Swinderby

Description and Travel

Swinderby parish is approximately 9 miles SW of Lincoln and 7 miles NE of Newark on Trent. The parish borders on Nottinghamshire to the west, Norton Disney parish to the south and Thurlby (by Lincoln) parish to the east. The ancient Foss Way, now the A46 trunk road, cuts through the southeast corner of the parish. The Trent River is about three miles to the west. The parish covers about 2,200 acres, including the ancient hamlet of Bracken.

The village of Swinderby sits on a rise above the Trent and is best reached by taking the A46 southwesterly out of Lincoln. If you are planning a visit:

• The village hosts an annual antiques and collectors fair, RAF Swinderby, usually in early June.
  
  
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• Caravan and camping sites are available at Oakhill Leisure Park, telephone: 01522 868771.
  
  
• Visit our touring page for more sources.
  
  

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Census

• The parish was in the North Collingham sub-district of the Newark Registration District.
  
  
• The Lincolnshire Archives holds a "special" (pre-1841) census for 1791. Note: These early returns typically just show the surname of the family and a count of inhabitants by age bracket.
  
  
• Check our Census Resource page for county-wide resources.
  
  

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Church History

• The Anglican parish church is dedicated to All Saints.
  
  
• The church is apparently mostly of Norman architecture. It underwent partial restorations in 1854, 1879 and 1910.
  
  
• The church seats 215 people.
  
  
• There is a photograph of All Saints Church on the Wendy Parkinson English Church Photo web site.
  
  
• Here is a photo of All Saints Church, taken by Ron Cole (who retains the copyright):
  
  

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Church Records

• The parish register dates from 1568, but Bishop's transcripts go back to 1562.
  
  
• Parish registers are on file at the Society of Genealogists, covering 1562 - 1812.
  
  
• Marriages are in Boyd's Marriage Index, covering 1651 - 1812 and Pallot's Marriage Index, covering 1790 - 1812.
  
  
• The LFHS has published several indexes for the Graffoe Deanery to make your search easier.
  
  
• The Wesleyan Methodists built a large chapel here in 1869. 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 North Collingham sub-district of the Newark Registration District.
  
  
• Check our Civil Registration page for sources and background on Civil Registration starting in July, 1837.
  
  

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History

• Roman pottery and fragments of the old Roman Foss road have been found in the parish.
  
  
• Swinderby was once a station on the Nottingham and Lincoln branch of the Midland railway. The station itself was in Eagle parish to the north.
  
  
• In 1871, most of the parish land belonged to either Mrs. MAYOR or the Reverend J. CROMPTON, although there were a number of small lot proprietors.
  
  

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Maps

• The national grid reference is SK 8662.
  
  
• 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 Swinderby is Old Scandinavian origin, either from sundri + by, for "southern farmstead or village", or from svin + djur + by, for "farmstead where pigs are kept". In the 1086 Domesday Book it appears as Suindrebi.
  ["A Dictionary of English Place-Names," A. D. Mills, Oxford University Press, 1991]
  
  

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Politics and Governance

• The parish was in the Low division of the ancient Boothby-Graffoe Wapentake in the North Kesteven district in the parts of Kesteven.
  
  
• For today's governance, see the North Kesteven District Council.
  
  

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Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

• Care of the poor dates back to at least 1658 when John DISNEY, then lord of the manor, donated 20 acres with 13 houses for their use.
  
  
• In 1818 some additional premises were purchased for the use of the poor.
  
  
• After the Poor Law Amendment Act reforms of 1834, the parish became part of the Newark Poor Law Union in 1837.
  
  

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Population

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Schools

• The first school was erected here in 1822. In 1849 a new public elementary school was built to replace the older building. The current school is on the High Street and has about 77 students.
  
  
• The Kisimul Independent School operates in the parish today at the old vicarage, opened some time prior to 1996. It is a residential special school for children ages 10 to 19 with complex and sever learning disorders, autism and challenging behavior. It currently enrolls about 28 students. I have no further history on this school.
  
  
• For more on researching school records, see our Schools Research page.
  
  

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