Hemswell

Description and Travel

Hemswell is both a parish and a village lying in a valley about 8 miles east of Gainsborough and 9 miles north of Lincoln. The parish itself is bordered on the north by Willoughton parish, to the west by Corringham parish and to the south by Harpswell parish. The parish covers about 2,660 acres.

• Hemswell has a chalybeate spring on the northeast side of the village, which gave its name to the whole parish.
  
  
• The village can be accessed off of the A631 trunk road east of Gainsborough. Turn north at the B1398 and go almost a mile and the village will be on your left.
  
  
• Visit our touring page for more sources.
  
  

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Census

• The parish was in the Scotter sub-district of the Gainsborough Registration District.
  
  
• The North Lincolnshire Library holds a copy of the parish census returns for 1841 through 1901.
  
  
• 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 All Saints.
  
  
• The church was restored in 1858.
  
  
• The church seats about 220.
  
  
• St. Edmund's chapel of ease, associated with All Saints, was established at Spital (see History). The original building was replaced in 1664. It was restored in 1890 and seats about 50 persons.
  
  
• There is a photograph of All Saints Church on the Wendy Parkinson web site.
  
  
• Here is a photo of All Saints Church, taken by Ron Cole (who retains the copyright):
  
  

• Here is a photo of St. Edmund's chapel of ease, taken by Ron Cole (who retains the copyright):
  
  

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Church Records

• Parish registers exist from 1676, but the Bishop's transcripts go back to 1599.
  
  
• The North Lincolnshire Library holds a copy of the parish register entries for baptisms 1685-1885, burials 1684-1963 and marriages 1685-1836.
  
  
• We have a handful of entries extracted from the Helmswell parish register. Your additions are welcome.
  
  
• The stone font bears the arms of the MONSON family.
  
  
• Information on present church services and contact information can be found on the Glentworth Parishes Group web site.
  
  
• The Lincolnshire FHS has published several marriage and burial indexes for the Corringham Deanery to make your search easier.
  
  
• The Wesleyan Methodists had a chapel here, as did the Primitive Methodists. The Wesleyans also established a school to educate 12 poor children of the parish. For more on these chapels and their records, check our Non-Conformist Church Records page for additional resources.
  
  
• Check our Church Records page for county-wide resources.
  
  

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Civil Registration

• The parish was in the Scotter sub-district of the Gainsborough 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 ancient Roman Road from Lincoln City to the Humber, Ermine Street, forms the eastern boundary of the parish and runs through the hamlet of Spital.
  
  
• A statue fair or hiring fair was held at Spital on each May Day.
  
  
• The Hospital, for which Spital is named, apparently had an ancient past, dating back to Edward II. A license was granted to John, son of Richard de VENDEUR, vicar of Thevelby, to endow John with land in Hemswell and Harpswell for the Hospital. But other sources say the hospital existed prior to the granting of the license, serving pilgrims and wayfarers. In 1396, Thomas de Aston made considerable additions to the hospital. The buildings decayed and the property passed through several hands, the funds were misappropriated and eventually the hospital was reduced to a chapel of ease. The chapel stands at the northern edge of the site formerly occupied by the hospital.
  
  
• An outdoor display of the RAF in Lincolnshire was moved to Hemswell some years ago. The display is only open on Sundays.
  
  

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Land and Property

• In 1841, the chief landowners in the parish were Sir Thomas WHICHCOTE and the Mayor and Corporation of Lincoln.
  
  
• In 1872, 1900 and 1913, the chief landowners in the parish were Sir George WHICHCOTE, baronet, and the Mayor and Corporation of Lincoln.
  
  

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Manors

• From 1900 through 1913, the Manor house was occupied by a Mrs. CARTER.
  
  

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Maps

• The national grid reference is SK 9290.
  
  
• You'll want an Ordnance Survey Explorer 271 map, which has 2.5 inches to the mile scale.
  
  
• See our Maps page for additional resources.
  
  

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Names, Geographical

• The name Hemswell comes from the Old English Helm+wella for "spring or stream of a man called Helm". The name appears in the 1086 Domesday Book as Helmeswella. The name is recorded in some records as Elmswell.
  A. D. Mills, "A Dictionary of English Place-Names," Oxford University Press, 1991.
  
  

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Names, Personal

• White's 1841 Directory lists the following names in the parish: BAINBOROUGH, BARR, BEAUMONT, BRUMBY, COUPLAND, DEWICK, HALL, HILL, HOLMES, KEYWORTH, LEIGHTON, MARSHALL, MARTIN, ROBINSON, RUSTON, SMITH, STORR, TAYLOR, THOMAS, TREVER, TURNER, TUXFORD and WINN.
  
  
• White's 1872 Directory lists the following surnames in the parish: ATKINSON, BAINBRIDGE, BARRATT, BEAUMONT, BRUMBY, CLIXBY, COOK, COUPLAND, HOLMES, KIRKBY, KITCHEN, LAMBETH, LOVE, MARSHALL, MILLS, OGLESBY, SMITH, TUXFORD, VICKERS, WALKER and WASS.
  
  
• Kelly's 1900 Directory lists the following names in the parish: Elizabeth BEAUMONT, Coggon BRUMBY, Mrs. CARTER, Thomas COOK, George COULSON, George COUPLAND, George CRUST, Charles H. HARS, Frank A. HOLMES, Eunice HORTON, Thomas LARRATT, Charles LOVE, Rev. Timothy G. LYNDE, ("brothers") MILLER, Alfred and John OGLESBY, John RUSTON, Miss SMITH, Mary SMITH, Harry G. THORPE, Wm. WALKER, Rev. Ernest W. VAUGHN and William WRAY.
  
  
• Kelly's 1913 Directory lists the following names in the parish: Elizabeth BEAUMONT, Coggon BRUMBY, Rev. Robert P. CARROLL, Mrs. CARTER, Charles COBB, George CRUST, Terah ELWOOD, Frank A. HOLMES, Rachel HORTON, Charles LOVE, Cedric H. MARSHALL, Fred and Harry MILLER, Alfred and John OGLESBY, Henry REDHEAD, John TATUM, Harvey G. THORPE and William WRAY.
  
  
• In 1908, who had the largest family?
  
  

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Politics and Governance

• The parish was in the ancient Aslacoe Wapentake in the West Lindsey district in the parts of Lindsey.
  
  
• The southern part of the parish was in the Corringham Wapentake.
  
  

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Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

• The poor had the income of 20 shillings per year (1872) distributed to them from a charity left by Thomas CODD of Snarford in 1662.
  
  
• After the Poor Law Amendment Act reforms of 1834, the parish became part of the Gainsborough Poorlaw Union.
  
  

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Population

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Schools

• The Public Elementary School was erected in 1859 by Sir Thomas WHICHCOTE, baronet, and enlarged in 1879 to hold 100 children.
  
  
• For more on researching school records, see our Schools Research page.
  
  

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