Rockingham (St. Leonard)
The parish comprises 887a. 2r. 21p., of which 112 acres are arable, 234 forest, 76 wood, 65 meadow, and 379 inclosed pasture; the soil, for the most part, is a strong clay. The village, formerly a market-town, is situated at the base of the hill on which the castle stood, and on the right bank of the Welland, which is here crossed by a bridge. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £10. 2. 3½., and in the patronage of the Hon. Richard Watson, the present proprietor of Rockingham Castle: the tithes have been commuted for £150, and a neat parsonage-house has been recently built by the patron. The church is a neat structure in the early and later English styles: in the chancel is the mausoleum of Lord Sondes. A spacious school has been built at the expense of Mr. Watson, by whom it is entirely supported; it affords instruction to 80 boys and 40 girls of this and the neighbouring parishes.
Transcribed from A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858.