Wainfleet All Saints is an ancient
port
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...
and
market town
A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...
on the east coast of England, in the
East Lindsey
East Lindsey is a local government district in Lincolnshire, England. The population of the district council was 136,401 at the 2011 census. The council is based in Manby. Other major settlements in the district include Alford, Wragby, Spilsby ...
district of
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a 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-west, Leicestershire ...
,
[OS Explorer map: Skegness, Alford & Spilsby: (1:25 000): ] on the
A52 road A5 and variants may refer to:
Science and mathematics
* A5 regulatory sequence in biochemistry
* A5, the abbreviation for the androgen Androstenediol
* Annexin A5, a human cellular protein
* ATC code A05 ''Bile and liver therapy'', a subgroup of ...
south-west of
Skegness
Skegness ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Lindsey District of Lincolnshire, England. On the Lincolnshire coast of the North Sea, the town is east of Lincoln and north-east of Boston. With a population of 19,579 as of 2011, i ...
and north-east of
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
. It stands on two small rivers, the
Steeping
Steeping is the soaking of an organic solid, such as leaves, in a liquid (usually water) to extract flavours or to soften it. The specific process of teas being prepared for drinking by leaving the leaves in heated water to release the flavour a ...
and
Limb (or Lymn), that form Wainfleet Haven.
[Cox, J. Charles (1916); ''Lincolnshire'' p. 325; Methuen & Co. Ltd.; retrieved 23 April 2011] The town is close to the
Lincolnshire Wolds
The Lincolnshire Wolds are a range of low hills in the county of Lincolnshire, England which run roughly parallel with the North Sea coast, from the Humber Estuary in the north-west to the edge of the Lincolnshire Fens in the south-east. They a ...
. The village of
Wainfleet St Mary
Wainfleet St Mary is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated directly south of Wainfleet All Saints on the A52 road, south-west from Skegness and north-east f ...
is to the south.
History and landmarks
![Barkham Street plaque - Wainfleet, Lincolnshire](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Barkham_Street_plaque_-_Wainfleet%2C_Lincolnshire.jpg)
The name "Wainfleet" is derived from , a stream that can be crossed by a wagon (compare with 'wainwright', a maker of wagons). The town stands on or near the former Roman settlement of ''Vainona''. Two
tumuli
A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones buil ...
, one to the north and one to the south of the town, are of unknown origin, although it has been suggested that they could be Viking or Roman.
A number of coins from the period have been found in the vicinity. In the
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 manusc ...
of 1086, Wainfleet is referred to as 'Wenflet'.
[
The parish church of All Saints was built in 1820-21 following the demolition of a previous medieval church of the same dedication, using part of the old church's material. A further church, St Thomas, had been destroyed by then. During the demolition of All Saints the tomb of Richard Patten, father of ]William of Waynflete
William Waynflete (11 August 1486), born William Patten, was Provost of Eton College (1442–1447), Bishop of Winchester (1447–1486) and Lord Chancellor of England (1456–1460). He founded Magdalen College, Oxford and three subsidiary scho ...
, was broken up, but it was later restored within Waynflete's Magdalen College
Magdalen College (, ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete. Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a financial endowment of £332.1 million as of 2019 and one of the st ...
Chapel, Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
.[
William of Waynflete founded the town's Magdalen College School in 1484]["The Magdalen College School, Wainfleet, Lincolnshire, UK"]
''BBC - The Guide to Life, The Universe and Everything.''; retrieved 28 April 2011 and obtained for the town a charter of incorporation
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the rec ...
in 1457.[ The school building is Grade I listed and houses a museum.
In 1847 Barkham Street, a 'London-style' terrace, was commissioned by ]Bethlem Hospital
Bethlem Royal Hospital, also known as St Mary Bethlehem, Bethlehem Hospital and Bedlam, is a psychiatric hospital in London. Its famous history has inspired several horror books, films and TV series, most notably '' Bedlam'', a 1946 film with ...
and built to the design of Sydney Smirke
Sydney Smirke (20 December 1797 – 8 December 1877) was a British architect.
Smirke who was born in London, England as the fifth son of painter Robert Smirke and his wife, Elizabeth Russell. He was the younger brother of Sir Robert Smirke ...
and to specifications similar to other Bethlem terraces in Southwark
Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...
, London.
The Market Place has two Grade II
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 ...
listed structures: a clock tower erected in 1899, and a 15th-century limestone Buttercross
A buttercross, also known as butter cross or butter market, is a type of market cross associated with English market towns and dating from medieval times. Its name originates from the fact that they were located at the market place, where peopl ...
(set on three steps and topped with a 19th-century finial and weathervane), from which John Wesley
John Wesley (; 2 March 1791) was an English people, English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The soci ...
preached.[Wainfleet Conservation Area Appraisal]
''East Lindsey District Council''; retrieved 30 April 2011
The town is notable for Batemans Brewery; the brewery building incorporates the Georgian
Georgian may refer to:
Common meanings
* Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country)
** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group
** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians
**Georgian scripts, three scrip ...
Salem House and a former corn mill, Salem Bridge Mill.["Wainfleet All Saints windmill"]
''Windmill World''; retrieved 30 April 2011 Public houses
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
in Wainfleet are the Woolpack Hotel and The Angel on High Street. Former pubs included the Jolly Sailor (St Johns Street) and the Royal Oak and the Red Lion (both on High Street and now residential).
Skegness Grammar School
''(A sound conscience is a wall of brass)''
, established = (1933 at current site)
, closed =
, type = Grammar schoolAcademy
, religion =
, president =
, head_label =
, head = Jude Hunton
, r_he ...
has a boarding house in the town on Low Road.
Wainfleet became a conservation area
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...
in 1972.[
]
Transport
The town was at the end of a branch of the Great Northern Railway until the development of Skegness
Skegness ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Lindsey District of Lincolnshire, England. On the Lincolnshire coast of the North Sea, the town is east of Lincoln and north-east of Boston. With a population of 19,579 as of 2011, i ...
about to the east. Wainfleet railway station
Wainfleet railway station serves the town of Wainfleet All Saints in Lincolnshire, England. The station has its own signal box at the east end of the platforms, which is next to the level crossing. Wainfleet station is west of Skegness on the ...
is on Station Road, and is on the Nottingham to Skegness Line.
Sport
Meetings of the Motorcycle Grasstrack Racing are hosted by the Wainfleet & District Sporting Motorcycle Club. They have run annually the International Lincolnshire Poacher race since 1992.
The club have also hosted the British Masters Championship on four occasions in 1997, 1998, 2002, 2004. In 2011 the club hosted the European Grasstrack Championship
The European Grasstrack Championship is a motorcycle championship and is organised by FIM Europe. The first championship took place in 1978 at Hereford Racecourse, England and was won by Chris Baybutt. The competitors qualified though two semi-f ...
Final at their home at Thorpe St Peter
Thorpe St Peter is a village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, about north-west from the town of Wainfleet.
Thorpe is listed in the ''Domesday Book'' of 1086 as having 33 households, two mills and a chur ...
.
Northolme
At the northern end of Wainfleet All Saints is the hamlet of Northolme, which is all that remains of the lost parish of Wainfleet St Thomas.
No distinction was made between Wainfleet All Saints, Wainfleet St Mary, and Wainfleet St Thomas, until a deed from Peter De Beningword to Bardney Abbey
Bardney Abbey in Lincolnshire, England, was a Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation ...
mentions ''North Wenfled''. The original deed held in the British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...
is undated, but is estimated to be from the 13th century.
In 1316 Wainfleet St Thomas is mentioned as paying tax under Feudal Aid Feudal aid is the legal term for one of the financial duties required of a feudal tenant or vassal to his lord. Variations on the feudal aid were collected in England, France, Germany and Italy during the Middle Ages, although the exact circumstance ...
. At the time of the Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
, the chapel belonged to Kyme Priory. There is no clear indication of when it was demolished, but it was still standing at the time of the Protectorate
A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a State (polity), state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over m ...
, when the general Baptists
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...
were granted its use. Nothing remains of the chapel today, although its site is used as an extension of the present cemetery.
In 1546 Thomas Lyttlebury was heir to the manor of Northolme through his brother John. However it seems that the estate became the property of John's daughter, Alice, who married Thomas Upton. Thomas Upton's successors lived at Northolme Hall.
The first Northolme Hall was an Elizabethan moated manor house
A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...
, reputedly built in 1549. The present Northolme Hall was built on the same site in 1866.
Population
Geography
Wainfleet is located South of Skegness
Skegness ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Lindsey District of Lincolnshire, England. On the Lincolnshire coast of the North Sea, the town is east of Lincoln and north-east of Boston. With a population of 19,579 as of 2011, i ...
and North of Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
on the A52.
See also
* RAF Wainfleet - local bombing range.
References
Further reading
* Ian Simmons, "Medieval and early modern management of the River Lymn and Wainfleet Haven (east Lincolnshire, England)", ''Landscape History
Landscape history is the study of the way in which humanity has changed the physical appearance of the environment – both present and past. It is sometimes referred to as landscape archaeology. It was first recognised as a separate area of study ...
'', vol. 39, no. 2 (2018), pp. 5–21
https://doi.org/10.1080/01433768.2018.1534455
External links
*
Town web site
*
{{authority control
Towns in Lincolnshire
Civil parishes in Lincolnshire
Buildings and structures in Lincolnshire
Windmills in Lincolnshire
East Lindsey District