A BRIEF HISTORY OF KIRTON PINFOLD AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO KIRTON HOLY TRINITY
CHURCH
10/11/24
THE PINFOLD.
The Pinfold at Kirton was built in medieval times, ie - sometime between 400 AD and 1400 AD -
we don’t know when exactly ! We know pinfolds existed in Saxon times as they had the name
‘pundfald’ meaning pound or fold. This gave rise to the word ‘pinfold’ in the north of England and
‘pound’ in the south - hence the word ‘impound’ meaning ‘to enclose’
In those days, farm animals, such as horses, cattle, pigs, sheep, geese etc, would be grazed on
‘common land’, which was situated away from the village. If animals strayed onto farmland, they
were ‘impounded’ in the Pinfold until their owners were traced. It was the duty of the Pinder to
round up these stray animals, and keep them and feed them in the Pinfold, until the owners
claimed them. A fine would then be levied to cover the cost of feeding, rectifying any damage
caused and something towards the Pinder’s salary. Anything over could be given to the local
church.
This arrangement continued, until the introduction of the ‘Enclosure Act’ in 1773, when Parliament
decreed that all fields in the country should be fenced. This Act didn’t come into force locally until
1822, when Kirton’s patron, the 4th Duke of Newcastle, (who resided at Clumber), enforced the
Act in Kirton and surrounding parishes. When all fields were fenced, there was no further need for
Pinfolds.
Consequently, many Pinfolds fell into a state of disrepair and neglect and some were demolished
altogether. Here at Kirton we are lucky that ours has survived - it is about 25 feet square and still
has two side walls standing. A sandstone cliff forms the back of the Pinfold, although the current
Parish Council has built a brick retaining wall in front of this.
Throughout the ages, generations of village children have used the Pinfold as a playground. They
would scramble up the sandstone bank, make dens in the Churchyard, slide down the church
banking and launch themselves across Walesby Lane on a rope swing, attached to the branches
of a tree which stood half way up the sandstone banking.
In the 1980s, this tree became unstable, and the ‘then’ Parish Council decided it must be cut
down for safety purposes. This was done, and in case this action de-stabilised the banking, a
plan to build a retaining wall at the bottom was intended against slippage. This was part of a
grander scheme to renovate the whole area, including the reconstruction of the front wall of the
Pinfold. The large stones of this front wall, were dismantled and left on the roadside, from where
sadly, they were stolen, virtually overnight, resulting in the abandonment of the project, due to
lack of enthusiasm and funds.
Consequently, there is no frontage at present, although it is planned to erect fencing and a wicket
gate across for security reasons .
Unfortunately, the abandonment of the project meant that the rear retaining wall was only partially
built. The present Parish Council completed the work in 2023, when thanks to a generous
donation of £1,000 and bricks from Forterra Brickworks, they were able to remove the old,
partially built wall and replace it with a solid brick structure, complete with drainage - all as
advised by Heritage NSDC ref M9403. There was also a generous donation of concrete from
Jordan Road-Surfacing.
THE CHURCH
We know that there was a church at Kirton in Anglo-Saxon times, as the village name in Saxon
times was ‘Chircheton’ meaning, ‘dwelling with a church’
The entrance to the church was not situated where it is today - it was at the top of Church Hill
opposite Egmanton Lane, the access being, at what is now, the back of the churchyard. The old
Rectory was also located in that area.
In those days, there were no steps down from the Church, and no Lychgate. A cottage stood
where the Lychgate now stands, with a hedge behind it to separate it from the churchyard. The
grass banking otherwise, came down to the road on Church Hill and Walesby Lane.
In 1876, the Rector of the day, Edward Lawson, built the 32 steps up to the Church. He also built
the Lychgate, (the cottage presumably then being demolished)- and the retaining wall from the
Lychgate to the Pinfold, where it butted up to the right-hand Pinfold wall. The banking behind this
retaining wall belongs to Holy Trinity Church.