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Middle Rasen

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Rasen, Middle, par. and vil., Lincolnshire, on river Rasen, 1½ mile W. of Market Rasen, 3,470 ac., pop. 928; P.O.

From: John BARTHOLOMEW's "Gazetteer of the British Isles (1887)"

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Archives & Libraries

The Caistor Library is an excellent resource with a Local History section and a Family History section.

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Census

  • The parish was in the Market Rasen sub-district of the Caistor Registration District.
     
  • Check our Census Resource page for county-wide resources.
     
  • The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
Census
Year
Piece No.
1841H.O. 107 / 642
1851H.O. 107 / 2115
1861R.G. 9 / 2394
1871R.G. 10 / 3424
1881R.G. 11 / 3281
1891R.G. 12 / 2623
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Church History

  • There were formerly two churches here: Saint Peter's was built by the monks of Tupholme Abbey; Saint Paul's was operated by the Drax Priory.
  • St. Paul's Church was pulled down in 1860. It appears to have dated from the 14th century.
  • St. Peter's Church was thoroughly restored in 1860. Some parts of St. Paul's Church were used in the restoration.
  • St. Peter's Church seats about 324.
  • St. Peter's Church was re-dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Paul.
  • A photograph of St. Peter's Church is at the Wendy PARKINSON English Church Photographs site.
  • Here is a photo of St. Peter's church, taken by Ron COLE (who retains the copyright):

 

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Church Records

  • St. Peter's parish register dates from 1708.
  • For reasons unknown, the number of baptisms drops during the years 1794 and 1795.
  • We have a handful of entries in our parish register extract text file. Your additions are welcomed.
  • The Lincolnshire FHS has published several marriage indexes and a burial index for the Westwold Deanery to make your search easier.
  • The church has, during eclessiastical boundary changes, been part of the West Walshcroft rural Deanery.
  • There were Wesleyan, Primitive and Reformed Wesleyan Methodist chapels in the parish. For information and assistance in researching these chapels, see our non-conformist religions page.
  • Check our Church Records page for county-wide resources.
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Civil Registration

  • The parish was in the Market Rasen sub-district of the Caistor Registration District.
  • Check our Civil Registration page for sources and background on Civil Registration which began in July, 1837.
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Description & Travel

Middle Rasen is a both a parish and a village of the same name. Buslingthorpe parish lies to the south and Market Rasen parish lies 1 mile to the south-west. The parish covers about 3,600 acres.

The village sits astride the Rase River. In some Directories you will find the village listed as being partly in two parishes: Middle Rasen Drax and Middle Rasen Tupholme. If you are planning a visit:

  • By automobile, take the A631 trunk road east out of Gainsborough or west out of Louth. The village is about halfway between those two towns.
  • Check out our touring page for resources.
  • You can take comfort from being in the village when you see this sign!. This phtot was taken by Patricia McRORY (who retains the copyright):

 

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You can see pictures of Middle Rasen which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

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History

The The ancient stone bridge across the River Rase was replaced by a new one in 1869.

The parish had a Public House named the Nag's Head on Gainsborough road as early as 1842. This establishment is still open. For a photograph, see Geo-graph. Names associated with the Inn are:

YearPerson
1842William NAYLOR, vict.
1868Enoch CHESTER, farmer
1872John SAUNBY, horse breaker
1882John SAUNBY, vict.
1900Mrs. Harriet HIBBETT
1913John Chas. RAWLINSON
1930Edwd. I. BURNETT

John Charles RAWLINSON, above, was born in Market Rasen circa 1859.

There's not much to see in the 1881 census (R.G. 11/3281 folio 86):

RelationshipNameSexAgeWhere born
headJohn SAUNBYM63Waddinham, Lincolnshire
wifeHarriet SAUNBYF61Lincoln, Lincolnshire
dau.Elizabeth SAUNBYF30Louth, Lincolnshire
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Maps

  • See our Maps page for additional resources.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference TF089891 (Lat/Lon: 53.387523, -0.36405), Middle Rasen which are provided by:

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Military History

The War Memorial for both World Wars is a plaque inside St. Peter's church. Photo taken by John FIRTH.

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Politics & Government

  • This place was an ancient parish in Lincoln county and became a modern Civil Parish when those were established.
  • The parish was in the south division of the ancient Walshcroft Wapentake in the West Lindsey district in the parts of Lindsey.
  • On 24 March, 1887, "Lissingley's Fields" were transfered to Buslingthorpe Civil Parish.
  • Some published Directories of the 1900s have the parish listed as being in the East Lindsey district.
  • You may contact the Middle Rasen Parish Council regarding civic or politial issues, but they are NOT staffed to assist you with family history questions.
  • Today's district governance is provided by the West Lindsey District Council.
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Poor Houses, Poor Law

  • Bastardy cases would be heard on the 1st Tuesday each month at the Market Rasen petty session hearings.
  • In 1803, the poor of this parish were bequeathed £170 by Mdk. TOMLINE. That was subsequently lost by the bankruptcy of Wm. HESLEDEN, solicitor, of Barton-on-Humber.
  • As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, this parish became part of the Caistor Poor Law Union.
  • In 1871, this parish had seven tenements occupied by poor families.
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Population

YearInhabitants
1801403
1831685
1841831
1871982
1881928
1891810
1901677
1911711
1921761
1931808
1951910
1961916
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Schools

  • A Free School was founded here in 1720 by John WILKINSON.
  • A Council School was built in 1875 to hold 120 children. In 1911, average attendance was 79.
  • See our Schools page for more information on researching school records.