Aswarby () is a village in the civil parish of

Aswarby and Swarby Aswarby and Swarby is a civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. Aswarby (pronounced locally as "as-r-bee") is the ecclesiastical parish formed in 1850 from the two ancient parishes of Asarby and Swarby. The civil pa ...

, in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is south of Sleaford and east of the A15 road, between Sleaford and the point near

Threekingham Threekingham (sometimes ''Threckingham'' or ''Tricengham'') is a village in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 233. It is situated on the A52 Grantham to Boston roa ...

where it crosses the A52 road. In 1921 the parish had a population of 90.

History

The village may take its name from the old Danish name Aswarth; it was originally an ecclesiastical parish within the ancient Aswardhun wapentake of the Danelaw. Although there is no firm evidence of earlier occupation, a flint axe and a 2nd-century AD Roman brooch were found near Aswarby. The village is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Aswardebi". In the mid-19th century, it was moved to a new site to make way for improvements to Aswarby Park; the original position is about 500 yards to the south-west of the modern village. On 1 April 1931 the parish was abolished to form "Aswarby and Swarby", part also went to form "

Aunsby and Dembleby Aunsby and Dembleby is a civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. According to the 2001 Census it had a population of 125. The parish includes Aunsby and Dembleby, which were separate parishes until 1931, and the ha ...

Landmarks

The

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

church of

St Denys St Denys is a partially riverside district of Southampton, England, centred north north-east of the city centre facing variously Bitterne Park and quay across the River Itchen estuary. The river is here spanned in the mid-east extreme of t ...

is in Aswarby; it has been a Grade I listed building since 1967. Parts of the church date back to the 12th, 14th and 15th centuries. The

font In metal typesetting, a font is a particular size, weight and style of a typeface. Each font is a matched set of type, with a piece (a "sort") for each glyph. A typeface consists of a range of such fonts that shared an overall design. In mod ...

is 12th century with a 20th-century lid, and the chancel, designed by H. E. Kendall, was built in 1849. In 1850 the church was restored by

Edward Blore Edward Blore (13 September 1787 – 4 September 1879) was a 19th-century English landscape and architectural artist, architect and antiquary. Early career He was born in Derby, the son of the antiquarian writer Thomas Blore. Blore's backg ...

. There are memorials to George Bass and members of the Whichcote family. Aswarby Hall was the seat of the Hervey and Carr (or Carre) families.

Sir Francis Whichcote, 3rd Baronet Sir Francis Whichcote, 3rd Baronet (c.1692-1775), of Quy Hall, Cambridgeshire and Aswarby, Lincolnshire, was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1718 to 1722. Whichcote was the eldest surviving son of Sir Paul Whichcote, ...

moved there in the early 1700s. By the mid-19th century, it had descended to

Sir Thomas Whichcote, 7th Baronet The Whichcote Baronetcy, of the Inner Temple in the City of London, was a title in the Baronetage of England. It was created on 2 April 1660 to reward Jeremy Whichcote for his services to the exiled King Charles II. Whichcote, previously Solici ...

and High Sheriff of Lincolnshire. It is the setting for "

Lost Hearts "Lost Hearts" is a ghost story by British writer M. R. James, originally published in 1895. It was later collected in his 1904 book ''Ghost Stories of an Antiquary''. Plot summary The tale tells the story of Stephen Elliott, a young orphan boy, ...

", a ghost story by M. R. James, a writer of

supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

short fiction A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

. The hall itself was demolished in 1951, leaving only two pillars standing. The surrounding park remains and is owned by Aswarby Estates. The surviving estate properties are included in Aswarby's inventory of 19 Grade II listed buildings, which includes the Estate Office, several farmhouses,

cottages A cottage, during Feudalism in England, England's feudal period, was the holding by a cottager (known as a Cotter (farmer), cotter or ''bordar'') of a small house with enough garden to feed a family and in return for the cottage, the cottager ...

, The Old Smithy, a walled garden and

bothy A bothy is a basic shelter, usually left unlocked and available for anyone to use free of charge. It was also a term for basic accommodation, usually for gardeners or other workers on an estate. Bothies are found in remote mountainous areas of Sco ...

, and a milestone. 13 of the village's listed buildings are in a conservation area, as defined by

Heritage Lincolnshire The Heritage Trust of Lincolnshire or Heritage Lincolnshire in the shortened form of its name, is an independent charitable trust working to preserve, protect, promote and present Lincolnshire's heritage for the benefit of local people and visitors ...

Notable people

George Bass,''Bishop's transcripts for Aswardby, 1561-1830'', Church of England. Parish Church of Aswardby (Lincolnshire) explorer of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and Tasmania, was born in Aswarby;

Bass Strait Bass Strait () is a strait separating the island state of Tasmania from the Australian mainland (more specifically the coast of Victoria, with the exception of the land border across Boundary Islet). The strait provides the most direct waterwa ...

was named after him.

References

External links

*
M.R.James website
* {{Authority control Villages in Lincolnshire Former civil parishes in Lincolnshire North Kesteven District