Nettleham is a large 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 ...

within 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, north-east from the city 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 ...

between the A46 and A158. The population of the civil parish was 3,437 at the 2011 census.

History

The now-demolished Bishop's Manor House at Nettleham was the property of

Edith of Wessex Edith of Wessex ( 1025 – 18 December 1075) was Queen of England from her marriage to Edward the Confessor in 1045 until Edward died in 1066. Unlike most English queens in the 10th and 11th centuries, she was crowned. The principal source on h ...

, wife of Edward the Confessor and later Empress Matilda, daughter of King Henry I, before passing into the possession of the Bishops of Lincoln, who enlarged it to create a Bishop's Palace appropriate to one of the country's most important Sees. On 7 February 1301 King Edward I was staying in the Bishop's Palace when he created his son Edward (later

King Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to the ...

) as the first

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

. The building was damaged during the Lincolnshire Rising of 1536 and completely demolished by 1650, only traces of foundations remaining on the site now called Bishop's Palace Field. 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, ...

of All Saints dates from the Saxon period, with medieval and 19th century additions. It is now in the benefice of Nettleham with Riseholme and Grange de Lings. Gardiner grave

Within the church's graveyard is a headstone in memory of Thomas Gardiner, a post-boy murdered hereabouts by two highway robbers in January 1733. The inscription declares he was 'barbarously murdered' aged 19. The robbers - two brothers by the name of Hallam - committed another murder near Faldingworth before being arrested. They were convicted of murder at Lincoln and executed at the site of their crimes. (Thomas Gardiner's headstone declares he was killed on 3 January 1732 since at the time Britain used the

Julian Calendar The Julian calendar, proposed by Roman consul Julius Caesar in 46 BC, was a reform of the Roman calendar. It took effect on , by edict. It was designed with the aid of Greek mathematicians and astronomers such as Sosigenes of Alexandr ...

.) The Royal Society for Nature Conservation (RSNC) had been based in Nettleham but moved to

Newark-on-Trent Newark-on-Trent or Newark () is a market town and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district in Nottinghamshire, England. It is on the River Trent, and was historically a major inland port. The A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road bypasses th ...

in 1999. The site became the home of the WATCH Trust for Environmental Conservation, but this also moved to Newark a few years ago.

Governance

Since April 1974 Nettleham has formed part of the

district of

. It forms part of the Gainsborough parliamentary constituency which is represented by Sir

Edward Leigh Sir Edward Julian Egerton Leigh (born 20 July 1950) is a British Conservative Party politician who has served as a Member of Parliament (MP) since 1983. Leigh has represented Gainsborough, Lincolnshire in the House of Commons since 1983 (re ...

Geography

The parish boundary meets Greetwell on the A158

Horncastle Horncastle is a town and civil parish in the East Lindsey district in Lincolnshire, east of Lincoln. Its population was 6,815 at the 2011 census and estimated at 7,123 in 2019. A section of the ancient Roman walls remains. History Romans Alt ...

Wragby Wragby ( ) is a town and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated at the junction of the A157 and A158 roads, and approximately north-west from Horncastle and about north-east of Lincoln. Histor ...

road. It follows the A15 Wragby Road into Lincoln for about where it meets Lincoln, and skirts the edge of the housing estate (Glebe Park) next to the bypass; the Lincoln bypass (A158) from the A46 to the A158 is in the parish. The boundary crosses Nettleham Road (B1182, former A46), south of the bypass roundabout, and follows south of the A46 bypass for about and meets Riseholme (south of the bypass). The bypass passes northwards skirting, the edge of the

University of Lincoln , mottoeng = Freedom through wisdom , established = 1861 – Hull School of Art1905 – Endsleigh College1976 – Hull College1992 – University of Humberside1996 – University of Lincolnshire and Humberside2001 � ...

Riseholme College Riseholme College is a Further Education, Further and Higher Education college in Lincolnshire, specialising in land-based subjects such as Agriculture, Equine and Animal Management. It is a part of Bishop Burton College and is based across tw ...

. 550 yards north of Nettleham Hall, it meets

Grange de Lings Grange de Lings is a civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated north from the city centre of the county town of Lincoln. Grange de Lings is often quoted as the address for the Lincolnshire Showground ...

, and borders this parish along a farm track until the A46, where it meets

Scothern Scothern is a small village and civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated north-east of the county town of Lincoln, and has approximately 1000 inhabitants (892 according to the 2001 Census). At the 201 ...

just north of Nettleham Heath Farm. It crosses Scothern Beck north of Skelton House Farm, passes south, and at Nettleham Beck it meets Sudbrooke, crossing Sudbrooke Lane east of Richmond Farm. North of Manor Farm, it meets Reepham on the A158 Roman road and follows the A158 to North Greetwell, where it meets Greetwell.

Community

Nettleham has won the "Best Kept Village Award" several times, and the centre of the village is a conservation area. Large modern housing estates surround the old village centre. Nettleham is also the location of the

Lincolnshire Police Lincolnshire Police is the territorial police force covering the non-metropolitan county of Lincolnshire in the East Midlands of England. Despite the name, the force's area does not include North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire, which ...

headquarters to the west of the village near the A46. It was opened by the Queen in 1980. Village public houses are the Black Horse on Chapel Lane, the Plough on Church Street, and the White Hart on High Street. The parish includes an oil well owned by Star Energy, north of the A158 bypass, which has been producing since 1985.

Sport

Nettleham F.C. have been members of the Lincolnshire League since their relegation from the Central Midlands League. They have twice played Aston Villa football club in friendlies. Nettleham Cricket Club play in the Lincolnshire ECB League. Both teams play their home fixtures at Mulsanne Park, Nettleham. The village also has a tennis club and has been the new home of Lincoln Rugby Football Club since 2014.

Twinning

Mulsanne Mulsanne () is a commune in the Sarthe department in the region of Pays de la Loire in north-western France. Population Motor racing The Circuit de la Sarthe, which is used in the sports car endurance race 24 Hours of Le Mans, features the l ...

, Pays de la Loire, north-west France. The sports pitch is called Mulsanne Park.

Notable people

* Grace Mary Crowfoot née Hood, a pioneer in the study of archaeological textiles. Daughter of Sinclair Frankland Hood of Nettleham Hall. * Henry Holbeach – served as the last Prior and first

Dean of Worcester The Dean of Worcester is the head of the Chapter of Worcester Cathedral in Worcester, England. The current dean is Peter Atkinson, who lives at The Deanery, College Green, Worcester. Crockford's on-line accessed by subscription Tuesday 11 June ...

; buried here

References

External links

* *
Village website
{{authority control Villages in Lincolnshire Civil parishes in Lincolnshire West Lindsey District