History

  
Chesterfield Canal at Retford     Map 5 of Richlow's guide, from richlow.co.uk
  
Baptisms in the Canal
   
We've recently learnt, from a family historian, that in the 1840s baptisms used to take place in the waters of the Chesterfield Canal, near Town Lock in Retford.  The lock-keeper's family well remembered the large crowds the ceremonies attracted, with the waterside singing heard at a considerable distance on still Sunday evenings.  The Rev William Fogg, who carried out the baptisms, was the local Baptist minister until 1853. 
  

Different canal users getting wet below Town Lock