Re-interred in it, in the sixteenth century, was Thomas Vavasor, famous for his cause against the participants of the Isle Drainage Scheme.
The village hall was built in 1883, the foundation stone for the Memorial chapel was laid in June 1878, the Wesleyan schoolroom was built 1888, the old school was erected in 1871. The Cooper Collinson ball opened in 1968, the playing field opened 1971, the cemetery opened 6th April 1900 and the War Memorial erected 1920, In an Epworth Bells from 1901 it is reported that…” Belton‘s pavements were widened so two people could walk side by side.
Belton Barrow race has seen a revival since the 1990's
A modern tradition is the Barrow Race, established around 1950 after a wager that it was possible to push a wheelbarrow containing a man over a course of three miles in a specified time, and also to drink a pint of beer at the five inns passed on the route. In the early years the Bridge Inn, where the bet was made, became the recognised finishing post, and held a winner's celebration. The pub closed in 1967 and the race organisers had to select an alternative venue. Later, interest in the race declined but recent years have seen a marked revival
In about 1842 a gypsum quarry was opened by Rev Thos Skipworth on his estate for manufacture of plaster for floors and ceilings etc, also to make lime for manure.Belton Mill was built c1825 (by the Hewson Family) who bought it from the Coggan family of Butterwick, it was reduced from four sails to two in 1923-24 and a Crossley gas engine was installed, the mill stopped working in the late 1950 and is now part of a private house.