Mareham le Fen (Mareham-le-Fen)

Description and Travel

Mareham le Fen is both a village and parish 6 miles south of Horncastle and 13 miles north of Boston. Tumby parish lies to the west and Revesby is to the east.

If you are planning a visit:

• The village is astride the A155 trunk road between Coningsby and Spilsby.
  
  
• Explore the village web site for things to do and places to stay.
  
  
• There is a large Fen area south of the village.
  
  
• You must stop and see the historic windmill, built around 1820. The four patent sails are thought to have been removed in the 1910's.
  
  
• See our touring page for area resources.
  
  

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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 Saint Helen.
  
  
• The church was restored in 1873.
  
  
• The church seats 250.
  
  
• There is a photograph of Saint Helen's Church on the Wendy Parkinson web site under "Yet More Lincolnshire".
  
  
• Here is a photo of St. Helen's Church, taken by Ron Cole (who retains the copyright):
  
  

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Church Records

• The Anglican parish register dates from 1561.
  
  
• We have a partial parish register extract. Your additions to this are welcome.
  
  
• The LFHS has published several indexes for the Horncastle Deanery to make your search easier.
  
  
• There was a Wesleyan Methodist chapel built in the village in 1842. The Baptists built a chapel in 1860, but it was unused by 1881. The Primitive Methodists also had a chapel in the village, built in 1860. For more on researching these chapel records, see our non-conformist religions page.
  
  
• The Primitive Methodist chapel was demolished in 2001. Bricks from the building were used to build an extension to a local cottage and for other construction projects. [Mike Bailey]
  
  
• 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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History

• A severe hurricane swept the area in July, 1828.
  
  

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Maps

• The national grid reference is TF 2761.
  
  
• 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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Military History

• During the Second World War the Green Howard regiment was billeted in the village and there were search lights operated from within the village. On the outskirts of the village the sides of the road was used as munitions dumps.
  
  

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Military Records

• Photographs of those who went to World War One from the village are on display in the village hall. Those who lost their lives are remembered on the war memorial in the cemetery on Horncastle road.
  
  
• Men who went to both World Wars are also commemorated in a book recently published giving details of all those from Mareham-le-Fen who fought and fell. This was written by Mike Hodgson and is on sale in the village at Borrows shop.
  
  

From the Marham-le-Fen War Memorial, by Eric Walters, (with additional notations):

Cemetery	Died	Surname	Given names	Btln.	Regiment	Notes
Helles Mem	31-Jul-15	Bell	George	6	Lincs	a
Ploegsteert Mem	25-Sep-15		William Henry	2	Lincs	b
Le Touret Mem	10-Mar-15	Cooling	Harry	2	Lincs	c
Dranoutre Chyd	01-Jun-15	Ellwood	Charles Hugh	4	Lincs	d
Mont Huon	23-Aug-18	Fletcher	Charles Herbert	7	Lincs	e
Heilly Station Mericourt	05-Jul-16	Horton	Walter/William Henry	7	Lincs	d
Mareham le Fen Cty	31-Oct-22	Johnson	Wilfred Henry			d
		Johnson	Percy
Thiepval Mem	04-Apr-17	Newstead	Ernest	2	Royal Berks
Mareham le Fen Cty	23-Nov-18	Padley	Charles William	2	Bedford	f
		Porter	Fred			g
Mareham le Fen Cty	19-Mar-17	Roberts	Walter		RE - Wireless
Vaudencourt BC		Scarboro	William	18	MGC	d
Bray MC	06-Apr-17	Spikings	Albert	4	Lincs	h

Key:

1. Son of John W. and Mary J. BELL, of Mareham-le-Fen.
2. We assume the surname is BELL. Not found in CWGC database.
3. Coporal, Son of John and Hannah COOLING; husband of Florence in Hull.
4. Not found in CWGC database.
5. Coporal, Son of William and Emily Jane FLETCHER, of Mareham-le-Fen.
6. Private, Son of Charles and Emily PADLEY, of Mareham-le-Fen.
7. This could be Fred PORTER, died 15-Jul-1916, 1st Lincs, son of Hannah PORTER.
8. Lance Corporal.

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Politics and Governance

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

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Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

• This parish was allowed to send a few paupers to live in the almshouses at Revesby.
  
  
• The Common Land here was enclosed in 1745.
  
  
• 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

Year	Inhabitants
1801	383
1811	487
1821	609
1831	625
1841	713
1851	835
1871	822
1881	736
1891	803
1901	680
1911	661

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Schools

• A National School was built here in 1841. The school was greatly enlarged in 1877 and 1880.
  
  
• For more on researching school records, see our Schools Research page.
  
  

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