Fleet
Description and Travel
Fleet is both a village and parish about 100 miles north of London, about six miles west of Spalding. Holbeach parish lies to the northwest. The parish is large and is a long, narrow affair running roughly north and south to the border of Cambridgeshire, and incorporates the hamlet of Fleet Hargate. The area is marshy, drained by many small canals and the South Holland Main Drain. In land area, it is approximately 6,800 acres.
If you are planning a visit:
- The village is just of the A17 trunk road.
- See our touring page for area resources.
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Census
- Fleet was part of the Holbeach sub-district of the Holbeach Registration District.
- In 1891 the southern portion of the parish was reassigned to the Gedney Hill subdistrict of the Holbeach Registration District.
- The Lincolnshire Archives holds census returns for Fleet for the years 1811, 1821, and 1831. Normally, these will have only a surname and a count of males and females by age bracket.
- We have a small file of surnames found in the 1901 Census extract. Please feel free to submit additional entries.
- Check our Census Resource page for county-wide resources.
- The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
| Census Year |
Piece No. |
|---|---|
| 1841 | H.O. 107 / 607 |
| 1851 | H.O. 107 / 2097 |
| 1861 | R.G. 9 / 2326 |
| 1871 | R.G. 10 / 3326 & 3330 |
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Church History
- The Anglican parish church is dedicated to St Mary Magdalen.
- The church is an ancient structure (prior to 1245). There is an old tower, separated from the church by several yards.
- Most of the church was rebuilt during 1860-62.
- The interior of the church was restored in 1911.
- The church seats 340.
- Here is a photo of St. Mary Magdalen Church, taken by Ron Cole (who retains the copyright):
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Church Records
- The Anglican parish registers exist from 1561 (some sources give 1652).
- We have a small extract file from the Fleet parish register. Please feel free to add your own entries (see contact info below).
- Also check out the file of Fleet Phillimore Marriages.
- The Lincolnshire FHS provides several marriage indexes and a burial index for the East Elloe Deanery to make your search easier.
- The Baptists founded a chapel here in 1681 and built a chapel here in 1764, which had a burial ground and minister's house adjoining. The chapel was rebuilt in 1876. The Unitarians also had a chapel here before 1842. 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
- Fleet was part of the Holbeach sub-district of the Holbeach Registration District.
- In 1891 the southern portion of the parish was reassigned to the Gedney Hill subdistrict of the Holbeach 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 Earls of Bedford started to drain the Fens around Fleet in the 17th century.
- The parish had a station on the Bourn and Lynn rail line in the mid-19th century (eventually to become the Great Northern Railway).
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Manors
Three Manors are mentioned in the old directories for Fleet:
- Fleet Dominorum.
- Fleet Fitzwalter.
- Fleet Harrington.
An older Manor, called Blanches or Branches, where Captain J. H. BARKER was lord, was extinct by 1872. Although White's 1872 Directory lists an Edward MILLINGTON, land agent, as the resident at Branches Manor House, so the house itself may have been standing at that time.
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Maps
- The national grid reference is TF 3823.
- You'll want an Ordnance Survey Explorer #249 map, which has a scale of 2.5 inches to the mile.
- See our Maps page for additional resources.
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Medical Records
- The parish was home to the East Elloe Rural District Isolation Hospital, built in 1910. The hospital could hold up to 10 patients. No records are known to be available.
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Names, Geographical
- The name Fleet is from the Old English fleot, or "stream". In the 1086 Domesday book, the village is recorded under the Old English name as Fleot.
[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 Elloe Wapentake in the South Holland district in the parts of Holland.
- For today's district governance, visit the South Holland District Council site.
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Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.
- The Common Fields were enclosed here in 1794.
- 23 acres were set aside to generate income for the poor.
- After the Poor Law Amendment Act in 1834, the parish became part of the Holbeach Poor Law Union.
- The Holbeach Union Workhouse is in this parish.
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Population
The 1891 and 1911 populations, and probably most of the other years after 1837, includes the staff and inmates in the Holbeach Union Workhouse.
| Year | Inhabitants |
|---|---|
| 1801 | 551 |
| 1831 | 794 |
| 1851 | 1,162 |
| 1871 | 1,375 |
| 1881 | 1,331 |
| 1891 | 1,200 |
| 1911 | 1,155 |
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Schools
- A Free School was endowed in 1727, although the date of first classes is unknown. It was free to all poor children. That building was rebuilt in 1813. A new school was built in 1842, but ceased to exist by 1900. This was known as Hargate School.
- Wood Lane School was built in 1878 and enlarged in 1895 for up to 151 children.
- Fen School was built in 1878 to accomodate 100 children.
- For more on researching school records, see our Schools Research page.
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Last updated on 11-April-2010
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