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Surfleet

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Archives & Libraries

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Census

  • The parish was in the Gosberton sub-district of the Spalding Registration District.
     
  • We have the complete 1891 Census for Gosberton and Surfleet (some Enum. Districts overlap).
     
  • We have a partial surname index for the 1901 Census. Your additions are welcome.
     
  • 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 / 611
1851H.O. 107 / 2096
1861R.G. 9 / 2322
1871R.G. 10 / 3320
1891R.G. 12 / 2561
1901R.G. 13 / 3030
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Church History

  • The Anglican parish church was dedicated to St. Lawrence (also commonly found as "St. Laurance").
     
  • The church includes some Norman work.
     
  • The church was restored between 1900 and 1908.
     
  • The church seats 276.
     
  • Yes, the church tower is "The Leaning Towe of Laurance". The spire is about six feet out of alignment due to subsidence.
     
  • There is a photograph of St. Lawrence's Church on the Wendy PARKINSON Church Photos web site.
     
  • Another photo of the parish church can be found at Currant Bun site listed on our Church Photographs page.
     
  • Here is a photo of Saint Laurance's Church, taken by Ron COLE (who retains the copyright):
     
image
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Church Records

  • Anglican parish registers exist from 1562 (some sources give 1662).
     
  • The LFHS has published several marriage and burial indexes for the West Elloe Deanery.
     
  • The Wesleyan Methodists and Free Methodists had chapels in Surfleet.
     
  • There is a Wesleyan Chapel at Seas-end.
     
  • 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 Gosberton sub-district of the Spalding 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

Surfleet is both a village and parish 97 mioles north of London city, four miles north of Spalding and southwest of Boston that includes the hamlet of Surfleet Seas-End. The parish is bounded on the northwest by Gosberton parish and on the south by Pinchbeck parish. The River Welland and the River Glen provide a boundary line on the southwest edge of the parish. The area is just over 4,060 acres of flat fenland, drained by many small canals.

If you are planning a visit:

  • The A16 trunk road passes through the parish.
     
  • Ian S. has a photograph of the Village Sign on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2011,
     
  • There are three "traditional" bridges across the River Glen in the village. One carries the B1356 thru the heart of the village.
     
  • The Reedbed there is now a wetland preserve of the National Nature Preserve.
     
  • See our touring page for visitor services.
You can see pictures of Surfleet which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

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History

  • Tim HEATON has a photograph of the Riverside Inn (just east of the village) on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2006.
     
  • J. THOMAS has a photograph of The Mermaid Inn on geo-graph, taken in April, 2012. IF you see a Mermaid on exiting the Inn, you might ask someone to take you home.
     
  • Alex McGREGOR has a photograph of the Sufleet Beacon on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2015.
     
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Manors

  • Cressy Hall, near Risegate Eau is a handsome mansion.
     
  • The Manor House was rebuilt by Sir Henry HERON who died in 1695. It was destroyed by fire in 1792 and again rebuilt.
     
  • The Manor House was burnt down about 1820 and was again rebuilt.
     
  • Cressy Hall lies about 3 miles west of the village.
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Maps

  • See our Maps page for additional resources.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference TF251282 (Lat/Lon: 52.836373, -0.143938), Surfleet which are provided by:

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Military Records

  • The list of military men who died in the World Wars can be found on the Surfleet War Memorial.
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Names, Geographical

  • The name Surfleet is from the Old English sur+fleot, or "Sour Stream". In the 1086 Domesday Book, the village is given as Sverefelt and in 1167 as Surfleit.
    [A. D. Mills, "A Dictionary of English Place-Names," Oxford University Press, 1991]
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Politics & Government

  • The parish was in the ancient Elloe Wapentake in the South Holland district and parts of Holland.
     
  • Alex McGREGOR has a photograph of Surfleet Village Hall on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2015. Stop in when they are open and ask to see a schedule of forth-coming events.
     
  • For today's district governance, visit the South Holland District Council site.
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Poor Houses, Poor Law

  • Bastardy cases would be heard in the Kirton and Skirbeck petty session hearings.
     
  • The Common Land was inclosed here in 1777, with 27 acres set aside for the poor.
     
  • In 1810, Samuel EISDALE let a charity that provided £9 in 1843 to distribute to the poor as food, clothing and the like.
     
  • As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, the parish became part of the Spalding Poor Law Union.
     
  • The parish also had enough poor land set aside to generate about £100 in 1900 for distribution to the poor.
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Population

YearInhabitants
1801609
1811658
1831871
1841951
1851945
18711,069
1891979
1901945
19111,010
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Schools

  • The Free school was founded and endowed in 1764 by Lady Ann Fraser. The schoolmaster's income was about 40 pounds a year, for which he taught about 20 free students. This school closed in 1877.
     
  • The Public Elementary School was built in 1878 to hold up to 130 children.
     
  • For more on researching school records, see our Schools Research page.