Dunholme is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

in the

West Lindsey West Lindsey is a local government district in Lincolnshire, England. Its council is based in Gainsborough. History The district was formed on 1 April 1974, from the urban districts of Gainsborough, Market Rasen, along with Caistor Rural Dis ...

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...

, England. It is situated on the

A46 road The A46 is a major A road in England. It starts east of Bath, Somerset and ends in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, but it does not form a continuous route. Large portions of the old road have been lost, bypassed, or replaced by motorway developmen ...

, and north-east of

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

. The earliest written evidence concerning Dunholme is found in the 1086

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manus ...

. The village stands almost exactly in the centre of its parish, on the banks of the Welton Beck, which follows into the village from Welton in the North. There are multiple theories on the origins of the village's name. One presented in ''The Place and River Names of the West Riding of Lindsey'' is that the name of the village is derived from "Dunham" from 'dun' meaning hill, and 'ham' meaning river bend. An alternative origin by Ekwall suggests the name came from "Donna's ham", meaning the 'ham' or enclosure of Dunna, possible an Anglo-Saxon. Within the village, Dunholme has a post office, a village shop, St Chad's CE Primary School on Ryland Road. William Farr C of E Comprehensive School is partially located within the parish boundary and is accessible from Honeyholes Lane in the village of Dunholme, however the main entrance is located on Lincoln Road in Welton. The

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

is dedicated to

Saint Chad Chad of Mercia (died 2 March 672) was a prominent 7th-century Anglo-Saxon Catholic monk who became abbot of several monasteries, Bishop of the Northumbrians and subsequently Bishop of the Mercians and Lindsey People. He was later canonised ...

, and is a Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

, built in Early English style. It contains a kneeling effigy to Robert Grantham (died 1616), which was restored in 1856 and 1892.Cox, J. Charles (1916) ''Lincolnshire'' p. 119; Methuen & Co. Ltd The church forms part of the benefice of Welton, Dunholme and Scothern. The rood screen was carved by the Congolese sculptor

Mahomet Thomas Phillips Mahomet Thomas Phillips (1 June 1876 – 7 June 1943) was an English-Congolese sculptor and stone carver. His work features in cathedrals and churches in England and beyond, including in a memorial to Edith Cavell in Peterborough Cathedral, and a ...

RAF Dunholme Lodge Royal Air Force Dunholme Lodge or more simply RAF Dunholme Lodge was a Royal Air Force station located between the parishes of Welton and Dunholme in Lincolnshire, England. History The grass airfield was first used by the Royal Air Force during ...

airfield was used by RAF Bomber Command during the Second World War. It closed in 1964 and little remains. Some of the land was purchased by Rev William Farr in 1946 for the site of William Farr School. Every summer, the village holds a village fête. The fête is held in the centre of the village near the church and involves a duck race alongside many other activities. The village has a camera club.

Local History

Dunholme has had a significant impact on Lincolnshire history. Terence Leach, who was headmaster of the village primary school, was a passionate advocate of Lincolnshire history and wrote a number of books on the areas's history. He is best known as the author of a series of books o
Lincolnshire country houses
He also helped create the annua
Brackenbury Lectures
in aid of the Raithby Methodist Chapel. More recently Adrian Gray, the son of a former vicar of Dunholme, has published severa
books
on Lincolnshire history.

References

External links

*
Parish Council website

Dunholme village website

St Chad's primary school

Welton, Dunholme & Scothern Benefice

Community Centre
{{authority control Villages in Lincolnshire Civil parishes in Lincolnshire West Lindsey District