Haltham (Haltham on Bain)

Description and Travel

Haltham is both a village and a parish in the Wold hills, four and a half miles south of Horncastle. Roughton parish lies to the northwest, Scrivelsby parish to the northeast and Tumby Township to the south. The parish covered about 2,610 acres in 1815, reduced by boundary realignments to 1,234 acres by 1913.

Haltham village is on the east bank of the River Bain as it travels south from Horncastle. The Haltham Beck (stream) is on the other side of the village. If you are planning a visit:

• Take the A153 south out of Horncastle or north out of Coningsby.
  
  
• See our touring page for visitor services.
  
  

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Census

• The parish was in the Tattershall sub-district of the Horncastle 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. Benedict.
  
  
• The church appears to be of early Norman construction.
  
  
• The church in 1842 was described as "an ancient structure, which has suffered much from the hand of time...".
  
  
• The church could seat 67.
  
  
• The church was partially restored in 1880 and again in 1891, allowing seating to increase to 140.
  
  
• The Diocese of Lincoln declared this church redundant in October, 1977.
  
  
• Here are two photographs of Saint Benedict's Church, taken by Ron Cole (who retains the copyright):
  
  

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Church Records

• Anglican parish register entries start in 1561.
  
  
• The LFHS has published several marriage and burial indexes for the Horncastle Deanery to make your search easier.
  
  
• The Wesleyan Methodists had a small chapel here, built in 1853 and rebuilt in 1880. 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 Tattershall sub-district of the Horncastle Registration District.
  
  
• Check our Civil Registration page for sources and background on Civil Registration which began in July, 1837.
  
  

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Land and Property

• In 1842, Henry DYMOKE was lord of the manor, but a great part of the parish belonged to Sir J. H. HAWLEY.
  
  
• In 1872, John DYMOKE was lord of the manor and principal property owner.
  
  

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Maps

• The national grid reference is TF 2464.
  
  
• You'll want an Ordnance Survey Explorer #273 map, which has a scale of 2.5 inches to the mile.
  
  
• See our Maps page for additional resources.
  
  

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Names, Geographical

• The name derives from the Old English holt+ham, meaning "homestead in a wood". It appeared in the 1086 Domesday Book as Holtham.
  [A. D. Mills, "A Dictionary of English Place-Names," Oxford University Press, 1991].
  
  
• The locals pronounce the name as "Hawtum".
  
  

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Names, Personal

• White's 1842 Directory lists the following names in the parish: Wm. BLYTHE, Jas. DALE, Thos. DIXON, Ann FREEMAN, John GAUNT, Wm. HALL, James HOGG, Thos. JOBSON, Christopher KENT, Elizabeth LINCOLN, Mary LINCOLN, Chas. OLDERSHAW, Rev. John OVERTON, Wm. PROCTOR, Wm. RICHARDSON, Fras. SIMPER, James VEAR, Wm. WESTERBY and Saml. WHITE.
  
  
• White's 1872 Directory lists the following names in the parish: Charles BLYTHE, Joseph DAWSON, William DICKENSON, Mrs. Elizabeth DOWSE, Hubbert DUNHAM, Thomas GAUNT, William GAUNT, Alfred GOODYEAR, Curtis HOLDERSHAW, George HOLDERSHAW, William HURTON, John JEFFERY, John KNOWLES, Wright LEGGETT, Frederick MOTLEY, William PERKINS, Joseph PRIESTLEY, George PRITCHARD, William SINCLAIR, William SMITH, George VEAR and Thomas WOOD.
  
  

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Politics and Governance

• The parish was in the ancient Horncastle Soke in the East Lindsey district and in the parts of Lindsey.
  
  
• Kelly's 1900 Directory of Lincolnshire places the parish, perhaps erroneously, in the South Lindsey division of the county.
  
  
• For today's governance, see the East Lindsey District Council.
  
  

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Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

• Prior to 1842, John DYMOKE left the interest off of £5 to the parish poor.
  
  
• 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

• The children of the parish attended school in Roughton.
  
  
• For more on researching school records, see our Schools Research page.
  
  

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