Belchford

Description and Travel

Belchford is both a village and a parish in the Wolds, nine miles south of Louth and five miles northeast of Horncastle. Scamblesby parish lies to the north and Fulletby parish to the south. The parish covers about 2,600 acres.

Belchford village is in a shallow valley. The River Waring rises in the parish and passes through the village on its way to join the River Bain. If you are planning a visit:

• The village has its own Website.
  
  
• Visit our touring page for visitor services.
  
  
• For photographs of the village sign, taken in 2008 by Patricia McCrory, please see the Genuki Belchford parish profile.
  
  

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Census

• The parish was in the Tetford sub-district of the Horncastle Registration District.
  
  
• We have an extract of a small portion of the 1901 surname index which you are welcome to review or add to.
  
  
• Check our Census Resource page for county-wide resources.
  
  
• The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
  
  

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Church History

• The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul.
  
  
• The church was rebuilt in 1781.
  
  
• The church was restored in 1883. The tower was restored in 1892, then partially taken down in 1902.
  
  
• The church seats 160.
  
  
• A photograph of the Anglican parish church is at the Wendy Parkinson English Church Photographs site.
  
  
• For more photographs of Saints Peter and Paul Church, taken by Patricia McCrory (who retains the copyright), please see the Genuki parish profile for Belchford.
  
  

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Church Records

• The Anglican parish register dates from 1698.
  
  
• The LFHS has published several marriage and burial indexes for the Horncastle Deanery to make your search easier.
  
  
• The Society of Genealogists has Belchford burials from 1813 to 1900.
  
  
• Contact Mark in Barcelona to see if he can find your relatives in his records of Belchford.
  
  
• The Wesleyan Methodists had a small chapel here, built in 1811 and rebuilt in 1871. In 1984, this chapel was declared unsafe and services are now held in the village hall. The Primitive Methodists built their chapel in 1834. For information and assistance in researching these chapels, see our non-conformist religions page.
  
  
• Check our Church Records page for county-wide resources.
  
  

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Civil Registration

• The parish was in the Tetford sub-district of the Horncastle Registration District.
  
  
• Check our Civil Registration page for sources and background on Civil Registration after 1837.
  
  

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History

• In 1858, the kennels of the South Wold Hunt Club were opened at Foxendale in this parish.
  
  
• In recent years, the parish has held a Midsummer Madness festival in June. And August is the time for the Flower and Produce Show.
  
  
• Try to find a copy of the booklet by J. N. Clarke, "Belchford: the history of a Lincolnshire Wolds village," (Belchford, 1984). Well referenced and indexed; published by the author.
  
  

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Maps

• The national grid reference is TF 2975.
  
  
• You'll want an Ordnance Survey Explorer 273 map, which has 2.5 inches to the mile scale.
  
  
• See our Maps page for additional resources.
  
  

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Politics and Governance

• The parish was in the North division of the ancient Gartree Wapentake in the East Lindsey district in the parts of Lindsey.
  
  
• For today's governance, see the East Lindsey District Council.
  
  

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Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

• The common fields here were enclosed in 1804.
  
  
• The poor of this parish received a dole of bread during the winter. The bread was purchased using rent charges on a field in the parish.
  
  
• As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, the parish became part of the Horncastle Poor Law Union.
  
  

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Population

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Schools

• A school wasn't built here until 1873. In 1912, attendance was 35 students.
  
  
• For more on researching school records, see our Schools Research page.
  
  

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