Messingham

Census

• The parish is in the Winterton sub-district of the Glanford Brigg Registration District.
  
  
• Check our Census Resource page for county-wide resources.
  
  
• We have one page from the 1901 Census for your review.
  
  
• The table below gives census piece numbers, where known (some entries provided by Keith Dorey):
  
  

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Church History

• The Anglican parish church is dedicated to the Holy Trinity.
  
  
• The church underwent a major restoration in the 18th century and was rebuilt, except for the tower, in 1821.
  
  
• We have a lovely snippet of church history in a Parish Register Memo reported by Rex JOHNSON.
  
  
• There is a photograph of Holy Trinity Church on the Wendy PARKINSON Church Photos web site.
  
  
• Here is a photo of Holy Trinity Church, taken by Ron COLE (who retains the copyright):
  
  

• Here is a closeup of Holy Trinity Church, taken by Ron COLE (who retains the copyright):
  
  

• A second Anglican church, in East Butterwick, is dedicated to Saint Andrew.
  
  
• Here is a photo of St. Andrew's Church in East Butterwick, taken by Ron COLE (who retains the copyright):
  
  

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Church Records

• Parish registers exist from 1558.
  
  
• Michael Bradshaw has agreed to do parish register lookups (1700 - 1903) for any interested persons. No blanket requests for all entries for specific Surnames. He will be pleased to give full details for named persons and details of any other entries which he considers directly connect with the family you are seeking.
  
  
• We have a partial Parish Register Extract in a text file format. Your additions and corrections are welcome.
  
  
• The Lincolnshire FHS also has a "Kirton Lindsey area Burials Index, 1813 - 1900", which you may find useful.
  
  
• Check the Manlake Deanery to see existing Marriage Indexes.
  
  
• A large portion of the Messingham registers are on FreeREG.
  
  
• The Wesleyan Methodists built a chapel in the village in 1821.
  
  
• Paul HARROP has a photograph of the Methodist Church on Geo-graph, taken in 2008.
  
  
• In the 1870's the Primitive Methodists had chapel in the village.
  
  
• 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 Winterton sub-district of the Glanford Brigg Registration District.
  
  
• Check our Civil Registration page for sources and background on Civil Registration which began in July, 1837.
  
  

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Description and Travel

Messingham is a parish just south of the city of Scunthorpe. Scotter parish lies to the south.

If you are planning a visit:

• The village lies south of the the M180 motorway on the A159 trunk road which bisects the village.
  
  
• Modern day visitors to Messingham might like a round of golf.
  
  
• See our touring page for visitor services.
  
  

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History

• In the 1800's, gravel from Messingham was used in roadbuilding and repair in a number of surrounding parishes. The sand quarry there is now a wetland preserve of the National Nature Preserve. In the early 1900's, Messingham was a popular coach stop for tourists.
  
  
• A Temperance Hall was built here in 1875.
  
  
• A Pleasure Fair was held in the village each Trinity Monday.
  
  
• Extract from Kelly's Lincolnshire Directory, 1876:

  "MESSINGHAM is a large and well-built village and parish, in the Northern division of the county, parts of Lindsey, east division of the wapentake of Manley, petty sessional division of Burton-upon-Stather, Brigg union and county court district, Manlake rural deanery, Stow archdeaconry, and diocese of Lincoln, 4 miles east from Butterwick Ferry, 7 west-by-south from Brigg, 164 miles from London, and 5 north-west from Kirton-in-Lindsey railway station ; it comprises also part of East Butterwick, on the Trent. The church of the Holy Trinity is a stone building, in the style of the fourteenth century, partly rebuilt about the year 1818, at a cost of nearly £2,000: there is some stained glass in the east window, some of which was removed from the neighbouring church of Scotton; other portions were taken from the windows of Manchester cathedral. The register dates from the year 1560. The living is a vicarage, gross yearly value £430, with residence, in the gift of the Bishop of Lincoln and held by the Rev. George Charles Dickinson, of St. Aidan's. In the principal street of this village is a sycamore tree, which stands on the site of the village cross; it is called Cross Tree, and is noted for the fact that John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, preached under it. A National school-room has been erected, at a cost of above £300, capable of accommodating 140 children. There are places of worship for Wesleyan and Primitive Methodists; the former has been enlarged and improved. A pleasure fair is held here on Trinity Monday. Here is a library and reading-room. At East Butterwick there is access to the Hull and Gainsborough steamers on the Trent. Here is a Temperance hall, which will seat from 400 to 500 people : it is intended for lectures and public meetings : the hall is so arranged that the visitors can promenade in the splendid gardens of C. J. Russell, esq., who built the hall at his own expense; Mr C. Clay is the manager. William Smith, esq., is lord of the manor. The vicar, William Smith, esq., Messrs. George Sowerby, George Wakefield, Thomas Stocks are the principal landowners. The soil is sand and clay; subsoil, ironstone. The chief crops are wheat, barley, oats and turnips. The area of the township is 5,450 acres, and the population in 1871 was 1,100 ; the area of the parish, including the township of East Butterwick, is 6,130 acres, and the population in 1871 was 1,342.
  Parish Clerk, John Walker.
  
  POST OFFICE. - ; Mrs Ann Clay, sub-postmistress. Letters arrive from Lincoln at 10.30 p.m. ; dispatched at 3.30 p.m. The nearest money offices are at Kirton, Brigg & Barringham.
  
  Library & Reading Room, George Henry Warner, sec. ; Charles Samuel Clay, assistant sec.
  
  Temperance Hall, Charles Clay.
  
  Superintendent Registrar of Births, Deaths & Marriages, L. M. Bennett, esq. of Winterton.
  
  National School, James Moore, master.
  
  CARRIER. - Thomas Redhead, to Brigg, thursday ; to Gainsborough, tuesday & sat. ; to Kirton Lindsey, fri.
  
  [Private Residents:]
  
  Dickinson, Rev. George Charles [vicar].
  Fowler, James.
  Russell, Charles James.
  Terrewest, William.
  Walker, Mrs Charles.
  Walker, Mrs William.
  Whaplate, Richard.
  Whaplate, William.
  

  
  
  
• The Crown Inn at 8 High Street has long served as a polular place to catch up on current events. The Inn still functions. The Inn has its own website.
  
  
• In 1872 Robert HYDE was the victualler at the Crown Inn.
  
  
• In 1882 Mrs. Caroline HYDE ran the Crown Inn.
  
  
• The Horn Commercial House has a long history in Messingham. The Pub still functions.
  
  
• Richard CROFT has a photograph of the Horn Inn on Geo-graph, taken in 2006.
  
  
• These are the names associated with the place in various directories:
  
  

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Manors

• Messingham Hall was sited to the rear of the existing Messingham War Memorial.
  
  

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Maps

• The national grid reference is SE 8904.
  
  
• You'll want an Ordnance Survey Explorer 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

• Phil GRAVELL has a photograph of the War Memorial on Geo-graph, taken in 2005.
  
  
• Rex Johnson was living in France when he shared his World War 2 Memories of life in the village of Messingham.
  
  

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Military Records

For a photograph of the Messingham War Memorial and the list of names on it, see the Roll of Honour site.

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Names, Geographical

• The name Messingham is possibly from the Old English Maecca+inga+ham, for "hamlet of the followers of Maecca".
  [A. D. Mills, "A Dictionary of English Place-Names," Oxford University Press, 1991].
  
  

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Politics and Government

• The parish consists of the township of Messignham and most of the township of East Butterwick. The rest of East Butterwick township is in Bottesford parish.
  
  
• The parish was in the ancient Manley Wapentake in the parts of Lindsey.
  
  
• District governance is currently provided by the North Lincolnshire Council.
  
  

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Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

• The Common Lands were enclosed here in 1800.
  
  
• After the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, this parish became part of the Glanford Brigg Poor Law Union.
  
  
• Bastardy cases would be heard at the Winterton petty session hearings.
  
  

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Population

Year	Inhabitants
1801	505
1831	1,250
1871	1,372
1881	1,133
1911	1,141
2001	3,715

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Schools

• The national School was built here in 1854.
  
  
• For more on researching school records, see our Schools Research page.
  
  

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