RUDGARD FAMILY
The Rudgard family were found both in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire.
John and Elizabeth were a Washingborough family, whose son Francis (born 1762) married
Elizabeth Smith on 22nd February 1791 at Kirton in Lindsey.
William was born in 1801 at Washingborough the third son of Francis and Elizabeth.
His brother John had been christened on 7th March 1793. Buried 3rd December 1840
Brother Richard had been christened 12th January 1795. Buried 20th March 1822
Sister Mary had been christened on 6th September 1807.Buried 11th February 1832
William married Ann Kirk (1806 - 1844) at St Martin's Lincoln on 18th May 1834
Their children were Ann 1826
William 1829
Francis (Frank) 1832 (Died 1863)
Mary christened 20th March 1835 (Died 1912)
Elizabeth Jane Christened 17th June 1836 (Died 1908)
John Richard 20th June 1839 christened 10th February 1850 (Died 23
November 1871)
Richard Christened 2nd October 1840 (Died 1906)
William Rudgard was a very reputable Lincoln business man who owned a large amount of
land in Nettleham, Skellingthorpe, Saxilby and Beaumont Street, which consisted of property of
9 land messuages as well as in Cherry Willingham.
The 'Pigot and Co Directory of Tradesmen for Lincoln 1829' showed William as a Maltster,
Corn Merchant, Miller and Flour Dealer and owning Albion Steam Mill on Newland.
The '1841 Pigot Directory' along with the 'City of Lincoln Directory of 1857 by C. Akrill'
showed him still as a Maltster, Merchant, and Miller of Newland Street
According to the 'Glebe Terriers map of 1845' he owned considerable lands around Cherry
Willingham namely Home Close, Bleak House, High Street and lands now belonging to the
Bowser estate, Cottage Pasture, Cherry Holt, Short Fen, Horse Pasture, Stevenson Close, The
Leys, Turf Pits, Long Fen, Park Bottom, Park Hill (South side of Fiskerton Road) Wong
Pasture, Great Lands and Great Walk (North of the Railway Line between the School playing
fields and Hawthorn Avenue) and Underhill (left side of Fiskerton Road and Waterford Lane)
William was first mentioned in the records of the 'Council of the City of Lincoln' held at the
Guildhall in June Quarterly meeting of 1836. At that time his brother John was an Alderman and
then became Mayor in November 1837. William was representative for Bridge Ward of Lincoln
and on the committee of General Purposes and Commissioners of Sewers. He was elected to
Alderman on 17th February 1837. He then went on to be declared Mayor on 9th November
1839 for a one year Mayoral office.
In September 1844 William Rudgard presided over a meeting of the 'Lincoln Railway
Committee' to vote for the London to York Railway. There was great disorder as approximately
3000 people attended.
He was a Trustee and Chairman of the 'Midland Counties Insurance Company' along with the
Right Honourable Earl of Yarborough, Right Honourable Robert Adam Christopher Nisbet
Hamilton of Broxholme Hall and William Andrew as general manager and secretary. The
company had been established in 1851 offering all aspects of Insurance including fire, house
building and contents, life cover and hail storm damage.
In 1860 the 'Greetwell District Drainage Act' was passed in Parliament to secure against
flooding of the Witham Valley and better drainage of the Greetwell District to ensure many acres
of good agricultural land would come back into healthy cultivation. Local landowners and
occupiers became the first commissioners to undertake this task. They were Charles Bramley,
William Foster, John Robert Haldenby Keyworth, Francis Rudgard (son of William) and
Theodore Trotter. A building and steam engine were ordered to set up the pumping station at
Greetwell.
Hand written records from Cherry Willingham in 1867 show rates charged for drainage and
names of landowners and occupiers. Namely William Rudgard owning 124 acres and Francis
Rudgard’s representatives being the occupiers of the land. Francis Rudgard had died in 1863. In
the records of 1873 William Rudgard's land was occupied by Christopher Bell Robson. Both of
these records show the 'Lord of the Manor of Cherry Willingham' as Lord Aveland.
William Rudgard was the landowner of land in Greetwell Hollow towards Wragby Road
and had mines within that land. The first reference to the workings of the mines gives 1873.
Greetwell Ironstone Mines were the longest in operation in the history of Ironstone mining,
being over 60 years. A mine on this land was named after William Rudgard and was worked
from the turn of the century to 1938. The grid reference for Rudgard Mine on the map of
Greetwell Ironstone Mines for 1900 - 1938 is 998724. The mine was worked by 'Mid
Lincolnshire Ironstone Company' and was opened in 1904.
There is a memorial at 'St John the Evangelist Church' Washingborough for the Rudgard
Family.
Mary Rachel wife of Richard Rudgard 3rd July 1864
Ann wife of William 31st March 1844 age 40years
William 8th July 1875 age 74 years
Francis of Greetwell 2nd son of William 12th September 1863 age 30 years, erected by his
widow.
Although William died in 1875 the trustees of William Rudgard along with Mrs. Marshall, Mrs.
A E Nettleship and Charles Foster Paddison of Ingleby were still the principle landowners of
Saxilby in 1913. It is unclear for how long lands in Cherry Willingham were owned by the
Rudgard family after his death. However his memory still lives on in the locality as part of
'Cathedral View' housing development was named after him 'Rudgard Avenue' which was built
in the 1960s.