East or Great Markham, situated on the edge of the Great Forest of Sherwood, is the “ham” or “home” of the “Mark” or organised self acting township. In Danish, mark means a field or common. In this parish we have both Markham Moor and Markham Field, meaning the village or land outside the forest. It is situated on a ridge which forms the watershed of the rivers Trent and Idle. Its precise geological formation is of Keuper Marl and its soil is rich and strong, particularly suitable for plum and other fruit trees, whose produce, for several centuries, was until recently one of the chief industries of the village. Going back to the earliest days of its history, we find that during the two centuries before the Norman Conquest, Markham was peopled by Danish immigrants who settled in the valley of the Trent and mixed with the previous English settlers. When the length and breadth of the land was parcelled out among the followers of the Norman Conqueror,
Markham was given to Roger de Bush, the list of whose lands in thiscountry covers more than five pages in the Domesday Book. This Roger de Busli, or Bully, built Tickhill Castle, and in 1088 founded the Monastery of Blyth. Under the “Land of the King” in Domesday it is recorded: ‘In Markham three carucates of land and a half to be villanes have here ten ploughs. There is a church and a Priest, and forty acres of meadow, and a very little coppice wood’. The tenants of Roger de Busli in East Markham were Turold and Fulc. Among his tenants in West Markham was Claron, who was the forefather of Alexander de Marcham, Constable of Nottingham Castle during the reign of Henry II (1154-1189). His son William married Cecilia Lexington, and their son Richard was lord of West Markham and Tuxford. Richard’s brother Robert died in 1289, his lands in Markham going to his brother, but the Lexington estates were divided between his three daughters, who married into the great Nottinghamshire families of Santa Cruce, Long villiers and Bekering. The nephew of Sir Robert, son of his brother Richard, was Sir John Markham, who arrived at the dignity of King’s Sergeant. He was buried at East Retford in 1329. By his wife Joan, daughter of the lord of the neighbouring village of Bothamsall,
A church was here in 1086 at the Domesday survey but the present large building is a magnificent example of 15th century Perpendicular architecture.
Built of stone, the church consists of a nave, a long chancel, aisles, porch and a western, embattled 80ft tower with 8 pinnacles and gargoyles.
The 14th century chancel arch is the earliest visible part of the present building. The tower arch is extremely high. The nave arcades have tall octagonal piers with battlemented capitals, and there are twice as many clerestory windows as arches. All these windows and all those of the aisles are of the same design.
The five-light Perpendicular east window has glass by Ninian Comper dated 1896. The south aisle east window depicts two early 15th century female saints. Another window is in memory of Mrs Penrose, née Cartwright, author of ‘Mrs Markham’s History of England’.
In the south aisle is a part medieval screen once the chancel screen. There is a Pre-Reformation altar slab in the north aisle and a stone monument to a lady as if she was in a coffin. The altar rails, pulpit and font cover are all of the 17th century. The font bowl is dated 1686.
There is an alabaster tomb-chest but no effigy to Sir John Markham (d1409), a judge responsible for deposing Richard II. The image of his former wife, Dame Millicent Meryng (d1419), is well worth seeing, as are all the fittings.
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