Lincolnshire county page

Contents

Lincolnshire Towns & Parishes

Nearby Places

Beesby (Beesby in the Marsh)

Note: There is also a hamlet of Beesby in Heydour parish near Grantham - that hamlet has virtually disappeared.

Census

• The parish was in the Withern sub-district of the Louth Registration District.
  
  
• We have an extract of a small portion of the 1901 Census which you are welcome to review or add to.
  
  
• 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. Andrew.
  
  
• St. Andrew's church was originally built in the 12th century.
  
  
• The church was nearly completely rebuilt in 1841.
  
  
• The church was restored in 1888-89.
  
  
• The church seats only about 90.
  
  
• Here are two photographs of St. Andrew's Church, taken by Ron Cole (who retains the copyright):
  
  

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Church Records

• Anglican parish registers date from 1561 for baptisms and burials; from 1565 for marriages.
  
  
• The Lincolnshire FHS has published several marriage and burial indexes for the Calcewaith Deanery to make your search easier.
  
  
• The Primitive Methodists had a small chapel here, built prior to 1900. For information and assistance in researching this chapel, 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 Withern sub-district of the Louth Registration District.
  
  
• Check our Civil Registration page for sources and background on Civil Registration which began in July, 1837.
  
  

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Description and Travel

Beesby is both a village and a parish that lies about 30 miles east of the City of Lincoln in the marshy area about a mile south of Maltby le Marsh and 3.5 miles NE of Alford on the A1104 trunk road that runs from Alford to Mablethorpe on the coast. This has always been a small, rural parish. The parish covers only 1,171 acres, much of which is converted salt marsh.

Beesby is also on the edge of the Wolds. Many of the homes built in the 18th and 19th century were Mud and Stud style buildings.

If you are planning a visit:

• For folks on holiday, there is a caravan park west of the village.
  
  
• Visit our touring page for more sources.
  
  

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History

• In March of 1845, Sir Charles Darwin purchased a 325 acre farm in Beesby as an investment for about £12,500. It was called, naturally enough, Beesby Farm.
  
  

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Maps

• The national grid reference is TF 4680.
  
  
• You'll want an Ordnance Survey Explorer 274 or 283 map, which has 2.5 inches to the mile scale.
  
  
• See our Maps page for additional resources.
  
  

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Names, Geographical

• The name Beesby is of uncertain origin, most likely from the Old Scandinavian Bees+by, or "village of Bosi". It appeared in the 1086 Domesday Book as Besebi.
  ["A Dictionary of English Place-Names," A. D. Mills, Oxford University Press, 1991]
  
  

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Politics and Governance

• The parish was in the Wold division of the ancient Calceworth Wapentake in the East Lindsey district in the parts of Lindsey.
  
  
• For today's governance, see the East Lindsey District Council.
  
  

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Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

• After the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act reforms, the parish became part of the Louth Poorlaw Union.
  
  
• Bastardy cases would be heard in the Alford petty sessional hearings.
  
  

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Population

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Schools

• A National School was built here in 1843 and rebuilt in 1864-5 to house 50 students. Average attendance in 1911 was 12.
  
  
• See our Schools page for more information on researching school records.
  
  

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