BAWTRY, a market-town and chapelry in that part
of the parish of BLYTH which is in the southern division
of the wapentake of STRAFFORTH-and-TICKHILL,
West riding of the county of YORK, 411 miles (S. by E.)
from York, and 153 (N. by W.) from London, on the
great north road, containing 1027 inhabitants. This
town is situated on the river Idle, which separates the
counties of York and Nottingham, and near the Roman
road leading from Agelocum, Littleborough, to Danum,
Doncaster. It consists of three streets, the principal
of which is very spacious, and contains many handsome
and well-built houses j it is partly paved, and
amply supplied with water from springs and from the
river, over which a neat substantial stone bridge was
erected in 1811, at an expense of £4000. The trade,
which has greatly declined since the construction of the
Chesterfield canal, and the erection of a bridge over
the Trent at Gainsborough, arises chiefly from the inland
navigation, and consists in supplying London, Hull,
and other places, with corn, oak timber, and stone, of
which last, that called the Roche Abbey stone is much
esteemed by statuaries and architects. The river is
navigable for craft of from twelve to twenty-four tons'
burden, by which means the town is supplied with coal,
grocery, &c. The market is on Thursday: fairs for
horses, horned cattle, and sheep are on the Thursday in
Whitsun-week, and Old Martinmas-day. The magistrates
for the West riding hold petty sessions here for
the district, and constables and other oflicers are appointed
at the court leet of the lord of the manor. The
chapel, dedicated to St. Nicholas, was erected in the
reign of Henry II., and rebuilt in 1686: the tower,
which is strengthened by buttresses, and crowned with
pinnacles, was added in 1712. There are places of worship
for Independents and Wesleyan Methodists. A
small school-room has been built by subscription on the
waste land adjoining the town, in which eight boys are
taught reading, writing, and arithmetic. At Serooby,
one mile from the town, was a palace belonging to the
Archbishops of York, in which Cardinal Wolsey resided,
and afterwards Archbishop Sandys, whose daughter is
interred in the chancel of the chapel: the remains
have been converted into a farm-house.