Sandtoft
Sandtoft is hamlet in Belton parish and lies 1 mile N of Epworth and 3 miles NW of Belton. The name is probably old Scandinavian in origin ,"sandtofte, a hamlet on sandy land".
Sandtoft used to be part of the Hatfield Chase a low-lying area in South Yorkshire, which often flooded and is chiefly known from the Battle of Hatfiled Chase in 633. It was a Royal hunting ground until Charles 1 appointed the Dutch engineer Cornelius Vermuyden to drain it . This changed the whole nature of a wide swathe of land including the Isle of Axholme and caused legal disputes for the rest of the century. The newly-drained land was to be divided into three parts, Vermuyden was to receive one-third, the Crown one-third, and the remaining third was to be divided among existing tenants who claimed right of Common over the Chase..
The drainage of Hatfield Chase was commenced in 1626. Two years later 80 Huguenot families from Walloon Flanders, fleeing persecution, settled in the area. In 1635 there was another large influx of Huguenots, mostly artisans and farmers from Normandy and the Walloon country. A chapel was erected at Sandtoft for their use, and here the public service was read alternately in Dutch and French.
The locals were hostile to the drainage of the Level, believing that the participants (as the partners in the drainage undertaking were here known) were robbing them of their rights of common established by John de Mowbray , an ancient Lord of Axholme, in the reign of Edward III. In the years 1628 to 1631 there were fourteen outbursts of violence. This was followed by some years of comparative peace, but the beginning of the Civil War in 1642 saw the start of a period of greater lawlessness . In December 1645 the Sheriff of Lincolnshire was instructed to suppress the riots, making use of train-bands (a band or company of an organized military force instituted by James 1 and dissolved by Charles II ) and any parliamentary forces which might be there, to protect the participants and repair the damaged drainage. The locals took their case to law, but when the Court of Exchequer ruled against them in 1650, a great riot broke out the Chapel at Sandtoft was defaced, the village which had grown up round it demolished, the floodgates opened, and the River Trent allowed to overflow the Level once more.
The local's mistreatment of the Huguenots had always encouraged a small number to leave for more friendly surroundings the riots of 1650 turned a trickle to a flood. Many found their way to the Huguenot settlement at Whittlesey, and Thorney in Cambridgeshire where the French Church assembled in 1652. In 1656, a group of Sandtoft Huguenots petitioned Oliver Cromwell for relief from their persecution: judgement was given in their favour, but little practical effect was felt. Litigation, and frequent riots, continued until 1719, when the locals case was finally dismissed in the Court of Chancery.
Sandtoft used to be part of the Hatfield Chase a low-lying area in South Yorkshire, which often flooded and is chiefly known from the Battle of Hatfiled Chase in 633. It was a Royal hunting ground until Charles 1 appointed the Dutch engineer Cornelius Vermuyden to drain it . This changed the whole nature of a wide swathe of land including the Isle of Axholme and caused legal disputes for the rest of the century. The newly-drained land was to be divided into three parts, Vermuyden was to receive one-third, the Crown one-third, and the remaining third was to be divided among existing tenants who claimed right of Common over the Chase..
The drainage of Hatfield Chase was commenced in 1626. Two years later 80 Huguenot families from Walloon Flanders, fleeing persecution, settled in the area. In 1635 there was another large influx of Huguenots, mostly artisans and farmers from Normandy and the Walloon country. A chapel was erected at Sandtoft for their use, and here the public service was read alternately in Dutch and French.
The locals were hostile to the drainage of the Level, believing that the participants (as the partners in the drainage undertaking were here known) were robbing them of their rights of common established by John de Mowbray , an ancient Lord of Axholme, in the reign of Edward III. In the years 1628 to 1631 there were fourteen outbursts of violence. This was followed by some years of comparative peace, but the beginning of the Civil War in 1642 saw the start of a period of greater lawlessness . In December 1645 the Sheriff of Lincolnshire was instructed to suppress the riots, making use of train-bands (a band or company of an organized military force instituted by James 1 and dissolved by Charles II ) and any parliamentary forces which might be there, to protect the participants and repair the damaged drainage. The locals took their case to law, but when the Court of Exchequer ruled against them in 1650, a great riot broke out the Chapel at Sandtoft was defaced, the village which had grown up round it demolished, the floodgates opened, and the River Trent allowed to overflow the Level once more.
The local's mistreatment of the Huguenots had always encouraged a small number to leave for more friendly surroundings the riots of 1650 turned a trickle to a flood. Many found their way to the Huguenot settlement at Whittlesey, and Thorney in Cambridgeshire where the French Church assembled in 1652. In 1656, a group of Sandtoft Huguenots petitioned Oliver Cromwell for relief from their persecution: judgement was given in their favour, but little practical effect was felt. Litigation, and frequent riots, continued until 1719, when the locals case was finally dismissed in the Court of Chancery.
The Trolley Bus Museum
Sandtoft is home to Britains largest collection of working trolley buses at The Trolley Bus Museum. It is situated in open countryside some 15 miles North East of Doncaster . Buses can be viewed undergoing restoration and adaptaion to operate on Sandtoft's own internal network of electrified trolley wires.
Various events are organised throughout the year. Open days are held annually when visitors can enjoy rides on the trolleybuses and motor buses.
Various events are organised throughout the year. Open days are held annually when visitors can enjoy rides on the trolleybuses and motor buses.
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RAF Sandtoft
RAF Sandtoft opened in February 1944 as a satellite airfield to RAF Lindholme which was located 3 miles to the West. No. 1 Group Bomber Command located a number of aircraft here from the RAF 1667 Heavy Conversion Unit, including Handley Page Halifax's from RAF Faldingworth and Avro Lancaster's, in November 1944 the airfield transferred to No. 7 Group Bomber Command. The RAF station closed on the 10th November 1945
After World War 2 the airfield was placed placed on care and maintenance and remained inactive until allocated to the United States Air Force on 1 April 1953. The station was never occupied by the USAF and returned to Ministry of Defence control on the 8th September 1955 for disposal. Today many of the original buildings still exist. However, much of the old RAF Station has been converted to commercial use and a section of perimeter track is maintained and used by a flying club. The Trolley Bus Museum also uses part of the site.