Billingborough

Description and Travel

Billingborough is both a large village and a parish 9 miles NNE of Bourne. The B1177 road passes through the center of the parish. Horbling parish lies to the north. The South Forty Foot Drain completes the eastern border. The old Car Dyke passes just east of the village. The parish encompasses about 2,020 acres.

For the visitor with a little time to spare, there's nothing like a visit to Hansens Handmade Chocolates on the High Street. There's an excellent description, with photographs, of the village at the Rex site.

If you are planning a visit:

• By automobile, take the A52 trunk road between Grantham and Boston and turn south onto the B1177 arterial. Pass thru Horbling and the next village is Billingborough.
  
  
• See our touring page for visitor services.
  
  

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Census

• The parish was in the Aslackby sub-district of the Bourne Registration District.
  
  
• 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 St. Andrew.
  
  
• The church is believed to have some Saxon portions, but most of the building dates from 1312.
  
  
• The chancel was rebuilt in 1891.
  
  
• The church has a spire 150 feet tall.
  
  
• The church seats 375.
  
  
• There is a photograph of St. Andrew's Church on the Wendy Parkinson web site under her "Still more Lincolnshire churches".
  
  
• Here are three photos of St. Andrew's church, taken by Ron Cole (who retains the copyright):
  
  

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Church Records

• The Anglican church parish registers exist from 1561.
  
  
• We have a handful of entries in our parish register extract. Your additions to this are welcome.
  
  
• The Lincolnshire FHS has published several marriage indexes and a burial index for the Aveland and Ness Deanery to make your search easier.
  
  
• In addition, there have been two Baptist chapels in the parish; the Calvanistic one erected in 1789. The Wesleyan Methodists built one in 1829 and the Primitive Methodists built their's in 1868. For more on researching these chapel records, see our non-conformist religions page.
  
  

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Civil Registration

• The parish was in the Aslackby sub-district of the Bourne Registration District.
  
  
• Check our Civil Registration page for sources and background on Civil Registration which began in July, 1837.
  
  

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History

• The Billingborough and Horbling Gas Works were erected here in 1864.
  
  
• A Public Hall was erected here in 1865, built of red brick with stone dressings. The Hall could hold 400.
  
  
• The village hosted a County Police Station in 1900. Robert CARTER was the sergeant.
  
  

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Manors

• Buckminster Hall was the residence of Lieut.-Col Albert De BURTON in 1900.
  
  
• The village also had "Old Hall", which was a large mansion in the Tudor style.
  
  

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Maps

• The national grid reference is TF 1134.
  
  
• You'll want an Ordnance Survey Explorer map, which has 2.5 inches to the mile scale.
  
  
• See our Maps page for additional resources.
  
  

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Military History

• Michael Peck advises: "The WW2 memorial at St Andrews Church, Billingborough has been recorded. It shows no numbers, ranks or arms of service. Names recorded are:"
  
  

1. Cyril Bryant
2. Ralph Hilton Credland
3. Roy Hardy Freeman
4. Robert Walter Ironmonger
5. Stephen Lamb
6. Frank Henry Meads
7. Tom Spenser

1. To Sgt Ralph H Credland Royal Air Force VR died 28 Jan 1942.
2. To Leslie Grosvenor Hodgkinson Royal Field Artillery, eldest son of Charles Grosvenor Hodgkinson and Mary. Born St Andrews Day 1893 and killed in action near Ypres 1917 (no actual date mentioned), aged 23.
3. To 2nd Lieut Charles Reginald Winckley (Sherwood Foresters). Killed in France 20th July 1916, aged 22. Second son of Revd C R Thorold Winckley of Billingborough

Steve Morse adds:

• Hodgkinson Leslie G - Killed 28/07/1917 (three days prior to 3rd Ypres. He was a gunner in 'B' Battery, 58th Brigade RFA service no 20981.
• Winckley Charles R - 15th Bn Sherwood Foresters, The address for his parents is given as Leamington, Warwickshire.

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Names, Geographical

• In the 1086 Domesday Book, the village name is rendered as Billingeburg, from the Old English Bill+inga+burh meaning "stronghold of the followers of Bill".
  [A. D. Mills, "A Dictionary of English Place-Names," Oxford University Press, 1991].
  
  

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Politics and Governance

• The parish was in the ancient Aveland Wapentake in the South Kesteven district and parts of Kesteven in the 19th century.
  
  
• For today's local governance, contact the South Kesteven District Council.
  
  

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Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

• The Charities for the poor amounted to £41 per year in 1900. There are stone tablets in the church which record several gifts for the Charities.
  
  
• After the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act reforms, the parish became part of the Bourne Poor Law Union.
  
  

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Population

The parish grew quickly in the 1800s. With the coming of the railroads around 1845, the population soared.

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Schools

• A Council School was built here in 1876 to hold up to 400 children.
  
  
• For more on researching school records, see our Schools Research page.
  
  

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© 2001 EnglandGenWeb Project