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West Butterwick and Kelfield, the latter a hamlet 1 mile N. of Owston; and the former, a large village on the Trent, 4 miles N. of Owston Ferry, and 12 miles N. of Gainsborough, constitute a township and chapelry, in Owston parish, containing upwards of 800 souls, and 2666 acres of land, in the manor of Epworth, and including the farms called Ewsters and Newlands. West Butterwick is opposite East Butterwick, and there is a ferry between the two places. It was anciently a seat of the Sheffield's; and a great part of the township belongs to Sir Robert Sheffield, but there are several smaller proprietors. The ancient chapel of ease has been converted into a Diocesan school; a new church, dedicated to St. Mary, being built here by subscription in 1841, in the Gothic style, with 300 sittings of which 200 are free. The tower is surmounted by a handsome spire; and the chancel windows are ornamented with the arms of the archbishop of York, the Bishop of Lincoln, and other contributors to the fabric, beautifully executed in stained glass. the perpetual curacy, valued at £80, is in the patronage of Owston. The Wesleyan and Primitive Methodists, and the General Baptists, have each a chapel in Butterwick; and the latter have an endowment of 19 acres of land, let for £34 a year, but part of the income is for the relief of poor Baptists.
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