Lincolnshire county page

Contents

Lincolnshire Towns & Parishes

Nearby Places

Somersby

Census

• The parish was in the Tetford sub-district of the Horncastle Registration District.
  
  
• Check our Census Resource page for county-wide resources.
  
  
• The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
  
  

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Church History

• The Anglican parish church is dedicated to St. Margaret.
  
  
• The church is an ancient sandstone building. We know that the church was built some time before 1612.
  
  
• The church was restored in 1863-5.
  
  
• The church only seats about 80 people.
  
  
• Alfred, Lord Tennyson, poet laureate, was baptised in this church.
  
  
• There is a photograph of St. Margaret's Church on the Wendy Parkinson Church Photos web site.
  
  
• Here is a photograph of St. Margaret's church, taken by Ron Cole (who retains the copyright):
  
  

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Church Records

• The Anglican parish register dates from 1573.
  
  
• The LFHS has published several marriage and burial indexes for the Bolingbroke Deanery to make your search easier.
  
  
• Directories of the 1900s place the parish in the North Hill rural deanery.
  
  
• Check our Church Records page for county-wide resources.
  
  

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Civil Registration

• The parish was in the Tetford sub-district of the Horncastle Registration District.
  
  
• Check our Civil Registration page for sources and background on Civil Registration which started in July, 1837.
  
  

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Description and Travel

6 miles northwest of Spilsby and 7 miles eastnortheast of Horncastle, Somersby is both a village and a small parish in the Wold hills. Tetford parish and Salmonby parish lie to the north and Bag Enderby parish to the south. The parish covers about 600 acres (in 1881 and 1900).

The village is just a short walk southeast from Tetford. If you are planning a visit:

• Stop and see Somersby Quarry - This small outcrop of Spilsby Sandstone shows perfectly the softness of this stone and its khaki-green colour when exposed to weathering. Although this quarry is now disused, stone has been used to repair nearby Somersby Church.
  
  
• Visit our touring page for more sources.
  
  

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History

• Alfred Lord Tennyson was born and raised here. Here is a photo of Tennyson House, Somersby.
  
  

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Manors

• The Manor House was occupied by John BAUMBER in 1872.
  
  

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Maps

• The national grid reference is TF 3472.
  
  
• You'll want an Ordnance Survey Explorer 273 map, which has 2.5 inches to the mile scale.
  
  
• See our Maps page for additional resources.
  
  

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Politics and Government

• The parish was in the ancient Hill Wapentake (Hill Hundred) in the East Lindsey district in the parts of Lindsey.
  
  
• Kelly's Directories of Lincolnshire, both the 1900 and 1913 issues, place the parish in the South Lindsey district.
  
  
• For today's governance, see the East Lindsey District Council.
  
  

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Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

• As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, the parish became part of the Horncastle Poor Law Union.
  
  

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Population

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Schools

• The children of this parish attended school at Tetford village.
  
  
• For more on researching school records, see our Schools Research page.
  
  

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