Stixwould (Stixwold)

Description and Travel

Stixwould is both a village and a parish. The parish lies about six miles WSW of Horncastle and about 125 miles north of London. The parish itself is bounded on the north by Horsington parish, to the west by Blankney and on the southeast by Woodhall. The parish is in the western edge of The Wolds and covers about 2,300 acres. The River Witham forms the southwest boundery.

The ancient village of Stixwould lies about a mile east of the River Witham on a rise above the river. A small stream runs just north of the village, feeding into the River Witham. If you are planning a visit:

• It is probably easiest to take the B1190 west out of Horncastle and to turn south at Bucknall.
  
  
• Visit our touring page for more sources.
  
  

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Census

• The parish was in the Horncastle sub-district of the Horncastle Registration District.
  
  
• The North Lincolnshire Library holds copies of the census returns for 1841 and 1881.
  
  
• Check our Census Resource page for county-wide resources.
  
  
• The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
  
  

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Church History

• At one time a Priory of Cistercian nuns, founded by Lucy, relict of Ivo Taibois, existed in the parish. In 1850, a stone coffin and the fragments of another, were discovered on the Abbey farm. Only a few mounds remain to indicate the location of the Abbey.
  
  
• The Anglican parish church was dedicated to St. Peter, rebuilt in 1831 from local stone, reputedly many from the ruins of the local Abbey.
  
  
• There is a photograph of St. Peter's Church on the Wendy Parkinson Church Photos web site.
  
  
• Here is a photo of St. Peter's Church, taken by Ron Cole (who retains the copyright):
  
  

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Church Records

• Parish registers exist from 1547. Bishop's Transcripts exist from 1561.
  
  
• The LFHS has published several marriage indexes for the Horncastle Deanery to make your search easier.
  
  
• Check our Church Records page for county-wide resources.
  
  

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Civil Registration

• The parish was in the Horncastle sub-district of the Horncastle Registration District.
  
  
• Check our Civil Registration page for sources and background on Civil Registration which started in July, 1837.
  
  

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History

• Traditionally, Stixwould had a ferry service over the River Witham on its southwest flanks.
  
  
• In 1846, a 30-horsepower steam engine was placed in the parish for drainage purposes.
  
  
• In the middle and late 1800's, Stixwould had a station on the Great Northern Railway.
  
  

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Land and Property

• In 1871, the principal landowner was Christopher TURNOR.
  
  
• In 1913, the principal landowner was Captain Archibald WEIGALL, a member of parliament from Woodhall.
  
  

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Manors

• The Manor at Stixwould was the property of Sir William KYTE, a baronet, who squandered away his fortune. He sold Stixwould manor to Lord ANSON a year before burning himself to death in his Cotswold hills mansion. The TURNOR family bought it in the 1800's. Christopher TURNOR rebuilt many of the houses in the village, along with the village school, in the first half of the 1800's.
  
  

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Maps

• The national grid reference is TF 1765.
  
  
• 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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Names, Geographical

• The name derives from a combination of the Old Scandinavian and Old English Stigr+wald, meaning "Stigr's forest". It appears in the 1086 Domesday Book as Stigeswalde.
  A. D. Mills, "A Dictionary of English Place-Names," Oxford University Press, 1991.
  
  

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Names, Personal

• White's 1872 Directory lists the following surnames in the parish: BRAMLEY, FIXTER, GAUNT, HARDWICK, KINGDON, LONGSTAFF, LUSH, PARKER, REETON, ROCKLEY, and YOUNG.
  
  
• Kelley's 1913 Directory lists the following surnames in the parish: ALMOND, BAINES, BRIGGS, CARTER, CHEASELEY, COPPING, CROW, EVERARD, FULLER, GILBERT, GRAHAM, HAMMOND, HARDWICK, HEE, HOLLAND, and VAMPLEW.
  
  

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Politics and Governance

• The parish was in the ancient Gartree Soke in the East Lindsey district in the parts of Lindsey.
  
  
• For today's governance, see the East Lindsey District Council.
  
  

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Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

• Prior to 1871 several benefactors left money with the parish and the interest of £25 was used to provide fuel for the 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 Public Elementary School was first built here in 1851 and enlarged to seat 90 students in 1894, although average attendance in 1913 was only 30.
  
  
• For more on researching school records, see our Schools Research page.
  
  

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