Bourne

Description and Travel

Bourne is both a town and a parish 97 miles north of London, 10 miles NNE of Stamford and 11 miles west of Spalding. It is bisected by the A15 trunk road, formerly known as the "Great Road from London to Lincoln," and part of the old Roman Road between the two cities. Bourne parish includes the hamlets of Cawthorpe and Dyke. Morton parish lies to the north and Thurlby parish to the south, with Deeping Fen parish forming the southeast border. The South Forty Foot Drain completes the eastern border. The parish covers about 8,200 acres and includes the hamlet of Cawthorpe 1.5 miles north of Bourne and Dyke, 1.5 miles northeast.

A spring called "Peter's Pool" arises in the west end of the town and at Eastgate becomes navigable (where it is called the "Bourne Eau") and flows southward to join the River Glen. If you are planning a visit:

• For more local colour, visit Bourne in Words and Pictures.
  
  
• See our touring page for visitor services.
  
  
• Here are two photographs of the town sign taken in 2008 by Patricia McCrory (who retains the copyright):
  
  
  

Top

Cemeteries

• Bourne Cemetery was established in 1855 and consecrated in March, 1856. At that time, all the other burial grounds in the parish were closed for future burials. The cemetery is on Thurlby Road (South Road).
  
  
• The Cemetery was extended in 1904 to 5.5 acres.
  
  
• The Cemetery was under the control of the Urban Council.
  
  

Top

Census

• The parish was in the Bourne 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:
  
  

Top

Church History

• An Abbey was founded here in 1138 by Baldwin FitzGILBERT or FitzGISLEBERT, for Augustine monks. It stood near the existing Anglican Church.
  
  
• The Anglican parish church is dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul, as was the Abbey.
  
  
• The church has been dated to the 12th century.
  
  
• The church was thoroughly restored in 1840.
  
  
• The church seats 600.
  
  
• Here is a photograph St. Peter and St. Paul Church supplied by Ron Cole (who retains the copyright):
  
  
  

Top

Church Records

• The Anglican parish registers exist from 1562.
  
  
• Please check our small parish register extract file. Your additions are welcome.
  
  
• The National Burial Index (NBI) lists 8,287 entries (1855-1995) for Bourne cemetery and another 4,238 entries (1813-1900, with duplicates) for St. Peter and St. Paul church.
  
  
• The Lincolnshire FHS has published several marriage and a burial index for the Aveland and Ness Deanery to make your search easier.
  
  
• The parish once had a Wesleyan Methodist chapel, built in 1841 as a replacement for an earlier, smaller structure, and a Baptist chapel, built in 1835. The Independent Methodists built a chapel in 1847, a year after the Congregationalists buit their chapel. For more on researching these chapel records, see our non-conformist religions page. Also, there is more on local churchs at the Bourne in Words and Pictures site. John Bland suggests that you "follow the link from Churches in Bourne on the Home page and you will find the Baptist Church."
  
  
• There was also a Baptist chapel, built in 1878, in the hamlet of Dyke, along with a small Wesleyan chapel.
  
  
• Check our Church Records page for county-wide resources.
  
  

Top

Civil Registration

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

Top

History

• Bourne was a thriving market town for many centuries and it has a long history.
  
  
• It is given as the birthplace of Hereward, Lord of Brun, one of the last to rebel against the Normans.
  
  
• In Edward the Confessor's time, Castle Brunn was the seat of Leofric.
  
  
• Lord Burleigh (William CECIL) was also born in Bourne in 1520. He was the owner of a great part of the parish and built the Bull Inn here. He is buried at Stamford.
  
  
• Two fires destroyed large parts of the town. One, in 1605, burned the whole of Manor Street. The second came in 1637 and destroyed the greater part of Eastgate.
  
  
• In the 19th century, Market Day was on Saturday and four annual fairs were held: April 6th, May 7th, September 30th and October 29th.
  
  
• The Town Hall was erected here in 1821 and quarter session hearings were held here.
  
  
• A Gas Works was erected here in 1840.
  
  
• The Corn Exchange was built in 1870 by a private company.
  
  
• In 1893 the Midland and Great Northern joint railway companies built a new branch line from Saxby to Bourne.
  
  

Top

Land and Property

• In 1842, the chief landowners were the Marquis of Exeter and William POCHIN, lords of the manor, and the DUNCOMBE, ARDEN and other families.
  
  

Top

Manors

• Red Hall, at the south entrance to the town, is a brick mansion with gardens and was the residence for many years for the DIGBY family.
  
  

Top

Maps

• The National Grid Reference for Bourne is TF 0920.
  
  
• You'll want an Ordnance Survey Explorer #248 map, which has a scale of 2.5 inches to the mile.
  
  
• See our Maps page for additional resources.
  
  

Top

Military History

• In 1900, H Company of the 2nd Volunteer Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment, was quartered here on North Street. Captain Cecil W. BELL, commanding; Sergeant George HIPPLE was the drill instructor.
  
  
• The Bourne Cenotaph shows WW1 and WW2 casualties (and a few from later conflicts) although no numbers, ranks or arms of service are mentioned. They are listed here as recorded by Michael Peck (The lists have been sorted to make searching easier and may not match the order on the cenotaph - LRM):
  
  

1. W Dodd

1. R Jennings

1. J R Booth

Top

Names, Geographical

• The name Bourne (often spelled "Bourn") is from the Old English Burna or Old Scandinavian Brunnr, for "spring", appearing in the 1086 Domesday Book as Brune.
  A. D. Mills, "A Dictionary of English Place-Names," Oxford University Press, 1991.
  
  
• According to Pigot, there is a perennial spring "from which the town derives its name, Bourne being the Saxon word for brook". Pigot goes on to give the source of the spring as being the village of Stoke, some 16 miles away. He quotes an old manuscript as refering to the spring as "Peter's Pool." The waters from the spring ultimately join the River Glen, flowing southward toward Market Deeping.
  "Directory of Lincolnshire" Pigot & Co., 1841.
  
  

Top

Politics and Governance

• The parish was in the ancient Aveland Wapentake in the South Kesteven district in the parts of Kesteven.
  
  
• For today's local governance, contact the South Kesteven District Council.
  
  
• The town formed an Urban Disctrict Council in April, 1899.
  
  

Top

Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

• An Almshouse was founded in 1636 by Wm. TROLLOPE to house six poor and aged men. The almshouse was built next to the churchyard. His fund granted £30 per year for repairing the buildings and for fuel and clothing.
  
  
• A second Almshouse to house six poor women was built before 1900.
  
  
• In 1655, Robert HARRINGTON bequeathed a yearly rent-charge from Witham-on-the-hill for weekly distribution of bread among the poor.
  
  
• As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, this parish became the center of the Bourne Poor Law Union.
  
  

Top

Population

Note: Population figures after 1837 include the Workhouse inmates and staff.

Top

Schools

• A Free Grammar School was founded in 1836 by Wm. TROLLOPE.
  
  
• A British School was established here and it later took over the Baptist Chapel as a schoolhouse.
  
  
• A National School was built here in 1829.
  
  
• A new school was built on Star Lane in 1877 and another that same year in North Fen.
  
  
• For more on researching school records, see our Schools Research page.
  
  

Top

Return to the Alphabetical Index

© 2002 EnglandGenWeb Project