Legbourne 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

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, Spils ...

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 counties, several municipalities, subdivision ...

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, about south-east of the town of Louth.

History

The

Priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or nuns (such as the Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans, and Carmelites), or monasteries of ...

of Legbourne was founded by Robert Fitz Gilbert of Tathwell about 1150, apparently to receive Cistercian sisters known as the "Nuns of Keddington" (sometimes Haddington). The priory was officially dissolved in 1536, although still occupied by nuns at the time of the

Lincolnshire Rising The Pilgrimage of Grace was a popular revolt beginning in Yorkshire in October 1536, before spreading to other parts of Northern England including Cumberland, Northumberland, and north Lancashire, under the leadership of Robert Aske. The "most ...

, when they were dragged out by a mob. The original priory endowment consisted of lands belonging to Robert Fitz Gilberts fee in Tathwell, Legbourne and Hallington, and the churches of Farlesthorpe, Saltfleetby St Peter,

Raithby Raithby is a village in the Stellenbosch Local Municipality. As of the 2011 census, the village had a population of 908. It lies on the western side of the R44, just off the Winery Road that leaves the R44 to connect Stellenbosch Stellenbo ...

, Hallington,

Somercotes Somercotes is a village and civil parish in the district of Amber Valley in the English county of Derbyshire, close to the border with Nottinghamshire. It is a former mining village and was once surrounded by more than five pits. The village has ...

and

Conisholme __NOTOC__ Conisholme is a small settlement and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is on the Cleethorpes to Mablethorpe A1031 road, and north-east from Louth. The population is included in the civil parish o ...

, with half that of Legbourne. The priory site is in the grounds of Legbourne Abbey, at present a private house. The only visible remains of the original building are earth mounds."Legbourne" Village site. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
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Governance and population

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to ...

of the same name stretches north-west to Elkington. It had a population of 1,891 at the 2011 census. Legbourne's population of 280 in 1801 rose to 511 in 1841, then slowly declined to 347 in 1961. It then rose again to 644 in 2011, and an estimated 653 in 2019.

Landmarks

Legbourne church, built about 1380, is dedicated to All Saints. 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 I ...

, it was extensively rebuilt in 1865. The church clock was presented by Thomas Cheney Garfitt in 1890. It is a member of the Legbourne Woldmarsh group of rural parishes, acting as its hub. A service of Holy Communion or Matins is held on most Sunday mornings. Legbourne village pump - geograph

The village pump, Grade II listed, is a canopied and

pinnacle A pinnacle is an architectural element originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire. It was mainly ...

d stone structure in front of the church, built by Canon J. Overton in 1877 in memory of his mother. It was the main supply of water to the village until 1953, when mains water arrived. Legbourne

tower mill A tower mill is a type of vertical windmill consisting of a brick or stone tower, on which sits a wooden 'cap' or roof, which can rotate to bring the sails into the wind.Medieval science, technology, and medicine: an encyclopedia (2005), 520 Thi ...

, also Grade II listed, was built by Thomas Davy in 1847 after an older

post mill The post mill is the earliest type of European windmill. Its defining feature is that the whole body of the mill that houses the machinery is mounted on a single vertical post, around which it can be turned to bring the sails into the wind. All ...

burned down. It is now a dwelling. Legbourne Wood is one of the few ancient woodlands in eastern Lincolnshire and the largest of the

Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust The Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, (part of the The Wildlife Trusts, Wildlife Trusts partnership), covers the whole ceremonial county of Lincolnshire, England. It was founded in 1948 as a Volunteering, voluntary charitable organisation dedicated to ...

woodland nature reserves. The Lincolnshire Trust bought the wood in 2004. Its canopy is ash and oak. Beneath the trees, over 60 species of wild flowers have been recorded, including primrose, early purple orchid, bluebell, wood anemone, sweet woodruff, wood sorrel and lesser celandine. There is a varied bird population in Legbourne Wood, including one of the largest

heronries A heronry, sometimes called a heron rookery, is a breeding ground for herons. Notable heronries Although their breeding territories are often on more protected small islands in lakes or retention ponds, herons breed in heronries (or also calle ...

in the county.

Transport

The village lies on the main

A157 road List of A roads in zone 1 in Great Britain beginning north of the River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is ...

between Louth and Mablethorpe. There are four weekday buses a day between them calling at Legbourne, with connections at Louth for

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 ...

Legbourne Road railway station Legbourne Road was a railway station on the East Lincolnshire Railway which served the village of Legbourne in Lincolnshire between 1848 and 1964. The station was closed to passengers in 1953, and withdrawal of goods facilities took place in ...

was built in 1863 for the Great Northern Railway, but closed in 1970. The level crossing has disappeared, but the station house survives as a private residence. The nearest operating station is at

Cleethorpes Cleethorpes () is a seaside town on the estuary of the Humber in North East Lincolnshire, England with a population of 38,372 in 2020. It has been permanently occupied since the 6th century, with fishing as its original industry, then develo ...

Amenities

Legbourne Wood Nature Reserve - geograph

Legbourne and Little Cawthorpe Community Centre was built in 1990 as a sports and functions hall. Its playing fields are used also for outdoor events. The village retains a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional se ...

and general store. The ''Queens Head Inn'' closed in 2012 but re-opened in 2015. Since 1982 there has been a

trout farm The aquaculture of salmonids is the farming and harvesting of salmonids under controlled conditions for both commercial and recreational purposes. Salmonids (particularly salmon and rainbow trout), along with carp, and tilapia are the three most ...

in the village.

Education

The village has a day nursery and an out-of-school club. East Wold Church of England Primary School, built in 1993, serves Legbourne and surrounding villages."East Wold Church of England Primary School"
Lincolnshire.gov.uk. Retrieved 19 May 2011

References

External links

* {{authority control Villages in Lincolnshire Civil parishes in Lincolnshire Tourist attractions in Lincolnshire Windmills in Lincolnshire East Lindsey District Nature reserves in Lincolnshire