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Spilsby


Market Place and Old Town Hall.

Spilsby (Lincolnshire)
Spilsby

Spilsby shown within Lincolnshire
Population 2,336 (Parish)
OS grid reference TF4066
District East Lindsey
Shire county Lincolnshire
Region East Midlands
Constituent country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town SPILSBY
Postcode district PE23
Police Lincolnshire
Fire Lincolnshire
Ambulance East Midlands
European Parliament East Midlands
List of places: UK • England • Lincolnshire

Coordinates: 53°10′22″N 0°05′35″E / 53.1727, 0.0931

Spilsby is a market town and civil parish in Lincolnshire. Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs) is a county in the east of England. In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude The districts of England are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government East Lindsey is a local government district in Lincolnshire, England. Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties are one of the four levels of Subdivisions of England used for the purposes of Local government outside Greater London Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs) is a county in the east of England. The region, also known as the government office region, is currently the highest tier of local government sub-national entity of England, with only one The East Midlands is one of the Regions of England and consists of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. Constituent country is a phrase used often by official institutions in contexts in which a country makes up a part of a larger entity or grouping England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland This list of sovereign states, alphabetically arranged gives an overview of States around the world with information on the extent of their Sovereignty. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system UK Postal codes are known as postcodes. UK postcodes are Alphanumeric. The, also known as the Peterborough postcode area, is a group of postal districts covering a large area in eastern England, including Peterborough and There are a number of law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom. Lincolnshire Police is the Home Office police force covering the Non-metropolitan county of Lincolnshire in the East Midlands of England The fire service in the United Kingdom operates under separate legislative and administrative arrangements in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue is the statutory Fire and Rescue service serving the county of Lincolnshire in the East Midlands Region of the The East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS is the NHS ambulance service serving the East Midlands region of England. East Midlands is a constituency of the European Parliament. It currently elects 6 MEPs using the D'Hondt method of Party-list proportional A Gazetteer of place names in the United Kingdom showing each place's County, Unitary authority or council area and its geographical coordinates List of places --> List of cities in the United Kingdom List of towns in England Lists of places This is a list of places in the ceremonial county of Lincolnshire, England. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. Market town or market right is a legal term originating in the Medieval period for a European settlement that has the right to hold Markets A civil parish in the United Kingdom is a unit of local government. Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs) is a county in the east of England. England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The town is situated adjacent to the main A16 Trunk Road at the southern edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds north of the Fenlands, 33 miles (53 kilometers) east of the county town of Lincoln, 17 miles (27. The A16 road is a principal road of Lincolnshire in the east of England, connecting the port of Grimsby and Stamford, where it meets the The Lincolnshire Wolds are a range of hills in the County of Lincolnshire, England. The Fens, also known as the Fenland, is a geographic area in eastern England, in the United Kingdom. A county town is the 'capital' of a County in the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland. Lincoln (ˈlɪŋkən is a Cathedral city and County town of Lincolnshire, England. 4 kilometers) north east of Boston and 13 miles (21 kilometers) north west from Skegness. Skegness is a seaside town and Civil parish within the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England.

The town has been a rural market town for over seven hundred years and has changed little in size or character since the beginning of the 19th century, retaining much of its Victorian charm. Culture The Victorian fascination with novelty resulted in a deep interest in the relationship between modernity and cultural continuities The town centre features a range of small supermarkets, traditional newsagents, baker, butchers and clothing stores together with several cafes and ethnic fast food takeaways although many local residents choose to shop on a weekly basis at the larger commercial shopping centres of nearby Boston and Skegness.

At the centre of town is an open square or traditional market place, from which the four main town streets radiate. Markets take place on a Monday. Spilsby is located within a predominantly agricultural area and much of the market produce consists of locally grown vegetables and meat.

The population of the town was 2,336 in the 2001 census, although as the census is nearly eight years ago some minor changes will have taken place since then.

Contents

History

Early history and a medieval market town

The area has been occupied by man since pre-historic times. Evidence for this can be found at nearby West Keal where an Iron Age hill fort and defensive terraced earthworks stood at the tip of the Wolds promentory overlooking the present village. This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age for the mythological Iron Age see Ages of Man. A hill fort is a fortified refuge or defended settlement The early fortified stronghold had a commanding view of the Wash and almost as far as modern day Spalding across the flat marsh and boglands below. The Wash is the square-mouthed Estuary on the northwest margin of East Anglia on the east coast of England, where Norfolk meets Lincolnshire

The Spilby area was visited and occupied by the Romans during the first century until the fourth century AD. The 1st century was the Century that lasted from 1 to 100 according the Julian calendar. As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 4th century (per the Julian calendar and Anno Domini / Common era) was that Century An archeological dig and field walk, during the 1960s at nearby Keal Cotes in a large field to the south of the village in the corner where the A16 meets the Hagnaby Lane, discovered many tessellated mosaic floor tiles and roof tiles indicating that a substantial Roman villa or high status Romano-British farmhouse had once stood on the site. Keal Cotes is a small Linear village in the English county of Lincolnshire located on the A16 road one mile (1 A tessellation or tiling of the plane is a collection of Plane figures that fills the plane with no overlaps and no gaps Art History Mosaics of the 4th century BC are found in the Macedonian palace-city of Aegae, and they enriched the floors of Hellenistic Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC Romano-British culture is that of the Romanized Britons under the Roman Empire and later the Western Roman Empire, and of those exposed to Roman culture in the years Several centuries of agricultural activity had plowed out any possibility of further excavations. The recorded finds from the site are stored at the Museum of Lincolnshire Life in Lincoln. In 1849, six Roman funeral urns were dug up in the nearby Fulletby. Fulletby is a village and a parish in the Lincolnshire Wolds, 3

Spilsby was probably named before or no later than the 9th century Dane rule period and literally translates from the phrase "Spila's-by" where by is old Norse for "place of dwelling" hence "Spila's village" or more accurately "Spila lives here", Spila (pronounced "Spiller") being the local Viking warlord or chieftain who acted as head of the immediate area. The Danelaw, as recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (also known as the Danelagh; Old English: Dena lagu; Danish: The town was recorded in the Domesday book as Spilesbei but was not much more than a large farmstead and few surrounding crofts under the squireship of the Bishop of Durham in 1082. The Domesday Book (ˈduːmzdeɪ bʊk also known as Domesday, or Book of Winchester) was the record of the great survey See also List of Bishops of Durham The Bishop of Durham is the Anglican Bishop responsible for the Diocese of Durham in

According to historian Graham Platts in his 1985 book "Land and People in Medieval Lincolnshire" (History of Lincolnshire. Vol. 5. 1985) a charter was granted to a John de Beke (or John Beck) in 1255 to hold a weekly market in Spilsby each Monday and a three day annual fair in July. Four years later, in 1259, the same John de Beke was granted a further charter to hold a three day Christmas fair on 5-8 December. This would make Spilsby one of the earliest Lincolnshire towns to establish a regular weekly market. The next recorded charter to hold a weekly Monday market in the town and an annual fair in July was granted in 1302 to the Lord of the Manor, Norman noble Robert de Willoughby. The title of Lord of the Manor arose in the English mediaeval system of Manorialism following the Norman Conquest. A copy of this charter is displayed in the parish church.

At the east end of the town centre’s market place stands a medieval Buttercross monument. In his book “Buildings of England – Lincolnshire” the historian Nikolaus Pevsner suggests that the Spilsby Buttercross dates from as early as the 1300s and certainly no later than the 1500s. The stepped bases of these monuments were used by early traders to display their goods on market day, usually milk, cheeses and of course butter. Standing in the centre of the market place is the building originally known as the Town Hall, later called the Old Town Hall and more recently The Archways store and petrol station. In the 1700s the town civic offices, a small courtroom and the town gaol were in the upstairs level supported by the arches and the ground level was an open covered space used as the local Corn Exchange and by market traders to protect their stalls from the rain.

The Manor of Eresby

The manor of Eresby, including the lands and parish of Spilsby, was awarded to Baron Walter de Beke in 1083 by William the Conqueror and remained in his family for over two hundred years. William I of England ( 1027 His reign which brought Norman culture to England had an enormous impact on the subsequent course of England in the Middle Ages In the 1290s the male line of the de Beke family died out and the manor passed to Robert de Willoughby by marriage. [1] The Willoughy family originated in nearby Willoughby in the Marsh. Willoughby is small inland village three miles south of the town of Alford Lincolnshire in East Lindsey. in 1313 Robert was appointed 1st Baron Robert Willoughby de Eresby a family line that continues to the present day's 28th Baroness. The Barony of Willoughby de Eresby (pronounced "Willuhby Deersby" is a barony by writ in the Peerage of England, dating to 1313 Nancy Jane Marie Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby 28th Baroness Willoughby de Eresby (born 1 December 1934) is the daughter of the late Gilbert James Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby The original manor house from the 1300s had stood near to the site of the later mansion and would have been demolished when the new manor was built. However, fragments of this earlier dwelling have been discovered during excavations in the mid 1960s. Many examples of medieval and post medieval pottery shards were recovered from the site of the Eresby Manor’s moat by the archeologist E H Rudkin in 1966. [2]

The fine new Eresby manor house was built by Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk in 1535 after his marriage to his ward, the fifteen year old Lady Catherine Willoughby, daughter and heiress to the 11th Baron Willoughby de Eresby. Charles Brandon 1st Duke of Suffolk (c 1484 &ndash 22 August 1545) was the son of Sir William Brandon and Elizabeth Bruyn Catherine Willoughby Duchess of Suffolk, suo jure 12th Baroness Willoughby de Eresby ( 22 March 1519 - 19 September 1580 William Willoughby 11th Baron Willoughby de Eresby (1482 - 1526 was an English Baron and the largest landowner in Lincolnshire Sadly the manor was destroyed by fire just over two hundred years later in 1769 during the stewardship of the 19th Baron. General Peregrine Bertie 3rd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven PC (1714 &ndash August 12 1778) was the son of Peregrine Bertie 2nd Duke of Ancaster It is believed that a carpenter accidentally started a fire with his candle while he was working in the roof space. The fire was devastating and today very little remains of the manor except for a few short stretches of wall, one of the grand estate gate posts and the traditional avenue of trees that once led to the mansion and are now bisected by the A16 bypass.

Today nobody knows what the house actually looked like, as no paintings or sketches have survived, although a 1771 plan shows that the house was built in the basic ‘H’ shape that was popular in the Elizabethan period. Romance and reality The Victorian era and the early twentieth century idealised the Elizabethan era The plan also shows details of the grounds that contained an orangery, cherry orchard, bowling green, dove cote and an ash grove which were all near to the house. The manor had been originally moated, a common feature of many fortified medieval and Elizabethan manor houses, but by 1771 the moat had been adapted as an ornamental fishing lake.

The Anglican parish church of St James is built of the unusual local Spilsby green sandstone and probably dates from the late 1300s. although it has been much added to and amended over the centuries. Capable of seating a congregation of around 750 it gives a measure of how just many people were employed in local agriculture and on the Eresby estate when the church was first built. The parish churchyard was closed to further burials when it ran out of available space in 1884.

To mark his inheritance of the title in 1349 the 3rd Baron, Sir John de Willoughby, had built a private chapel on his estate and endowed it with collegiate status for a master and up to twelve priests. When the King Edward VI grammar school was founded by the family in 1550 the school initially had no school building and the twenty or so children were taught in the Eresby chapel building for the next sixty years until a dedicated school house was provided in 1611 by converting an existing range of agricultural buildings on the edge of the estate. In 1839 the 1611 school was replaced by a new school building that was built on its current site, with funds provided by the 25th Baron. Gilbert Henry Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby 1st Earl of Ancaster PC ( 1 October 1830 &ndash 24 December 1910) known as Lord

Bolingbroke Castle

Bolingbroke Castle was built in the parish of Spilsby around 1220 by Ranulph de Blondeville, Earl of Chester and Earl of Lincoln. Bolingbroke Castle is at Bolingbroke (or Old Bolingbroke) in Lincolnshire ( Much damaged during its involvement in the English Civil War, after the nearby Battle of Winceby in October 1643, only the lower sections of the outer walls remain. The English Civil War (1642-1651 was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists. The Battle of Winceby took place on 11 October, 1643 during the English Civil War near the village of Winceby, Lincolnshire about The last standing section of the castle, the gatehouse, had finally collapsed in 1815. Henry de Bolingbroke, later to become King Henry IV of England at the age of thirty two, was born at Bolingbroke Castle in 1366. Henry IV (3 April 1367 &ndash 20 March 1413 was King of England and Lord of Ireland (1399&ndash1413

Bolingbroke was an unusual and innovative design for its day as the original walls, also constructed of Spilsby greenstone, were in an irregular hexagon with round towers on five of the corners. The gatehouse consists of two towers built about three metres apart. Leading to a portcullis further inside, was a drawbridge that spanned the moat. The moat encircled an area about 80 metres in diameter. The six walls were two metres wide and varied in length from 15 to 30 metres long. There was a small 'priest' door in the rear wall just above the moat water line. The castle garrison was supported and supplied by a small settlement outside the castle walls including several small farms, a friary and salmon lakes.

Gunby Hall

According to the dated keystone on the west doorway Gunby Hall was built in 1700 by Sir Henry Massingberd. The mansion still stands in several acres of landscaped and wooded parkland. There is a blue gazebo stood amid well kept gardens. Locally born Poet Laureate Alfred Lord Tennyson described it as "an English home. Somersby is both a village and a parish in the Lincolnshire Wolds, 6 miles northwest of Spilsby and 7 miles eastnortheast of Horncastle. A Poet Laureate is a Poet officially appointed by a government and is often expected to compose poems for State occasions and other government events Alfred Tennyson 1st Baron Tennyson (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892 was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom and remains one of the most popular English poets . . all things in order stored and a haunt of peace". The original words, written in his own hand, are framed and preserved in the Hall's library.

During the Second World War the Air Ministry attempted to build an airfield at Gunby that would have covered the estate and necessitated the demolition of the magnificent mansion. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Air Ministry was formerly a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force. The then owner, Field Marshall Sir Archibald Montgomery-Massingberd personally appealed to King George VI and the Air Ministry relented, redrawing the plans that resulted in the building of the resited RAF Spilsby two miles further south at Great Steeping, although the runway would eventually end only a few yards short of the Gunby estate boundary hedge. Field Marshal Sir Archibald Armar Montgomery-Massingberd GCB, GCVO, KCMG ( 6 December 1871 - 13 October

Gunby Hall was one of the first major British mansion houses and estates to be presented to the National Trust in 1944 and is today open to the public on a few limited days of the week during the summer, while remaining a private family residence for the remainder of the year. The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organization in England, Wales

Hundleby

Hundleby was an ancient parish that fell within Spilsby and has not changed greatly in size or layout for the past two hundred years. The village population in 1801 was 218 and in 1901 it reached a peak of 528, mostly agricultural farm workers and their families. By 1971 the population had fallen to 439 and it has remained fairly static ever since with only minor fluctuations. [3]

Hundleby’s Anglican St Mary’s parish church was rebuilt between 1853 and 1855 and seated around two hundred parishioners. See also Anglicanism The Anglican Communion is an international association of national Anglican churches The parish had a long standing right to send three children to the Raithby parish free school. Hundleby’s own elementary school was built around 1860 and was enlarged in 1884 to accommodate up to 120 children.

The Grace Swan Memorial Cottage Hospital was built in Hundleby during the late 1800s as a twenty five bed in-patient facility with its own operating theatre, maternity unit and resident surgeon. The original concept of a cottage hospital was a small rural hospital having up to 25 beds Closed by the local health authority as part of a rationalisation programme during the 1990s, the building is now a local health centre.

The Spilsby Poor Law Union group of parishes had a workhouse located in Hundleby and built in 1838. A Poor Law Union was a unit used for local government in the United Kingdom from the 19th century The workhouse was recorded in 1870 as having 280 residents. [4] Inmates were free to enter and leave as they liked and would receive free food and accommodation. However, the concern was that too liberal a regime would lead to many people who could easily work taking it easy in the workhouse. This would lead not only to an excessive charge on charitable funds but a dilution of the work ethic. To counter this the principle of less eligibility was developed. Less eligibility was a condition of the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834. Workhouse life was deliberately made as harsh and degrading as possible so that only the truly destitute would apply. Attempts were also made to provide moral guidance, training and education to the poor but it would be fair to say that the principle of less eligibility combined with the ever present desire to save money scuppered any real chance of success in this area. The workhouse was later converted into Spilsby's Gables Hospital, demolished in recent years for the building of new housing. [5]

Spilsby in the 19th century

In 1833 a new cemetery of approximately one acre was established on the main Boston Road. White's 1842 Directory described Spilsby as being "a small, but thriving and well-built market town, pleasantly seated on an eminence, which overlooks an extensive tract of marshes and fens. Eresby is a small hamlet just south of town"[6]

In 1839 the King Edward VI grammar school had relocated from its original 17th century school building to a new school that was built on its current site in Spilsby. The grammar school building was abandoned during the 1990s after the two Spilsby secondary schools had amalgamated as Spilsby High School. The grammar school premises now stand empty.

In the mid 19th century non-conformist Methodism arrived in a big way and several denominations built chapels in the town. The Wesleyan, Primitive and Independent Methodists each had their places of worship. The Independents built a brand new chapel in 1866 and converted their original chapel into a dedicated Sunday school. The Wesleyans built a chapel opposite the Buttercross, in Market Place, during 1878.

A major ‘House of Corrections’ prison for the area was built in Spilsby between 1824-26 and occupied a site where Spence Street and West End now stand. The prison covered just over two acres surrounded by a high brick wall and fronted by a classical sessions courthouse. It was enlarged even further in 1869 to provide eighty five individual prisoner cells. The prison was demolished in 1876, except for the small front area that contained the sessions house with its elegant Greek doric pillared portico, police station and town lockup. The stately and elegantly classical Sessions House of 1826, where court quarter sessions for the district of Lindsey were held until 1878, is now home to the Spilsby Theatre and arts centre. The town gasworks were constructed in 1853, bringing street and house lighting to the town for the first time.

The parish had twenty two acres set aside as ‘’Poor Land’’, owning many tenements and the Red Lion Public House. Annual rental revenue from these properties, £76 5s 0d (£76. 25) in 1842, was distributed half-yearly among any poor in the parish that did not receive any other financial aid from the town’s poor rates. As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, the parish became part of the Spilsby Poor Law Union which covered thirty three local parishes. The Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 sometimes abbreviated to PLAA was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed by the Whig A Poor Law Union was a unit used for local government in the United Kingdom from the 19th century

Railway connections

A small local railway company built a branch line from Firsby junction to Spilsby and it opened on 1 May 1868. Not to be confused with Firsby near Rotherham or East Firsby and West Firsby that are located north of Lincoln. Events 305 - Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman Emperor. Year 1868 ( MDCCCLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap The branch was just over four miles long and connected Spilsby to the Kings Cross London to Cleethorpes main line. King's Cross station is a major railway terminus opened in 1852 Cleethorpes is a town and Unparished area in North East Lincolnshire, England, situated on the Estuary of the River Humber. The only other station on the branch line was Halton Holegate Halt. The necessary parliamentary permission had been obtained by an Act in July 1865 which incorporated The Spilsby & Firsby Railway Company with an authorised capital of £20,000 and loans of £8,333 for the construction of the four mile long single track branch.

Construction of the railway began in March 1867 with the ceremonial cutting of the first turf performed by local rector, The Reverend Rawnsley who was standing in for the railway company's chairman Lord Willoughby de Eresby the 25th Baron. Gilbert Henry Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby 1st Earl of Ancaster PC ( 1 October 1830 &ndash 24 December 1910) known as Lord The Railway was expected to be opened quickly but disputes with the contractors arose over the quality of their work and several lengths of track had to be replaced. With these problems finally fixed the official opening took place. Initial traffic levels and income were promising, however by 1885 rail traffic had slumped badly leading to the Great Northern Railway buying out the Spilsby & Firsby Railway Company for £20,000 through an Act of Parliament on July 25, 1890. Events 285 - Diocletian appoints Maximian as Caesar, co-ruler Year 1890 ( MDCCCXC) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common

In 1920 there was a major accident when the Spilsby engine was derailed and passengers had to be taken on by road. When the locomotive was returned to the tracks it managed to reach Firsby in a record eight and a half minutes instead of the normal thirteen minutes. Unfortunately, just a few days later, the train ran hard into the buffers of another stationery train at Firsby and several passengers were badly shaken. A 71 year old local business man, Mr. Welch, died the following day from the delayed effects of the accident.

Falling usage caused passenger services to be suspended in 1939 just as the Second World War started and they were never reinstated. A goods service for grain, potatoes, livestock and other agricultural products continued for almost a further twenty years. Goods including petrol, paraffin and coal continued to come into Spilsby via the rail link up to its final closure on 30 November 1958. Events 1700 - Battle of Narva — A Swedish army of 8500 men under Charles XII defeats Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The main station building was demolished in 1965 but the engine shed still stands and in recent years it has been used by an agricultural suppliers as a shop and store with new sections added. The original trackbed within the town has been built on, with most of it covered by the Vale Industrial Estate. Outside of the town most of the old track route to Firsby can still be seen in aerial photographs, marked by the avenue of trees and bushes, with only 5% ploughed out into fields.

The town’s army connections

The British Army’s ‘’Seventh Spilsby Rifle Volunteer Corps’’, an early part time army detachment, was formed in the town during 1860. The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. At its height the corps contained about 100 members. It is recorded that in 1872 Captain J. W. Preston was the officer in charge, supported by Lt George Walker, Ensign Robert MacKinder and drill master Sergeant Thomas Ward.

In 1889, the Rifle Volunteer Corps renamed as F Company of the First Volunteer Battalion and was based in Spilsby. Its commandant was the now promoted Major George Walker. He was aided by Lt G. B. Walker and Lt W. Hoff, Acting Surgeon Lieutenant Francis John Walker and the acting chaplain Rev. Pownoll Kendall.

In 1899, Spilsby’s Territorial Force Drill Hall was completed in Halton Road, built of solid red brick. The site also contained housing and quarters for the resident professional army sergeant instructors.

In 1912, C Company of the 5th Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment (Territorial Force) was formed in the town. The company’s commandant was Captain H. S. Scorer, Surgeon Colonel Francis John Walker was the chief medical officer and the regular army drill instructor was Colour Sergeant Wallace Cowling.

The RAF in Spilsby

The resited RAF Spilsby bomber airfield, designed for Lancaster bombers was built at Great Steeping, just two miles south west of its originally planned location at Gunby, during 1942 to 1943 and opened for action on 20 September 1943 as an overflow satellite airfield to RAF East Kirkby in 5 (Bomber) Group RAF. "Lanc" redirects here Distinguish from Lank (adjective and from Amon Lanc (a place in Tolkien's fiction Events 451 - The Battle of Chalons takes place in North Eastern France. Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. RAF East Kirkby is a former Royal Air Force base near the village of East Kirkby, south of Horncastle in Lincolnshire, just off the A155 The first operational squadron to be based at Spilsby was No 207 squadron RAF who moved from RAF Langar on 12 October 1943. No 207 Squadron (alternatively No CCVII Squadron) is a Squadron of the Royal Air Force, currently based at RAF Linton-on-Ouse in Yorkshire RAF Langar is a former military airfield in England. The field is located 12 miles south-east of the centre of Nottingham in Nottinghamshire, a few miles Events 539 BC - The army of Cyrus the Great of Persia takes Babylon. Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The squadron bombed Hanover in Germany six days later on 18 October and the following week the station was upgraded from satellite status to a full station in its own right. Hanover (i ( haˈnoːfɐ on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony ( Niedersachsen Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Events 1009 - The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a Christian church in Jerusalem, is completely destroyed by the Fatimid [7]

In April 1944 the three local bomber stations at Spilsby, Strubby and East Kirkby combined to form the 55th (Bomber) Group RAF with the headquarters located at East Kirkby. RAF Spilsby became a two squadron station when No 44 Squadron RAF relocated from RAF Dunholme near Lincoln. No 44 (Rhodesia Squadron of the Royal Air Force is no longer operational In 1944 a Spilsby based 207 Squadron airman, Flying Officer Denys Street was one of the real escapees from the German prisoner of war camp Stalag Luft III and was one of the fifty executed by the Gestapo in the aftermath of the mass escape that was later filmed as The Great Escape. Stalag Luft III ( Sta mm' lag' er Luft, or Permanent Camp for Airmen #3 was a German Air Force Prisoner-of-war camp during The "Great Escape" was a World War II mass escape from the German Prisoner-of-war camp Stalag Luft III. The ( contraction of ge heime Sta ats' po' lizei: "Secret State Police" was the official Secret police of Nazi Germany The Great Escape is a popular 1963 War film about the 250 Allied prisoners of war escaping from a German POW camp During the war the Lancasters of 207 Squadron flew over 6,000 individual sorties during 540 operational missions, by both day and night with the loss of 154 seven man crews killed or missing, with at least another 9 aircraft lost on non-operational training or ferry flights.

As the Second World War came to an end 44 Squadron was moved south to RAF Mepal in Cambridgeshire and they were replaced by No 75 (New Zealand) Squadron who were planned to be part of the Tiger Force against Japan. No 75 Squadron RNZAF was formed from the RAF 's World War II bomber squadron No Tiger Force, also known as the VLR Bomber Force, was the name given to a World War II British Commonwealth long range Heavy bomber force formed For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. However, when the nuclear bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the war ended, the Spilsby squadrons were moved elsewhere in October 1945. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were nuclear attacks near the end of World War II against the Empire of Japan by the United States at The airfield defence force of No 2751 Sqn (RAF Regiment) remained at RAF Spilsby and it became No 2 Armament and Gunnery Practice School. The Royal Air Force Regiment ( RAF Regt) is a specialist Airfield defence Corps founded by Royal Warrant in 1942

In December 1946 RAF Spilsby was abandoned and placed on care and maintenance until June 1955, during which time it was used for storing overflow supplies for RAF East Kirkby. After the Korean War and as the Cold War started RAF Spilsby re-opened to host units of the USAF and the east-west runway was extended by 1,590 feet to accommodate the much larger American B-52 bombers. The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korean and South Korean regimes with major hostilities lasting from June 25 1950 until the Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the The Korean war had ended in 1953 but the USAF did not move out until March 1958, relocating to RAF Mildenhall, when the Spilsby airfield immediately closed. RAF Mildenhall is a Royal Air Force (RAF station located at Mildenhall in Suffolk, England. The extended runway was long enough to handle the RAF's jet engined nuclear bomber V-force and a decision to rip it out was delayed for nearly twenty years just in case it became needed again by the RAF. History Early development RAF Bomber Command ended World War II with a policy of using heavy four- Piston-engined bombers for massed Spilsby remained on RAF maps as a designated emergency landing site for the Vulcan bombers based at RAF Scampton. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout With the V-force disbanding the runways and perimeter track were finally torn up during the 1970s with most of the crushed aggregate being used in the construction of the new Humber Bridge.

RAF Spilsby is commemorated by an Airfield Memorial standing just outside Great Steeping and by plaques in the All Saints' Church Great Steeping. The ghost cropmarks showing the airfield's runway layout is still visible on aerial photographs. [8]

The Spilsby Air Training Corps formed in 1950 initially as a detached flight of the established Skegness squadron, becoming the 2266 Spilsby Squadron ATC in 1952. The Air Training Corps ( ATC) is a cadet organisation based in the United Kingdom. Falling membership resulted in the squadron's disbandment in 2005 after over fifty years of successful operations. Several members of the squadron have now formed 2266 Spilsby Venture Scout Group and meet on a weekly basis in the town. Venture Scouting is a section of the Scout Movement, mostly in countries of the Commonwealth of Nations, for young people roughly in the 14 - 18 age range

Governance

Historical governance

Spilsby parish was traditionally in the East division of the ancient Bollingbroke Wapentake in the East Lindsey district in the parts of Lindsey.

The parish was also in the Bollingbroke Soke. The term soke (in Old English: soc, connected ultimately with secan (to seek at the time of the Norman Conquest of England generally Kelly's 1913 Directory of Lincolnshire places the parish in the South Lindsey division of the county.

Today

Spilsby falls under the Louth and Horncastle Westminster parliamentary constituency and the sitting MP is Sir Peter Tapsell.

Spilsby is governed locally by Spilsby Town Council

Spilsby is within East Lindsey District Council at Manby

The area’s European MEPs are: Derek Clark, Bill Newton Dunn, Chris Heaton-Harris, Roger Helmer, Robert Kilroy-Silk and Glenys Wilmott

Geography

The town is situated upon slightly elevated ground at the south western rim of the attractive rolling Lincolnshire Wolds. Spilsby benefits from an extensive south-east view of a tract of marsh and fen land, bounded by Boston deeps and the North Sea and is within twelve miles inland from the holiday centre of Skegness, on what many consider is the best part of the Lincolnshire coast.

The Wolds comprise a series of low hills and steep valleys underlain by calcareous chalk, green limestone and sandstone rock, laid down in the Cretaceous period under a shallow warm sea. Chalk (ʧɔːk is a soft white porous Sedimentary rock, a form of Limestone composed of the Mineral Calcite. Limestone is a Sedimentary rock composed largely of the Mineral Calcite ( Calcium carbonate: CaCO3 Sandstone is a Sedimentary rock composed mainly of Sand -size Mineral or rock grains. The Cretaceous (kriːˈteɪʃəs, usually abbreviated 'K' for its German translation "Kreide" is a geologic period and system, reaching from the end of The characteristic open valleys of the Wolds were created during the last ice age through the action of glaciation and meltwater. An ice age is a period of long-term reduction in the Temperature of the Earth 's surface and atmosphere resulting in an expansion of continental Ice sheets "Glacial" and "Glaciation" redirect here For the geological periods see Glacial period.

Geographically, the Lincolnshire Wolds are a continuation of the Yorkshire Wolds which run up through the East Riding of Yorkshire, the Wolds as a whole having been bisected by the tremendous erosive power of the waters of the Humber. The Yorkshire Wolds are low hills in the East Riding of Yorkshire in North-Eastern England. The Humber is a large tidal Estuary on the east coast of northern England The Fenlands that stretch down as far as Norfolk are former wetlands consisted both of peat bogs and tidal silt marshes which were virtually all drained by the end of the nineteenth century when Spilsby had its longest period of Victorian expansion. The Fens, also known as the Fenland, is a geographic area in eastern England, in the United Kingdom. Norfolk (ˈnɔrfək is a low-lying county in East Anglia, England, United Kingdom. A bog or mire is a Wetland type that accumulates Acidic Peat, a deposit of dead plant material &ndash usually Mosses but also A tidal marsh is a type of Marsh that is found along Coasts and estuaries of which the flooding characteristics are determined by the tidal movement The former peat fens and silt marshes provided a rich loamy soil that was ideal for the growing of cereal and vegetable crops and gave Lincolnshire its reputation as being the 'bread basket' of England. The resulting flat lands also made an ideal environment for the later mechanisation of farming in the mid 20th century.

The drainage was organized into river drainage, the passing of upland water through the region and internal drainage of the land between the rivers. The internal drainage was designed to be organized by levels or districts each of which includes the fen parts of one or several parishes. The details of the organization vary with the history of their development but Spilsby falls within the Witham Fourth District: (East, West and Wildmore Fens and the Townland from Boston to Wainfleet).

Demography

Previous population counts

Historical population sizes for the town include:

1801 – 932

1821 – 1,234

1841 – 1,434

1861 – 1,467

1881 – 1,423

1911 – 1,464

1931 – 1,654

Most recent demography

The latest figures are drawn from the 2001 census. It should be noted that these figures are nearly eight years out of date:[9]

Population in 2001: 2,336

47. 3% male and 52. 7% female

26. 3% single and never married, 47. 8% married, the remainder split between separated, divorced and widowed.

98. 6% White with 0. 4% spread between Asian, British Asian, Indian and Chinese.

81. 4% Christian, with 11% indicating no religion and the remainder split between minority religions.

56. 1% employed, 20. 3% retired and 3% unemployed, remainder in full time education.

60. 1% of households were owner occupied, significantly below the national average.

Economy

The area is predominantly a rural agricultural economy. There is little in the way of major employers in the area and the majority of employed residents commute to the commercial centres of Lincoln, Boston and Skegness.

Landmarks and attractions

Education

Pre school facilities

Bright Sparks Kindergarten – Fen Road Spilsby – a rural pre school

Nestlings Nursery – Rookery Farm Little Steeping – a rural pre school

Skendleby Play School – Gunby – a rural pre school

Spilsby and Skegness Portage – Eresby Avenue Spilsby – an urban pre school

Spilsby Playgroup – Woodlands Road Spilsby – an urban pre school

Totschool Playgroup – Halton Road Spilsby – an urban pre school

Primary Education

Great Steeping Primary School - This is a mixed sex rural primary school and has approx 115 pupils with 67 boys and 48 girls

Halton Holegate C of E Primary School - This is a mixed sex rural primary school and has approx 56 pupils with 24 boys and 32 girls

Spilsby Primary School - This is a mixed sex urban primary school and has approx 254 pupils with 132 boys and 122 girls

Partney C of E Primary School - This is a mixed sex rural primary school and has approx 83 pupils with 46 boys and 37 girls

Toynton All Saints Primary School - This is a mixed sex rural primary school and has approx 92 pupils with 42 boys and 50 girls

Secondary Education

King Edward VI Humanities College, is a coeducational bi-lateral secondary school and specialist Humanities College for children between the ages of eleven and sixteen. King Edward VI Humanities College, is a coeducational bi-lateral secondary school and specialist Humanities College located in Spilsby, Mixed-sex education, (or just Mixed education) also known as Coeducation, is the integrated education to males and females at the same school facilities In England, a partially selective school is one of a few dozen state-funded secondary schools that select a proportion of their intake by ability or aptitude permitted as a The specialist schools programme is a UK government initiative which encourages Secondary schools in England to specialise in certain areas of the curriculum

There is currently no sixth form centre in the town, with students travelling to Boston, Skegness or Horncastle to attend further education studies. A sixth form college is an educational institution in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Hong Kong or Malta where students aged 16 Horncastle is a Market town of some 6090 residents in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England.

Special Schools

Eresby School - Eresby Avenue, Spilsby - a special school for children aged between 2 and 19[11]

The Lady Jane Franklin School, Spilsby - This is a mixed sex urban community special school for 11 - 16 year olds. Currently 45 pupils on roll

Religious sites

St James Church – Church of England – Church Street and Boston Road

Church of Our Lady and the English Martyrs – Catholic – Church Road opposite Spilsby Theatre

Spilsby Methodist Church – opposite the Buttercross

All Saints Church – Christian Fellowship

Spilsby Christian Fellowship – Halton Road

Sports and recreation

Spilsby Town FC compete in the Boston & District Premier Football League

Spilsby Sports Pavilion and Playing Fields Ancaster Avenue Spilsby

Spilsby Juniors Football Club Spilsby juniors was started during the Summer of 1998 when the Mid-Lincs youth football league accepted our application to enter a single Under 12 team in that years Division C. The club expanded and now runs four teams from Under 9's to Under 14's.

Spilsby Bowls Club

Spilsby Hockey Club

Public services and facilities

Library

The town’s library at West End Villas opens on Monday Wednesday Friday (and Sat morning).

Bus Services

Various bus services to Boston, Skegness, Horncastle, Alford and Spalding with onward connections to more distant locations are provided by:

Twin towns

Public Houses

The White Hart Inn Market Square Spilsby

The Kings Head Gunby

The Bell Inn Spilsby Rd Halton Holegate

The Red Lion 16 Market St Spilsby

The Nelson Butt Inn 10 Market St Spilsby

The Hundleby Inn Main Road Hundleby

Notable people

Statue of John Franklin in Spilsby market place.
Statue of John Franklin in Spilsby market place. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics.
Born on 16 April 1786, the fourth son of nine children and educated at Louth, he experienced his first taste of the sea aged 12 when he visited Saltfleet. Events 1178 BC - A Solar eclipse may have marked the return of Odysseus, legendary King of Ithaca, to his kingdom Year 1786 ( MDCCLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common He joined the Navy at the age of 14 and fought in two of the greatest sea battles: Copenhagen in 1801 and Trafalgar in 1805. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) The Battle of Trafalgar ( 21 October 1805) was a historic sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the He served as Midshipman to another Lincolnshire explorer, his cousin Matthew Flinders. For the fish called midshipman see Midshipman fish. The rank of midshipman is one of the oldest ranks still in existence Captain Matthew Flinders, RN (16 March 1774 – 19 July 1814 was one of the most successful navigators and cartographers of his age Being shipwrecked off Australia did not deter the young John Franklin who later took part in exploration to the Arctic. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. He is often referred to as 'The man who ate his boots' as in 1819, while commanding his first expedition to the Arctic, he and his companions suffered incredible hardship and survived by eating lichen and leather from their boots.
In 1829, he was awarded the Geographic Society Gold Medal and was knighted by King George IV, he was also presented with a silver plate by the people of Spilsby. In 1836 he was appointed Governor of Tasmania. At the age of 59, he made his last voyage to seek the Northwest passage between Canada and the Arctic. Sadly, the entire expedition disappeared and it was 12 years before their fate was known. During these years, his widow, Lady Jane, spent all her money organizing ships to search for the missing party. Jane Griffin Lady Franklin ( 4 December 1791 – 18 July 1875) was an early Tasmanian pioneer traveller and second wife of the explorer Finally, she received confirmation that her husband had died on Beechy Island in July 1847. It was assumed he died from natural causes and the rest of the party by disease and starvation. Several suggestions have been put forward and one theory is that the probable cause was lead poisoning from faulty cans.

See also

References

  1. ^ Eresby Manor
  2. ^ Pottery Finds at Eresby
  3. ^ Hundleby
  4. ^ Gazeteer entry 1870
  5. ^ Gables
  6. ^ Spilby History
  7. ^ RAF Spilsby history
  8. ^ Aerial photo of RAF Spilsby today - runways showing as cropmarks in the fields
  9. ^ 2001 Census
  10. ^ Gunby Hall Opening
  11. ^ Eresby School Website
  12. ^ (French) Explanation of twinning of Spilsby and Fresay in French.
  13. ^ Fresnay Twinning association

External links

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