Before the seventeenth century, the
River Don, its waters swelled by those of the
River Idle and the
River Torne, crossed the region on a meandering course from
Crowle to
Adlingfleet, where it entered the
River Trent. However, in 1626, the Dutch drainage pioneer
Cornelius Vermuyden re-routed all three rivers as part of the drainage of
Hatfield Chase. Prior to the work, Garthorpe lay on the east bank of the Don in
Lincolnshire while Fockerby lay in
Yorkshire. Before the opening of the
Keadby Road and rail bridge in 1916, there existed a boat ferry from the east end of the village along Shore Road to
Burton upon Stather across the River Trent. From 1903, the village was served by
Fockerby railway station. This had been built by the Goole and Marshland Light Railway Company, whose line left the main to line at Marshland Junction near
Goole, and reached Fockerby by way of , and . The line was taken over by the
North Eastern Railway and the
Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway in early 1903, and became the
Axholme Joint Railway. They also took over the Isle of Axholme Light Railway, which provided a connection from Reedness Junction to . The station was initially named Garthorpe, but then became Fockerby. Passenger services were withdrawn in 1933, and the line closed to freight on 5 April 1965. Four days before closure, the North Axholme Secondary School at Crowle chartered a 4-car diesel multiple unit, and traversed the entire line, apart from the route south of which had been closed in 1956. The train was met at Fockerby by the headmistress and all of the pupils from Garthorpe County Primary School. Incoming freight traffic on the line included manure and coal, while most outgoing traffic was agricultural produce, including potatoes and tulips. Garthorpe is barely above sea level - and is about 1 mile from the tidal river Trent protected by large levees. Positioned midway between Goole and Scunthorpe, transport to and from must be by car. A local bus service is available. The former primary school closed in the mid 1970s necessitating a council funded bus service to the Luddington and Garthorpe infants and primary school in
Luddington, south of the Village. The secondary school for the catchment area is The Axholme Academy, away. and "The Webbs Hotel" by 1907. Both The Plough and Webbs Hotel closed in 1916. During the 18th century, the local area was frequented by two notable highwaymen. Ned Mandrell was the earliest, and was said to have been a ruthless villain who was scared by none. It is thought that he was captured and hung and his remains buried at the southern end of Carr Lane, where the grass triangle is situated. The other was Snowden Dunhill, who lived much of his life in the village of Spaldington near Howden. His main hiding area was a place called Cow Lane, a local common pasture which everybody crossed as means as a short cut between the villages. After he was finally captured and sentenced at York Assizes, he was transported to
Tasmania, Australia. When he had spent his time of hard labour and was due to be released, he died and never returned to be with the family who was waiting for him. == Governance ==