Bolingbroke (Old and New Bolingbroke)

Description and Travel

Bolingbroke is a village and a parish about 4 miles west of Spilsby and 8 miles east of Horncastle. Hareby parish lies to the west and Mavis Enderby to the north. The parish covers just over 1,000 acres.

Bolingbroke village consists of two parts, Old Bolingbroke and New Bolingbroke, although the latter is rarely listed on maps and directories. If you are considering a visit to the parish:

• By automobile, take the A16 trunk road southwest out of Spilsby and turn north at Keal.
  
  
• A stream flows through the parish and joins the Hagnaby Beck.
  
  
• See the Lincolnshire Touring and Holidays page on this site.
  
  

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Census

• The parish was in the Spilsby sub-district of the Spilsby 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 Saints Peter and Paul, reputedly built soon after 1363.
  
  
• The church seats about 250.
  
  
• The above church was restored in 1889-90.
  
  
• The Anglican parish church of New Bolingbroke is dedicated to Saint Peter and was built in 1854.
  
  
• The church seats about 300.
  
  
• During World War II, the rector of Old Bolingbroke was prosecuted for ringing his church bells in defiance of a wartime ban. The ban required the church bells to be rung only in the event of an invasion.
  
  
• Here is a photo of the Church of Saints Peter and Paul taken by Ron Cole (who retains the copyright):
  
  

• Here is a photo of the Church of Saint Peter at New Boliungbroke, taken by Ron Cole (who retains the copyright):
  
  

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Church Records

• The Anglican parish register dates from 1561 for baptisms, 1559 for marriages and 1538 for burials.
  
  
• The Lincolnshire FHS has published several marriage indexes and a burial index for the Bolingbroke Deanery to make your search easier.
  
  
• The Wesleyan Methodists built a chapel here before 1900. 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 Spilsby sub-district of the Spilsby Registration District.
  
  
• Check our Civil Registration page for sources and background on Civil Registration which began in July, 1837.
  
  

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History

• John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, had a son here on 3 April 1366, known as Henry of Bolingbroke, afterwards King of England as Henry IV.
  
  

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Manors

• Bolingbroke had a castle at the southern edge of the town, which was captured by the Parliamentary forces in October, 1643, it was partially dismantled and left to decay.
  
  
• For more on Bolingbroke Castle, visit their website.
  
  

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Maps

• The national grid reference is TF 3564.
  
  
• You'll want an Ordnance Survey Explorer map, which has a scale of 2.5 inches to the mile.
  
  
• See our Maps page for additional resources.
  
  

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Politics and Governance

• The parish was in the West division of the ancient Bolingbroke Wapentake in the East Lindsey district in the parts of Lindsey.
  
  
• The parish was also in the Bolingbroke Soke.
  
  
• New Bolingbroke is an ecclesiastical parish formed in 1858 from parts of Bolingbroke, Asgarby, Freiston, Mavis Enderby, Miningsby, Raithby and Revesby parishes. The parish is on the Boston to Horncastle road and was in the East Holland Deanery. It is closer to Carrington than it is to Old Bolingbroke.
  
  
• Both Kelly's Directory of 1900 and the one from 1913 place the parish in the South Lindsey district.
  
  
• For today's governance, see the East Lindsey District Council.
  
  

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Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

• Bastardy cases would be heard in the Spilsby petty sessional division.
  
  
• As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, the parish became part of the Spilsby Poor Law Union.
  
  

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Population

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Schools

• A Public Elementary School was built here in 1841 to hold 200 children.
  
  
• See our Schools page for more information on researching school records.
  
  

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